Only rarely will they be seen hunting during daylight hours. This is not very revealing because they are seldom seen at night, either. More common than they might appear to be, the bobcat is our most elusive large predator.

Fierce, fast, stealthy and deadly to a wide variety of prey animals, the bobcat is a most efficient killing machine.

After 65 years of roaming the forest of the Northeastern U.S. I could probably count all of the bobcats I have ever seen on my fingers and toes.

The bobcat is one of seven wild cat species native to the U.S. The others are mountain lion, jaguar, lynx, ocelot, jaguarundi and margay cat. Among these species, only the mountain lion has a widespread presence in the U.S. In size, the bobcat ranks fifth, larger than only jaguarundi and margay cat.

Lynx occupy only the northern fringes of the lower 48 states. Jaguar, ocelot, jaguarundi and margay cat intrude just slightly into the Southwest.

The bobcat reaches a maximum size of about 35 pounds, although some a little larger have been reported. Length from nose to tip of the tail is about 35 inches for a large specimen.

Bobcats feed mainly on small mammals and birds. They will also kill very young fawns.

Both bobcat and mountain lion are native to Pennsylvania. The mountain lion, at least the native mountain lion, has been eliminated from Pennsylvania. However, occasionally a mountain lion probably is seen. A few years ago, a mountain lion was confirmed to have traveled through northwest Pennsylvania. That animal walked from South Dakota to New England. Genetic materials from it were recovered along its route. I received an e-mail from a person who had a trail camera photo of it.

You might see some of the same characteristics in a bobcat that you have seen in house cats. Things such as cunning, grace, agility, occasional playfulness, and utter indifference.

A few years ago while driving with my wife, Jeri, along a prescribed roadside deer count route on the Kinzua Quality Deer Cooperative, in the northwest corner of McKean County, a bobcat crossed the road just 15 yards in front of our truck. We slowed to get a good look. The bobcat has quit running upon reaching the edge of the trees on the slope to our right. That placed it just about at eye level, at a distance of no more that 12 yards.

It appeared to be a larger specimen. It walked mostly broadside to us, as we slowly followed alongside, snapping a few photos. Obviously the animal knew we were there. But just as a house cat will sometimes do when it wants to be left alone, it showed complete indifference to our presence, with a posture and gait than clearly indicated what I would describe as disdain.

I will make that stronger. It surely showed disdain. I have lived with cats a long time and I know that look. If you have ever lived with a house cat you know you are regarded as beneath its dignity, unless it wants fed, wants to play, wants to be petted or wants to cuddle.

I doubt if bobcats ever wants to cuddle, at lease once babies grow up and leave mother. But I have cuddled a hybrid house cat/bobcat. It purrrrreeeeddd just like any contented house cat.

Because bobcats are so secretive and nocturnal, many people have never seen one. Hardly anyone, other than a few trappers, realize how many bobcats inhabit the local habitat. Like any large predator, they can never be more numerous that a number that could overwhelm the prey population. So a good bobcat population is nothing so numerous as a rabbit population, or even a deer population.

You might find bobcats in any part of Warren County, though they are not likely to intrude on towns as fox and coyote will do frequently. The best bobcat habitat is an area with a large population of small rodents. I expect chipmunks, mice, rats, birds and rabbits make up a large part of the bobcat diet in local habitat.

A typical American cat, the house cat variety, carries bobcat genetics. I have seen and handled bobcat/house cat hybrids from the mating of a bobcat male and a house cat female. Obviously this was not strictly a ‘house’ cat. Its owner heard the mating outside his bedroom window. You probably will not see your kitty produce a litter of bobcat hybrids, but almost certainly Kitty has a bobcat daddy somewhere in its lineage.