Bobcats are making a big comeback in New England

Posted by Wayne G. Barber 

  There has been a lot of social media activity on Bobcat sightings though out Rhode Island and Connecticut.The forests of New England have been home to bobcats for centuries.   Although their reclusive nature makes them a rare sighting, every so often they can be observed hunting in backyards or walking across a street.  We had a resident population on Cooper Hill, Mapleville in the late 1950's and my grandfather use to run into them Hare hunting in the Buck Hill woodlands Pascoag and East Douglas State forest with his beagle hounds in the 1960's and then would have to break the dogs of bad habits.  As of 2017 their are NO  much larger Lynx in our tri-state region and are only reported in the State of Maine

Bobcats are the most numerous and widely distributed wild felids in North America. They can be found in the boreal regions of Canada, almost every state in the U.S., and even down into southern Mexico. Over time, this species has adapted to live in a variety of habitats, including swamps, grass or shrub land, forest, mountains and agricultural land. 

There are several sub-groups which vary slightly in habitat, appearance and prey selection. Those found in New England (Lynx rufus rufus) average between 13 and 30 lbs. and measure between 32 and 34 inches long. Their fur is reddish to tawny brown with black spots and stripes along their body; large white spots adorn the back of their tufted ears. The tail is “bobbed” and only about four inches long on average, although it can be a bit longer. Individuals found in the Northeast tend to have less spotting on their coat than bobcats in other parts of North America, causing them to be mistakenly reported as mountain lions.

In New England, the bobcat’s diet relies mostly on cottontail rabbits and snowshoe hares, but they will also eat small mammals such as wild turkey poults and jakes, meadow voles, ferrell cats, snakes, mice, chipmunks and birds. They will even kill and eat a white-tailed deer, attacking it while it is bedded down. 

The mating season begins in February or March, and birthing will begin in May or June, when a female will have 2 to 5 kittens and rear them by herself. As they are primarily solitary animals, the only time they spend in groups is during the mating season, or when a mother is with her kittens. The kittens will often stay with the mother through their first winter, sometimes until the breeding season. The young males tend to leave the maternal home range earlier than their female siblings.

Recent research suggests a nationwide increase in bobcat populations. In 2009, 40 states reported evidence of stable or increasing bobcat populations.  Florida was the only state which reported a decreasing population, which may be correlated with land development and habitat loss, Source:(Roberts and Crimmins, 2010).
          Rhode Island seems to be witnessing a continued increase in population of bobcats. The Division has been monitoring bobcat sightings since 1999 and since then, there have been zero sightings in Bristol County, 20 in Kent County, 3 in Newport County, 37 in Providence County and Washington County received the most, with 57 reliable reports, often accompanied by photographs. Somewhat surprisingly, the most reports were from South Kingstown with 25 total reported sightings, more than twice as many as Westerly, which received the second highest number of reports. 
 The e-mails that I receive as host of the award winning Outdoor Scene on wnri.com and this web-site have exploded in the past two years after our reports on the Bobcat legislation trapping debates in New Hampshire and our live interviews with trapper New Hampshire, Jeff Traynor, Live Free and Trap moderator.
  The largest reports coming from the Nutmeg State are from the Canterbury region and not to far from our Rhode Island borders.
     There could be many reasons why there have been more bobcat sightings; habitat loss and fragmentation in their historic ranges could force them to live and hunt closer to people, or it could be that reports are more likely to be made in areas where people do not expect to see bobcats, such as the less-forested, coastal   neighborhoods. Bobcats have large home ranges,requiring them to cross roads frequently, potentially causing them to be seen more often.
 With the popularity of the new style phones with camera's up to 40 pixial's the amount of Facebook photos is staggering. The new style Trail Cams are filming all the Bobcat movement daily.

Rhode Island is fortunate to have such a beautiful and important animal living within its borders. It is essential that we properly manage this apex predator for the health of our wildlife communities and ecosystems.  If you alarmed by one or more close to your property just bang two pans together or the small firecrackers which are available in most retail stores.
  If you spot a bobcat in your area, or if you have questions about them, please e-mail us at waynewnri@yahoo.com  Source: Roberts N. M. and S. Crimmins. 2010. Bobcat Population Status and Management in North America: Evidence of Large-Scale Population Increase. J. of Fish and Wildlife Mgmt: 1(2). Young S. P. 1978. The Bobcat of North America. Wildlife Management Institute Publishing. 1st ed 
The Outdoor Scene radio program archives.