Bobcats without doubt are stunning animals which reflect a healthy environment. These wild cats are present in North America, and they are even being hunted with great ease and such hunting is not strictly prohibited. In fact more bobcats are reported in America than any other species of the wild cat in the whole of the continent.
However, they are nearly found in nearly every state in the United States except some regions in the Midwest. In a way the wild cat suffered due to soft furs being hunted with much appreciation in the twentieth century. Luckily, this species exists today and is estimated to be between 2 and 3 million in the country today. Due to its terrains that include habitats of bobcats, Georgia has an active bobcat population that are hunted. Thus, if you have ever had a question if there are bobcats or any wild cats in the state this article provides answers.
Learn all the information you possibly wanted to know about bobcats in Georgia, where you can get ones, bobcat hunting and more.
Why Are Bobcats Night Time Animals?
Hence, the bobcats would avoid loud neighborhoods and active areas since they are solitary animals. Well, where are they during the day? Firstly, bobcats are active during the night and most of their activities are at night time. This is where they find most of their prey; hence the name “the hunting grounds.” If you want to see them during the day they are usually seen in their burrow since they are nocturnal animals. Behavior, Bobcats do not sleep continuously and they take a nap of about 2-3 hours at a time at their dens.
They also have several dens within the territory they claim by urinating or defecating or both. Although bobcats are nocturnal, they prefer to spend most of their daylight in trees, and these include hollow trees, rocks, crevices and beaver dams. Contrary to this, it is very rare to find bobcats moving in the morning to hunt and get into residents’ compounds.
Where Bobcats Live in Georgia
It can be mentioned that bobcats are wide throughout the territory of Georgia. Based on the type of food that these birds feed on, then they might reside in almost any given environment. Bobcat is typical to mixed-forest and agricultural zones with the large part of the early successional stages in Georgia. Size of the home range of a bobcat depends on gender or sex of the bobcat as well as the quality of the habitat.
Habitat: In the wild bobcats inhabit almost every type of environment, ranging from mountain woodland and coniferous forests to marshes and sometimes even suburban settings. But it is a well-documented fact that wallaby prefers rocky regions that are closely covered with vegetation particularly on hillsides.
Generally, they are crepuscular and for them to rest during the day before they go hunting at night they prefer dwelling in areas with thickets or bushes, holes dug in trees, and rock crevices. Again, the home ranges of males are significantly larger than those of females; some of the males can cover as much as 10 square miles. A home range may only cover an area of less than one square mile, sometimes even less than half a square mile. However, it is not clear whether the ranges of home of the bobcats might be different for the sexes.
Bobcats in Georgia
Of the wild cat species found in Georgia, bobcats are the only local northern Georgia wild cats. These felines are distributed across states and live in different ecosystems of the country. You can find five major geographic regions in Georgia and there are many hundreds of different kinds of plants and animals. Some of the regions include mountainous areas, coastal plains, beaches, marshy and swampy areas and estuaries. But with the increase in human encroachment into different parts of the state, there has been a higher tendency of sighting wildlife.
There are also others such as the bobcat which is indigenous to the highlands of North Georgia. It is the only wild cat in the states providing evidence of reproducing populations in Georgia and is widespread in nearly all of the states in the union but with the exception of some areas in the Midwest. The nests of Bobcat are situated in trees, hollow logs, piles of rock or stones and in the caves too.
Bobcats Aggressive in Georgia?
Oh no, don’t worry bobcats do not attack people; at least they are not known to do so. It is significant to note that despite the fact that bobcat attacks are very rare the public should not attempt to pet or catch a wild bobcat or its kits.
They are usually shy and timid and therefore do not attract much attention and are usually operating under disguise. As a result, attacks from bobcats on people are next to none, and they share living space with large human populations.
However, the bobcats are not harmless as they are subject to rabies that makes them stray, making them hostile. Rabid wild cats can at times scratch or bite people with their claws or their teeth and this could happen when they are threatened especially when they have their young ones with them.
