Oh, wow, it has been a long time since I have blogged! In the blink of an eye, lambing season has come and gone, and I should write more about that! But today, here are some prized trail cam photos of a sneaky wildcat that lurks on a woodsy trail behind our barn. I’ve been getting blurry half-shots of him for some time, and keep thinking “is that a bobcat?”. But for some reason, the camera doesn’t catch him as easily as it does coyotes, which constantly come and go, and frequently pose for portrait-quality shots. I almost wonder if I’m placing it too high to catch this shorty kitteh? 
This time, the photos are pretty “fosho” cat though. I almost wondered if it was a cougar, except for the upright bobtail can be seen in the color (daytime) photo. But he does have more cougar-ey color, and his ear tips don’t have those traditional pointy-haired tips (at least that can be seen in these vague shots). I am not fearful of much, but the thought of a surprise encounter with a mountain lion definitely makes me appreciate owning rifles. It’s rare, but cougars do have the potential to kill, as we were sharply reminded recently with this fatal attack in Snoqualmie. I will count my blessings that this is most likely a bobcat, and thus mostly a threat to young lambs, and not people, dogs, or mature sheep. 
When I’ve run the sheep flock butted up against this woods, I’ve had unexplained losses, mostly of lambs. Not like coyote losses, where bones and fur are spread out in a 200′ radius of a right-at-the-find dining heyday. But, like, gone-gone, sheep just disappearing without a trace, like how a cat might drag them off. We call this area of our farm the Bermuda Triangle because we’ve not had mysterious losses like this before grazing this zone. But maybe it’s just a Bermuda Bobtail, snagging sneaky lambs that slip under the hotwire to find greener grass?
This coyote insists, “not me. I’m just here to leave a poop memo at this trail confluence, then I’ll go about my business eating voles and leave that lamb crop untouched.”
The Collie Farm Blog 
June 1, 2018 at 4:54 am
I bet the bob is your lamb poacher – they are pretty stealthy, and also kind of brazen. I’ve found that the critters here don’t react to them much (speaking dogs, mainly). When I had one lifting my chooks, in broad daylight, mind you, the dogs didn’t even react (although they didn’t witness, either). Nor did the chickens, much – a coyote or unfamiliar dog coming through would have had them raising a fuss, but the bobcat kind of looked like my house cats (esp. coloring), just a little bigger (not that much bigger, either). They’d lift a hen without any ruckus. The bobcats left a few feathers with the chooks they grabbed, but yes, it was take out, not dine-in with them. I worry when I have lambs, and am careful with keeping the lambs in enclosures where mamas are close; bobcats and eagles are my two main worries at lambing season. And cougars, but that’s year-round. The bears I only seem to see in the late summer/fall. I’ve often thought of getting a trail cam, but part of me doesn’t want to know what’s out there, so close (i.e., too scared! LOL!).
Maureen
June 1, 2018 at 5:18 am
Maureen, indeed, it really is eye-opening to see on the trail cam just how much coming and going there is! Predators are a constant presence, so it’s definitely good to plan mitigations around them as much as possible!
June 2, 2018 at 12:26 am
M., keep that camera rolling. Would be nice to have some crisper pix of “Bobby.” Back in my upland game bird days, I was coming home from pheasant hunting. It was dusk and as I passed a pile of brush, a bobcat darted out and leaped its way up a nearby telephone pole. More a reflex action than anything, I aimed, fired one shot from the twelve gauge just as the cat was in the midst of its third leap up the pole and tumbled it. I regret that foul deed to this day…such a beautiful, graceful animal. I skinned it out, had the hide tanned, and kept it for years in a box here at the house until it finally succumbed to insect pests.
BTW, do you mountain bike on that “Bermuda” trail? TMJ
June 2, 2018 at 4:07 am
TMJ, no, have not been biking back there! But we do take the dogs for walks back there. We definitely have cougars on this hill, so it’s pause for thought. My husband bikes and hikes up on the Lord Hill trails, and is re-evaluating carrying mace and/or a weapon now, after the “Snoqualmie incident.” :-0