Recently, I’ve been hunting off the ground bc I’ve been walking a long way and don’t want to tote my huge API. So this morning I walked up the side of the mountain, settled into my chair to wait for daylight.

Just as it got light enough to see, a yearling doe came blazing by me. I figured she had winded me as she came across my wind. I sat there another min looking down the mountain thinking I might catch a deer with her before it winded me. As I shifted my gaze I caught something out of the corner of my eye. Crouching down about 15 yards from me was the biggest bobcat I’ve ever seen, well over 18” at the shoulder. It stayed crouched for just a few seconds, then turned and slinked off and never made a sound. I was kinda in shock and didn’t even think about shooting it till it was already gone.

I can only assume it was after that deer, until it crossed my wind and spooked off. It’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in the woods.

I was watching some does in a hollow all of a sudden hauled azz. Few minutes later a big bobcat came sneaking up a dry creek bed I was sitting over.Tried to shoot him left handed which the only result was me losing an arrow. I hadn’t realized until then how terrified deer were of bobcats.

Used to hunt what is now the stimpson soa and man did that place used to have a lot of bobcats. Could hear them many evenings and seen a mama and kittens actually chasing a small doe. Had a spike passing by me one time and then saw the biggest cat I ever saw slipping along watching him. He would creep then flatten out. Missed him at 100 yd.s it was a huge one. I think he was stalking the spike. Also found where one had caught and eaten a wood duck.

Cool

I’m pretty sure this one had every intention of eating that deer. It’s hard to believe it could take it down, but then again lions take down Cape buffalo.

Cool sighting!

I watched a bobcat chase a squirrel 35 foot up a tree and run out on a limb last week. I videoed it coming back down the tree. That was cool to watch. I still cant believe how fast it made it up that high.

Bobcats are to cool to shoot.

I have watched deer chase Bobcats off fields on numerous occasions. Follow them, bluff charge stomp blow etc

Pfft... I'm shooting every one of those turkey killers I can

I’m guessing you haven’t seen the video posted by slippinlipjr? Wild cats act a little different when their prey doesn’t know their there.

Several years ago during Turkey season one of my sons was mistaken for prey by a bobcat. My son was tucked up in a thick area bordering a greenfield, watching hens feed out in front of him. The bobcat came in from behind and leaped up on his shoulder. Being that he was in tight quarters and his gun on his lap, he instinctively swung around and hit the bobcat with a closed fist in the head. This all happened in a instant with the bobcat quickly leaving. My son ended up with light scratch marks through his clothing.

Yeah I saw it posted here before I beleive.

Where I grew up we had mountain lions, bobcats and lynx. All of which were playful and cool to watch when they weren’t hungry, even the mountain lions. You don’t want to be around any of them when they are hungry. Bobcats can be all kinds of hell on a deer

We have plenty of Turkeys on our lease, we do not feel the need to kill every bob cat we see.
If you wont to have one mounted fine. They are part of nature, been here thousand of years.
I have had one run a nice buck off that I was getting ready to shoot. They are a neat animal fun to watch.

What you just described was the black painter everyone claims to have seen.

Saw one for the first time hunting this year. I had hit my grunt lightly a few minutes prior and it came walking directly up to my tree. I could have smoked it directly under me, but I was seeing a bunch of deer not far off and didn't want to booger up my hunt so I shoo'ed it off before it looked to almost start up my tree. After seeing that video now I am wishing I shot the hell out of that thing.

Somebody please post up the video

Honestly, if I hadn’t gotten a good look at it from so close, I can see how somebody might have a hard time explaining what they saw. It was big enough I looked for a tail as it turned to leave, but it didn’t have a long tail.

Also it was still dark enough I couldn’t really make out the colors, but I could vaguely make out the spots on his side. If you saw it from a distance, I can see how you could mistake it for black.

I've seen Labrador dogs in the woods that I know for a fact most people would've said were painters. I bet there are 100,000 people in Alabama that think they've seen a painter.

And yet, not a single game camera picture, and no confirmed sightings in over 70 years.