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| Photo Submitted |
This large bobcat was caught last week on a trail camera that was located Southwest of Rich Hill, Missouri just across the Bates and Vernon County Line.
Please be aware of your surrounding when out hunting in the area.
The Bobcat is considered one of the state's "big game species," Missouri's largest bobcat population is located mainly in the Ozarks, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) although several
sightings have been reported throughout Missouri including locally.
Although they are seldom seen, the Ozark highlands is considered prime bobcat habitat as is the Mississippi lowlands to a lesser degree.
Bobcats still thrive so well in Missouri that the MDC stages an annual hunting and trapping season to keep the population in balance.
Male and female bobcats look alike, sporting black pointed ears with a central light-colored spot and black tufts of fur on the ears. The cat's eyes appear elliptical when in seen bright light, but are nearly round when viewed in dim light. Bobcats are known for their strong feline odor.
Around 18 to 50 inches long, with a three- to eight-inch tail and weighing between eight to 50 pounds, bobcats live mostly in dense forests with second growth underbrush, occasional clearings and rocky outcroppings. Male bobcats have a home territory between 18 and 28 square miles, with females have a somewhat smaller home range. The animals mark their home turf with droppings and/or urine to warn other cats to stay away.
Breeding begins in December and may extend throughout the winter, spring and even into early summer. After a 50- to 70-day gestation period females give birth to a litter of two or three youngsters weighing about 12 ounces each.
The bobcat may not be the only wildcat in Missouri. There have been a few sightings of mountain lions in the state since 1994. Before that, the last documented mountain lion sighting in Missouri was in 1927. Mountain lions can weigh from 90 to 160 pounds and are about 60 to 100 inches long.
Mountain lions are a protected species in Missouri and there is no hunting or trapping season for the animals; however under state law a person may kill a mountain lion if he or she believes they are in danger of attack or if they believe their domestic livestock is being threatened.
Copyright Mid America Live News
