San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
Secretive and elusive bobcats are similar to spirit animals
As the first rays of dawn sunlight flowed across the landscape, I caught movement in the shadows of a nearby live oak tree.
Not more than 50 feet away there was a beautiful bobcat, taut and rigidly focused as he crept closer to a covey of feeding quail.
His movements were nearly as slow as the creeping rays of the rising sun, and he was oblivious to my presence.
I was captivated by the scene that suddenly exploded into a flurry of fur and feathers when he pounced. His efforts produce a plump quail breakfast.
I was thrilled at encountering the bobcat, a mostly nocturnal animal, but one that is also active in the twilight of early mornings and late in the day. This behavior is known as crepuscular activity.
My excitement at seeing a bobcat was also the result of never having seen one for real at home here on Mt. Hoo.
I have enjoyed seeing them in the wild many times, but in 17 years on Mt. Hoo my only sightings have been via trail cameras and more sophisticated game phototraps that are scattered around the property.
The Mt. Hoo bobcats are more like spirit animals than flesh and blood creatures. Many cultures recognize spirit animals as creatures who guide or protect us.
This was never more apparent until an incident following the passing of our aged cat a few years ago.
Readers may recall my account of our yellow tabby, Peackoe, who often spent the wee hours posted like a still watchman at the open screen door in our bedroom. Remote cameras recorded several incidents when a bobcat would slip from the shadows during the night and pause in front of the screen door.
Had Peackoe connected with his spirit animal?
Upon his passing Peackoe was buried in a plot overlooking the wild landscape. That night a game camera recorded a bobcat as it slipped slowly from the chaparral thickets and sat down next to his grave.
My heavy heart had to believe this was indeed a spirit animal, here to say goodbye or to escort Peackoe’s spirit to the next realm.
The secretive nature of the bobcat has contributed to Native American mythology that also sees them as spirit animals.
According to the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians, the bobcat “is considered to be a cultural hero who first raised them, and who first told the people the names of the months and divided up the year.”
In other native cultures the bobcat is seen in various ways. Some tribes respect the bobcat for its courage and strength as well as its ability to adapt and survive.
They are seen as animals of stealth, great courage, wisdom, power, independence and intuition and according to the publication “Spiritual Desk,” the bobcat can “see the unseen and hear the unspoken.”
Others consider the bobcat to be a trickster who challenges traditional beliefs.
In recent months I have placed high-quality game cameras at remote locations around the county. Much to my surprise, the bobcat has been one of the most frequently captured animals on camera.
Bobcats and their larger northern cousin, the lynx, are native to North America. They are generally solitary and territorial with a range in Southern California of about 4 square miles.
Their most distinctive features are short, “bobbed” tails, often tufted ears, and fluffy tufts of fur on their lower cheeks. They are about twice the size of the average house cat, reaching a weight of 20 to 40 pounds.
Bobcats have beautiful fur coats and were extensively hunted for their pelts, but many states have now prohibited that.
As entirely carnivorous animals, they serve as important players in rodent control, feeding on rabbits, squirrels, mice and rats during their dusk to dawn roaming. Despite their relatively small size, they have been known to kill deer when other sources of food are scarce.
Fortunately, there has never been a documented bobcat attack of a human.
Known as ambush predators, bobcats capture food by patiently waiting and then suddenly launching forcefully to overpower their prey. They can run at a speed of nearly 35 miles per hour in short bursts.
Unless you spend a lot of time outdoors during twilight hours, you may rarely, if ever, see a live bobcat.
But, rest assured, their population numbers are healthy and if you live anywhere near open space, they have likely visited your yard, especially if you offer a water source during hot summer months, or a habitat that hosts rabbits, quail or other small animals.
You might be surprised by the images you will capture with an inexpensive trail camera set up near a ground-level water saucer on your property.