Bobcats in New England

  
                                             Bobcats are amongst us in all New England.

Smithfield, R.I. Bobcat

Elusive and Secretive, Solitary Bobcats

Canterbury Conn. Bobcat

 In 2013 a Canterbury, Conn. face book friend photographed and verified a small family of wild bobcats for the whole summer working a area with the abundance of small game plentiful. The new style phones and consumer friendly digital cameras make most people feel like film directors with their albums. New addition of the mounted digital video trail cam by hunters are taking a lot of previous notions of just how many are out there in the forest. All 50 states have a population of bobcats.
 Only a few weeks ago Aug. 22, 2014 in Smithfield, R.I. close to the Stillwater Reservoir in a resident's back yard a good size female bobcat was photographed. The Rhode Department of Environmental Management (DEM) issued a statement of the rarity of this event. I disagree with the statement on the population of this beautiful member of the feline species. Back in the early times in New England the bobcat was plentiful with a real nice pelt and yes, edible. Sometimes the remains were used as bait and every part was recycled in some way. Bait, teeth and claws for jewelry and the pelt. Local pilgrims learned from the native Indians the seasons of gestation and the kit assistance time frame to guide then though their life's cycle and to insure the species survival. No written harvesting season, just common sense.
  Forest's change and loose domestic dogs made it harder on the bobcats. Newer style firearms and snares plus the metal traps also contributed to the decline. Flu like disease's also came with white man along with no regard to pollution to the valuable water supply. The bobcat retreated farther and farther north and the deep woods of Arcadia and Buck Hill to the East Douglas, Mass. forest to survive. My early days at about nine years old I recall the sounds of the cats on Cooper Hill in Mapleville, R.I. and my Grandfather Emery (Ted) Barber recounting his hunts on Buck Hill and always found the Cats. He could tell from his vast experience what kind of animal that his hounds were chasing by their barks and the way their were working the animal. If it was a bobcat he would pack up and leave a old coat or blanket near the spot of departure and come back later or the next day. If the type of Beagle was a Arkansas 11 inch , while hunting the big northern hare the State transplanted here and started on one of the many Black Bears he would sell the dog to another hunter in another area and say he was ruined from that point on because of the scent it would memorize. The 13 inch bigger breed would adjust to every track, Hare, Raccoon,Whitetail Deer, Black Bear. Silver Fox or Red Fox or sometimes Beaver. Virginia Opossum or Porcupine  meant a lot of pain. Most of our neighbor States have a trapping or hunting season or as you go up north so please check you're State Hunting Abstracts. Maine, Vermont and Mass. have trapping and hunting for bobcat.Come to think of it some Southern and Western States have trapping and hunting seasons also. All of the State DEMS are on my web-site for you're convenience or for a license
                                 www.waynebarbersoutdoorscene.blogspot.com
 Last Sept. 2nd,2014 Conn. DEEP captured and put down a bobcat involved in a attack on a woman in the town of Bozrah, Conn.and after the tests it did test positive for rabies. The results were obtained from the State Health Lab administered by the Department of Public Health.
 DEEP was notified by the State Police, Troop E at 7:30 pm on Saturday August 30th that a Stanton Hill Road, Bozrah woman was attacked by a bobcat while in her yard. Her husband and two sons struck at the bobcat until it ran away. She suffered minor injuries from scratches and bites and was taken to the Backus Hospital, Norwich Conn. for treatment.
 Deep Environmental Conservation Police (EnConn) searched until dark to no avail for the elusive bobcat and returned with trained canine the next morning.
 At approximately 7:00pm on Sunday, August 31 State Police, Troop E received a report that a Lebanon, Conn. family in the vicinity of Norwich Avenue and Waterman road had still another encounter with a bobcat which they to fended off. No injuries. The bobcat was located and euthanized on McGrath Lane, Lebanon, Conn.
 Conn. DEEP believes it was the same bobcat involved in the attacks since it was found in close proximity to the attacks and also had injuries consistent with the encounter on Stanton Road.
                                       Connecticut;  Background on Bobcats;
Bobcats are common in Connecticut and found in most towns throughout  the state. They are secretive, solitary and seldom observed, tending to hunt and travel in areas of thick cover. Compared to many wildlife species, bobcats rarely cause conflicts with human activities and rarely contract rabies. For more information visit www.gt.gov/deep/bobcatsfacts