Good stuff Mark, congratulations. Those folks on that spread will have to keep eyes open from here on out as that big fella no doubt left some oversized genetics behind. I’m not sure if it’s possible but it sure would be interesting to get that guy aged.

Oh and you you sure aren’t Marshal Dillon and that ain’t the red headed miss Kitty in the rig next to you. A dam good trapper and a nice couple is what I see. Good people.

Osky

Congrats on a great cat!! Merry Christmas!!

That was 41 pounds on a scale, right?

Excellent, it's a big one

What I like to do is put the cat on my dually bumper and see how far down the rear tires bulge.
Then based on the increased bulging of the 4 tires, I jack up the rear end to the original tire position and based on how many jacks of the pumps I do.....
that's the weight divided by 4.239'er.

I weigh all my bobcats on a scale that I have with me, because the weight/sex/measurements of every bobcat is included in my Predator & Wildlife Project Report, a wildlife management multi-page report which I provide as part of my services for my clients. That's how I knew how much the female and the male weighed.

martentrapper,
Hurry quick and get to 2023 so you can quit asking people silly questions in 2022.
Or insinuating that another person is fibbin'.
It doesn't wear well on you.

Blessings,
Mark

Awesome cat. Congrats.

I assume ol' martentrapper was just funnin' ya Mark.

Great once in a life time catch. Big congrats!

Wow! That's a dandy! WTG!

Geez, Mark, that is a heck of a 'cat here in Roscommon County, let alone down in that country! Wow!

Mark, there was no insinuation. Just an honest question. There has been a thread or 2 in the past about folks stating weights of critters without the use of a scale. I read thru all 4 pages of this thread and did not see mention of a scale. I'm not familiar with the details of your operation so didn't know you carried a scale.
Please accept my apology for any unintended insult.
So Mark, is that scale calibrated?

Martentrapper, Apology accepted and a Happy New Year full of fluffy Martin in your traps @ $175 each.
I wasn't sideways because I know about this phenomenon known as "internet context."
Since you and I aren't sipping coffee in Fairbanks, neither of us can gauge the body language, tone of voice, and all else that makes up 90% of communication context, so I also had some fun with your post. Thus, the truck tire scale scenario. I thought about typing how I really weight animals which is to throw them off 12' embankments into medium grade sand. And measure the impact results. Like a chalk outline at a CSI

But, I must confess, I use the same packing scale we use to ship orders to our dealers while we're on the road. It measures to the lb's only.
The cat mighta been 41 lb 15 oz's . It won't hit 42 until it's..... 42.

Blessings,
Mark

Wow that's a big beauty

I spent my career in an environment where measuring tools were required by regulation to be calibrated. So I often ask various people I encounter using measuring tools if their equipment is calibrated. The answer is almost always, No. Haha.
Let's move off of having fun and try some educating. Is that the heaviest cat you ever caught? You skinned it, was it fat? After years of catching cats, what percentage of cats have been above normally large?
I only have experience with Lynx. A big lynx looks big. Bigger than a bobcat, but surprisingly, 40 pounds is also a "big" lynx. Additional surprise is females are often very close to as big as males.
Mark, if you use that scale to weigh postal packages and the PO accepts or verifies that weight, then parhaps we can say your scale IS calibrated!!
The Lords blessings on you and yours, Mark. I look forward to many more years of your information on this site. We all learn something from you.

28lbs on a certified USDA scale. For reference, the man in the picture is 6' tall

We got weights in Bobcats!!

This is the heaviest by far of any bobcat I've ever caught. Never had one over 37lb previously.... caught outside the Austin city limits (where trapping is not allowed).

He also was incredibly fat and I did skin him taxidermy style for the owner as they are going to tan it. I'd guess Tom had more fat open him than any bobcat I've ever caught also. Not sure why but my mind wanders to the mature sheep that have been routinely wiped out on this ranch for 2 years running. I killed him with a completely empty stomach heading towards where the carnage has routinely been reported so I can guess that he was headed to kill again.

I don't usually catch that many large cats because I'm typically catching them in south Texas where a 25-28# male is "big." When I trap NW Nebraska, there can be some bigger ones but event here not many over 28#.

I'll be back trapping that ranch again in April, so we'll see what happens then.

And... I've never caught a Lynx but I'd sure like to some day!!!!!! I've also never caught a Martin or Fisher and would like to some day.
Blessings!
Mark

"marten" ...you're welcome, the spelling police.