Are there any general rules out there that dictate what habitat produces different bobcat coloration, or is it just individual genetics?
I’ve caught cats that were high dollar clear belly cats and caught cats with almost no color on the belly but I’ve never really noticed a pattern. All were in mixed Douglas-fir forest edge habitat with a little sagebrush or mountain mahogany all around 5000’ elevation in central Montana. Are open country cats generally better or worse? I see pictures of Nevada and southern Idaho cats that look amazing but maybe not as heavy.
If I catch two a year I’m doing well, so I don’t have a good sample size, but if I could discern a pattern I could or would focus my efforts on that kind of habitat. Anyone have any observations to share? This would be an example of an ok cat and very good cat in my experience here.

All of the ones I turn loose in Illinois are what I call dirty cats , I would love to catch one that looks like that one .

These two females were caught in over lapping territory about 2 weeks apart
Genetics seem to dictate a cats color and caricter. Though environmental factors also seem to play a role olso cats very alot. I've seen cats come out of the southern Bighorn Mountains that are cookie cutter in color and patern . Catch a mess of cats around Flaming Gorge you see from pale to blue and red phase in the same area..

I've trapped bobcats in all the regions; western, southwestern and central and within those regions there are differences, but the differences are only to that regions overall appearance.
For instance, we pulled traps yesterday from the ranch we've been at a month and we're heading to a new ranch today where the cats 200 miles east of here are on the edge of central cats more than these southwestern cats we're on now. So in that variance, I'll catch some that look like they're from GA and then some that look like AZ. In southeast TX.

In this picture of the 38 cats I trapped here, there are variances in every one which is what makes bobcat trapping kinda fun. Each one is different to a degree but that degree is regional.

Impressive catch , love it

To me they look all the same in Indiana, I guess it's why we don't have a season on them. Here is an aggressive one in it's preferred habitat.

If your selling those by the spots you'll be counting for a while.

Here in SD no telling what grade of cat you will get but color wise, I see more of fur quality differences from place to place if that makes any sense to you.

You want bright pale cats, trap bright pale habitats.

Bright pale habitats that intersect areas with the nastiest winters, produce the best cats.

Forever, I would avoid the Red rock type of country. After shooting a few in this type of area, I discovered that I had been making a mistake all those years. Good and bad color Cats in all areas.

I think the sun and constant degree of open exposure has a lot to do with it, along with genetics. Coyotes the same.
Just an opinion, I’m certainly no biologist.

Osky

In my experience, Marty B. and Osky are right on. Marty and I may have even had a conversation or two about it.....

In my area, elevation changes fur density and length. Open.sage gives more lite colors. Timber gives darker backs and bellies. I think cats can move great distances in a short period of time. If you harvest close to a habitat transition line you can end up with a mix.

^^^I agree with this from my observations. Except in the heavy timber from time to time I get some very nice white bellies. Must be genetics there. Bob Gilman, our past association president used to say that he caught lighter cats in western Oregon where big burns had opened up the terrain.

Same draw the last few years.