Bobcat fever!

Last Sunday night we finally got some decent snow, so my household new what was coming first thing Monday morning!  I decided to dedicate the morning to chasing bobcats since the season ends Jan. 31st here.  My first set was on the edge of a river bottom along some brush and trees.  The viewing area was very small for what I'm used too when calling dogs, but it looked like cat country.  I called with a injured woodpecker for 15 minutes, then switched to a bobcat in heat.  After 35 minutes, the cold was setting in, and I decided no kitties were coming, so I switched to a jack in distress and cranked the volume hoping to bring a dog in.  Just before 38 minutes I glanced over my shoulder (as dogs have snuck up on me in the past) and there was a small, dark cat 27 yards away with only me keeping him from coming any closer.  We sat like we were both frozen to the landscape for about 5 minutes until I decided to try and roll out and get a shot before he knew what was happening.  Unlike coyotes, this cat had an escape strategy and vanished instantly.  I never took a shot, but I followed his tracks to see where he came from.  He followed my tracks down the trail to my set!  When I got back to the truck, I could see that he passed ten feet in front of my pickup, and picked up a buddy coming in.  I never saw the second cat, but I didn't disturb them too much, so I will be back this week to see if I can build some good fur money to buy a new foxpro!  The excitement combined with a great climate day led me to hunt unproductively the rest of the day stopping only for lunch.  Kinda bummed I didn't get a cat for Christmas, but it was worth the time and effort!