There are currently no approved repellents for bobcats in Illinois.įrightening devices such as flashing lights, blaring music, or dogs may temporarily discourage bobcats from using an area. All doors or other openings should be shut at night. Providing a shed or other solid enclosure will help protect poultry better than a wire enclosure. To protect poultry make sure that enclosures have a roof or secure wire overhead. Exclusionīobcats are good climbers, so fences are not very effective in keeping them out. Keep the area cleared of brush or other cover.

Contact an IDNR District Wildlife BiologistĬontrol rabbit and small mammal populations.

Repair Damage: What to Know Before Making Repairs.

Interesting Facts:īobcats can take down deer in the winter when the snow pack hampers the deers movement. Breeding is the only occasion when two cats will socialize. Spring, however, is the season when Felids breed most frequently (this is also true of domestic felines). Reproduction:īobcats are induced ovulators (ovulation occurs during and in response to copulation), therefore, breeding can occur any time of the year. It is a vital and essential check on the populations of rabbits and rodents that destroy cultivated crops and wild flora. The kill is made with a bite at the base of the skull (crushing the cervical vertebrae), while the predator is atop the back of its prey. The hunt occurs almost exclusively on the ground by stalking (as opposed to ambush from trees). The bobcat is a patient and furtive hunter. It is a creature of habit, having favorite ledges, trees, or trails that are repeatedly used. Its range expands and diminishes in inverse proportion to the abundance of prey. The male will mark its territory by spraying and scratching trees. The bobcat is a territorial, solitary and crepuscular cat (active at dawn and dusk). Canadian species are taller with slightly different markings on the tail and ears, but still exhibit the unique ear tufts, short tail and proportionately long legs. In general, the buff bobcat is common in desert country, whereas the cat from the forests is darker. The backs of the ears are heavily marked with black, and display unique and characteristic long tufts of fur. The coat is of various shades of buff and brown, spotted and lined with black and brownish-black, and streaked black on the crown. Coloring of the body varies considerably between different races and can often be linked with the habitat.

The tail is characteristically very short, has indistinct black rings and is tipped black only on the upper side. The feet are furred, allowing the animal to travel quickly on top of snow without falling through. Shelter is found in small caves or rocky dens. North America, southern Canada to Baja, California and central Mexico Habitat:įorests, mountainous areas, semi-deserts, brushland.

What is a bobcat