Great pics and story Mark. Thanks. The foot pad on the cat in the top pic is huge!

This ranch wants all the cats I catch (I'm at 5 so far on 1600 acres) to mount them for their newly built lodge. So this bad boy will get mounted, but not by me. I added him to the invoice which was HARD because I'd sure like to have had him mounted myself. But, I'm always a straight shooter with all my ranchers and owners and THAT goes further than I can imagine. (It was hard handing him over!!!!!!)
He's bigger by 10-20 lbs than all the coyotes I've caught here.

I saw the track 6 days earlier in the sandy road middle, and due to how heavy it was, I considered there might be a small lion running around. The neighboring ranch had a lion this year on a game camera in a deep canyon 4 miles south. But nope, I think it was this Tom. His pad is as big as I've ever seen. I wished he'd have gorged before I caught him, although if that meant the owner losing another $$$$$ critter, then glad his tummy was completely empty. All 4 females I've caught had rats in their tummies. They had recently eaten. I always cut cats open to see what's for supper.

Blessings,
Mark

Thanks Bob! If he has a friend or two, I hope they show up soon. I pull traps this week and hit the road back to Michigan in time to preach the Message during Christmas Eve services at our Evangelical church in Grayling, Michigan. The church elders are big time sportsmen and they're gonna want to see these cat pics! I actually have made two lion sets in a deeper canyon on the ranch. I'd like to score on a lion while we're here!

Great cat and cool story. Good luck on your mountain lion. I love following your ride alongs. Lots of good stuff to learn from.

Nice cat!

Your pics on the other bobcat thread are pretty amazing. We don't typically get these hog cats further south. My previous biggest came from the NW corner of Nebraska some years ago.

Blessings!
Mark

What a toad

Glad you got him and bet the owner is super glad if he had already killed $400K worth of his critters

We're killing everything with sharp teeth BTLowery! The owner and his hired man went up in a helicopter last week and shot 21 hogs and 2 coyotes in an effort to clean this ranch up. When I get done with my trapping projects, I write up my biology assessment of what's needed to increase herd production. After all, my job isn't to kill coyotes (they all want that)... I tell 'em my goal is to increase their herd production. I'm a biologist trained in wildlife management so I build that into my overall cost structure. This rancher/owner got my name from another rancher I've trapped for about 11 years and it's not only what we do, but how we do it that gets our names passed around, right? Same with any vocation!

Blessings!
Mark

That humongous Bobcat must have had some mountain lion blood in him. Lol.

Thanks for the great pictures and for sharing your successes and pictures which can sometimes speak volumes.

Impressive indeed.
Do you find bobcat trapping in the north to be quite a bit different than in the south Mark?

Big Cat. Congratulations

Not at all. Bobcats are bobcats wherever they range.

Thanks 330-Trapper It felt good to get the job done on the toad of a cat because of the predation issues on this new ranch for us. The owner, who lives in another state, has already booked us for another 2 week contract this spring. I find ranch owners want only two things.... 1. Results. 2.Honesty.

We give them 2 for sure and hustle early until late each of the 14 days, 13 trap checks, to give them #1.

Blessings,
Mark

congratulation's , so did donna set that trap or you ha ha

Roy, ok. I must admit.....

I did

Nice baby tiger, they don’t get that big eating fruit loops. A real deer killer for sure!!

Wow! That’s one fine cat!!