Wild Cats

The wild cats of the world are some of the most difficult and elusive animals to photograph. The wild cats worldwide include Lions, Leopards, Cheetahs, and Tigers, as well as the species found in the United States: Cougar, Bobcat, Jaguar, and Lynx.

Most of my photography of wild cats has occurred through the use of motion cameras. I find a well-used trail, scent post, or kill site with food still cached away, and set up a camera. When the camera detects motion, a shot is taken. I have been able to take many great shots of Bobcats using these methods, though to be sure I always end up with a lot of photos of tree branches swaying and gusts of wind blowing, as well as many photos of other animals (a friend of mine recently captured photos of a Snowy Owl on an island in Maine using a motion camera).

Recently I had an experience that was quite a highlight for me. While out for a walk I saw a Bobcat hunting in an open field along the edge of pine woodlands. The Bobcat eventually moved off into the surrounding woods, and I quickly lost sight of her. Even though they were open woodlands, the Bobcat was able to merge with the darkness and shadow and effectively disappear from my eyes. Fortunately for me, the birds of the forest have much sharper eyes than mine.

A pair of Stellar’s Jays and a Black-billed Magpie were nervous about the Bobcat, and followed it through the woods creating quite a ruckus. Listening to the birds, I was able to figure out in which way the Bobcat was headed, so I cut way out around where she and birds were and when I was roughly 1000 feet ahead of them I turned and started making my way towards the Bobcat, hoping that our paths would meet.

When I was able to see the birds I started moving very cautiously, and soon spotted the Bobcat grooming in a thicket of young pines. I crawled forward inch by inch, pausing when the bobcat paused from grooming to look around. I was able to make the portrait shot I was looking for, and observe the Bobcat’s behavior up close. She eventually finished grooming and moved on further into the woods, hunting once again. When she had gone I measured how far I had been from the Bobcat, 16 feet. I whispered thanks and walked a different way home.