Where the Wild Cat Roams - New Hampshire Fish and Game ...

North American bobcat(Lynx rufus)A stubby tail gives the bobcat its name, but here are the other features of this NorthAmerican wildcat:U The average weight is 15 pounds for females; 26 for males.U The average length is 31 inches for females; 34 for males.U It has ear tufts that are shorter than one inch and also tufts of hair around its cheeks thatgive its face a squarish appearance.U A bobcat’s hind legs are longer than its forelegs, helping it to pounce and catch cottontailrabbits, snowshoe hare, mice, squirrels, groundhogs, birds and even porcupines. It alsowill catch prey as small as insects – or as large as white-tailed deer.U Litters can range from one kitten to as many as 6, but the average litter size is 2 or 3.U Tracks meander in a formation similar to one that a housecat would leave, but the tracksare bigger: 1¾ to 2½ inches long and 1¾ to 2½ inches wide in dirt; 2½ inches long and2¾ inches wide in snow. Claw marks are not visible.©usda / terry spivey photo / bugwood.org©roger irwin photo©john davy photo©roger irwin photofrom southern Canada to central Mexico. Increasingpelt prices and fear of possible overharvest resultedin the listing of the bobcat on Appendix II of theConvention on International Trade in EndangeredSpecies (CITES). This ensured that internationaltrade would not harm the survival of the bobcat asa species. Oversight responsibility ultimately fell tothe U.S. Fish &Wildlife Service, which worked withstates to protect the bobcat from overharvest, whileallowing states to keep some form of hunting andtrapping if appropriate. New Hampshire decided toclose the bobcat season and make it illegal to hunt ortrap bobcats, because there were so few in the state.“Around 1984 is when we were seeing a populationdecline in New Hampshire, to the point where onlyabout two dozen bobcats a year were being huntedor trapped,” says John Litvaitis, a wildlife ecologyprofessor at the University of New Hampshire. “Thepopulation had reached such a low point that trackinga small harvest would mean a lot of effort for thestate.”“Bobcats are an odd duck, so to speak, in that theyare not listed as an endangered species, but they stillhave a fair amount of federal oversight,” Litvaitissays. The N.H. Wildlife Action Plan lists bobcats asa species of greatest conservation need in the state– mostly because of a decline in available bobcathabitat, and in part because their current populationnumbers are not known.Tracking the CatsIn early 2009, trappers will have a chance to seethese beauties up close if they participate in a livecaptureresearch study being conducted by N.H. Fishand Game and the University of New Hampshire.Litvaitis says that involving people who are alreadyknowledgeable about trapping seemed a natural fitfor this research.“Trapping a bobcat is more of an intellectual challengeof matching wits than it is with a coyote or afisher,” says Litvaitis, who will head the researchteam for N.H. Fish and Game. “Getting a bobcat tostep into your trap is a real talent and a lot of luck.”Along with luck, the trappers will learn the researchprotocol for catching bobcats using modified, paddedleg hold traps, which are a type of trap listed by theU.S. Department of Agriculture for wildlife relocationefforts. These have been successfully used for bobcatBobcats exhibit short black ear tufts; retractableclaws; and white patches of fur behind the ears.10 November/December 2008 • Wildlife Journal

If you’ve ever walked in theforests of southwestern NewHampshire, there’s a goodchance that a pair ofyellow eyes was watchingyour every move.©alan briere photoA great deal of potential bobcathabitat is included in lands thatmake up the proposed Quabbinto-Cardiganproject,shown at right in yellow.Any lands conservedin this region havethe potential toimprove conditionsandconnectivityfor NewHampshire’sbobcats.ways that we can connect habitats,” Brunkhurst says.“Through their movements, the bobcats will help usunderstand what they – and other animals with similarhabitat requirements – really need in terms of spaceand connectivity.”Like humans creating a well-worn path, bobcatsmost likely have regular routes they use to get to huntingand breeding grounds. When new infrastructuresuch as roads and buildings are built on or near thesebobcat paths, researchers want to learn how well theanimal adapts.“Coyotes and other predators seem to respond andadapt to human development, but bobcats just don’tseem to get the idea, and they endup crossing roads more often,” saysLitvaitis. “If we want a healthy bobcatpopulation in New Hampshire, wehave to be much more earnest in findingand setting aside the importanttravel connections that they use.”Such habitat connections maybe found within the proposedQuabbin-to-Cardigan ConservationCollaborative, which is an effortby 23 public and private partnersto create 100-plus miles of conservationlands stretching fromthe Quabbin Reservoir in centralMassachusetts up to the WhiteMountains. All of the countiestargeted for the bobcat studyfall within the Quabbin-to-Cardigan project, so Litvaitissays that identifying bobcatsin this area could “add animportant dimension”to both the bobcatstudy and theland conservationinitiative.Genetic CluesAlong with collaring and tracking bobcats, theresearch team will be on the lookout for those telltalesigns that even the domestic cat leaves behind:hair and scat. Like household cats using a litter box,bobcats often will cover up urine or feces, making thewaste difficult for researchers to find, especially in thesnow. But like the domestic kitty-cat that scratches itsclaws on the living room sofa and wipes its face (andscent) against the loveseat, the bobcat uses its favoritetree stumps to leave its mark. Researchers usually canfind hair left behind on these stumps and other “scentstations.” The hair will be used to collect DNA, whichwill be checked against the database of DNA alreadygathered from radio-collared bobcats in the state. Ifthe DNA isn’t a match with the collared cats, then theresearch team can add another individual bobcat totheir roster. This total list of bobcat DNA will be usedto estimate the bobcat population in New Hampshire.This number will then be compared to the populationdensities found in Maine, Vermont, and Massachusetts– our three neighboring states where, unlike in NewHampshire, limited bobcat trapping is allowed in latefall or winter of each year.The DNA and radio-collar data will enable N.H.Fish and Game and the University of New Hampshireto uncover new insights into this secretive cat. Forthe first time, scientists will be able to document thebobcat population’s size, whereabouts and habitatrequirements in the state. With these insights, we canall work together to help ensure that this elusive felinepresence continues to grace the landscape for generationsto come.Linda Saucerman is a freelance writer from Dover,N.H., specializing in environmental journalism andtravel writing. When not typing at her computer, sheenjoys hiking with her husband and dog and takingthe time to peek under logs and rocks along the trail.12 November/December 2008 • Wildlife Journal