Blue Bobcat ?

How rare are they? I saw a picture of one on Montana Trappers FB page. They said it was called a Blue or Maltese color phase, and according to them, very rare. Only reason I ask is because I've only ever seen one bobcat and thats what it looked like. We were down near Branson fishing last spring and just up the road someone had hit a deer. I was driving by one morning and saw what I described as a black cat feeding on the deer. Dont think anyone believed me when I said it was almost black.

This one was a odd color.

I saw 4 blue cats from Idaho at a Rocky Mtn Fur Exchange auction in Denver in the early 80's. They were fancy for sure. I still have the catalog for that sale floating around somewhere. Cats were high at that time and those topped a G each if I recall.

This cat was graded blue. I got $320 for it, which is pretty good for a MN cat.

The Picture I seen from montana trappers FB the cat had an all blackish face havent seen anything like it.. almost like a melanistic coyote. Didnt look anything like the Two above.

I remember watching two cats deer hunting three years ago. Dad and I were glassing up on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and found a cat about 500 yards off. Turns out there were two. I am assuming a Tom and a sow. I remember dad commenting on the blue looking one. It was a bluish color compared to the other.

South Texas has quite a few and they are pretty pretty!

I saw one back in January while I was hog hunting. Only white on that Tom was under his tail and behind his ears. Those parts were very white. When I put my scope on him Gould see the gray around the spots and on his belly but it was more of a black blue and the spots dark black. I could have shot him but I didn't want to mess up the hog killing that was about to commence.

They are called a Maltese and research through archived Hudson Bay Fur Co, revealed that only 7 had been shipped to them prior to 1900. I am taking some of Kirk DeKalbbs bobcat live traps out there to see if I can get him in one of them for research purposes. This area yields the best cats every year. It is deep in the river bottom of the Trinity river. Lots of big Cypress lakes, palmetto bottoms and the high ground is mostly cedar and the few hardwoods the timber idiots didn't cut.

Mark, that isn't even close. These cats are black, jet black, face is black but the face markings are discernible as are the markings on the front legs, just enough of the lighter color for you to see it up close. At a distance you will see the white behind the ears and under it's tail. I thought a little hog made it into the road until I put the nigh force scope on him. Then I was thinking what in Sam Hill has happened to this bobcat. I see 10 to 15 a deer season off of that stand. Regular colored cats that is. Fun to watch the females with kittens teaching how to hunt

I believe this is the bobcat yukon254 is talking about.

That cat was killed in the Post Oak Savannah region of Texas by a bowhunter. I got that Info and those two pictures from the game biologist from that area of Texas. His name is Billy Lambeth and works for Texas Parks and Wildlife as that regions game biologist.

The difference between this cat and the one i Watched in January is this one is black under his tail and way more gray on him.

Whoa! That is one NICE specimen. I would count that as a once in a lifetime sighting or take.

Thats the picture I seen. ^ The above cat , I would call that more of a Melanistic -black pigmented skin myself, but yeah they said rare "blue" cat. Cant be many black pigmented bobcats in existence.

Very nice spots.Nice blue. Very rare to see a nice one. If i could figure out how to post a pic i would post ours.

This is Mike and my blue cat. It's going on our wall.

Nice kitty, but still just a normal bobcat.

I would call that blue cat melanistic.... a genetic mutation such as a blonde or albino coon, or a jet black coyote.

I agree w yote30 that one is more like the bobcat version of a silver fox rather than a blue cat. There are blue lynx as well and
none of the pics posted yet look like a true blue.

Sheepdog, your talking apples and oranges here as the blue phase bobcats I thought the OP talks about would differ from the melanistic (black-dark pigmentation) phases that the taxidermy specimen in the pic "might be". Photos on line are difficult to discern and truly see what pelts really look like up close.

Melanistic phase genetics is found in the squirrel and jaguar species routinely and I believe in other species as well although I don't recall exactly which ones from my book learning days. Black bobcats are very rare and if I ever caught one, I don't know what I'd charge the taxidermist to take possession of it!

Here is a cat i took 2 years ago not our typical cat.

I see FHA has 3 or 4 dozen listed for the March sale.

What color is this?

Stunning Taximan, that color is called stunning.

Osky

Absolutely stunning!

ALmost lynx color! Has awesome hair on his ear tips . What a cat awesome picture.

Yea, I would have mounted that one for sure, Taxi! That is awesome!

I see some brown in there but that one could be the real deal. Any more pics of it?

That's cool looking cat, not a "blue' phase but a melanistic phase.

The picture Taximan posted appears to be a "blue" phase.

Many years ago when I used to attend the Seattle Fur Exchange auction, occasionally they would have a Blue lynx or two. They would always be lotted separately, and were always to top sellers.

That looks close, but the black on the ear tips and tip of the tail, will be gray instead of black on a Blue

My father trapped one like Taxi's in Montana in 1975 and was paid 300.00
by bridger fur.

Green, for all the greenbacks you'll collect for that cat!

Over the years these two cats have been my favorites. And I regret not saving them for taxidermy.

Taximan,

That color is a rare form of "puffball".
Very nice.

MJ

Here's a
blue gray color phase Mn bobcat.

Gorgeous cat Taxi.

Taxi, Rick, I know less than probably anyone on this forum about cats but even I can see that those are super cats. Nice pics let you see just how fine furred they are.

Mark, that cat in your picture is a dang fine cat in my book. The black one I saw in January was a much darker cat than the one posted on here. He was at 200 yards and until I put the Nightforce on him I really had no idea it was a cat as his rear end was towards me and he was marking a clump of grass in the middle of a two track. When he finished his marking and turned to my left I knew what it was but just didn't want to shoot him. The local TP&W biologist wants me to go set my DeKalb live catch cat traps and he will run them. Gonna do it for the sake of research. I will probably catch ten others before he gets nabbed. Should be a fun project.

Rick nice dandy cat as well.

Okie cat

Hey guys, first off thanks for the add. I am the bow hunter who shot this bobcat if you have any questions

Beautiful cat.

Lets hear the story and see some other pictures

Sheepdog,
Good luck with the trapping project. You'll get him, of that I have no doubt. And if you get 10 others first, perfect!

Mark