Your kill shot.

[Unreal_tk]

Where do you go for the kill at? Until recently I always headshot but I think im about to switch to lung shots if possible. Curious on this topic.

[oneguy828]

Alot of old time trappers say they shoot them in the lungs and there is less blood.

[twist]

Head and lung are both very good kill shots. Seems like head shots the cats are more apt to hang up in tree apposed to lung shots. Andy

[super white hunter]

Head shot, fewer holes to repair

[Mike Leonard]

I agree with Andy, a 22 Long rifle thru the lungd and the cat will give those convulsive jerks and thrust himself out of the tree. those head shots can just freeze them and they stiffen out and then go limp and hang up on you. a 22 hole is not much to repair but if you choose to use the 22 magnum use the solids. they will go thru and usually you have two holes to patch but you don't have the likleyhood of a low shot or a far back shot actually blowing a hole in the hide. these new hyper velocity 22 mag and 17 HMR's can actually tear a pretty good hole in a cat or fox at close range so be careful. anything more than this is over kill on a treed bobcat.

I was out with a guy one time and treed a nice 25 pound range spotted belly cat. this cat was up about 25 feet in a larger pinion pine tree for this area but offered a very good clear shot. this guy wanted to have the cat mounted life sized jumping at a blue grouse he had saved. Well I leashed the two dogs back and told him to go ahead. He reached under his coat and pulled out a 6" model 686 smith 357 Magnum. I stopped him and said i have a 22 auto her why don't you use this? He said no he was comfortable with his gun and wanted to use it. Well he pulled down and made a great head shot using a 125 Gr. jacketed hollow point and the cat came out stone dead. but it wasn't an easy task for my taxidermist trying to piece and sew that head together because that big gun almost blew the head off this cat. A lung shot no doubt would have resulted in a huge hole blown out the far side so it was just too much gun. Cats unlike lions are small and have very tender hides so you don't need much gun to put them on the ground.

[Unreal_tk]

Mike will a solid .22 mag pass thru or are you talking other rounds. I currently have a .17 hmr or a .22 mag rifle at my disposal. I have pistols for closer shots though.

[twist]

22 mag solid will do just fine with a lung shot just a few stitches and you are done. A 22 solid bullet is the ultimate round on bobcats. Andy

[Brent Sinclair]

A 22 long rifle solid in the lungs is all I have ever used...most times it will not even exit.
I used a 22 short or a CB cap for most of the cats I had in traps in past years, always shot them in the lungs.
I took this tom with a 22 short at about 40 feet and he hit the ground before I got the second round in the gun...acouple kicks is all he made no blood and a tiny hole.

[CatCrazed]

I'm no expert but i've quit using my 22 auto pistol its hard to hit with and on a few coon i didn't have enuff velocity to even barley get pass the hide but i havent tried high end ammo yet. I've also herd that a 17 hmr just flat ruins them even if u use the fmj solids. Most everybody i know uses a 22mag with those hiper velocity hollows in the head, i havent tried a cat yet but i tore up a coon pretty good on one so maybe i'll switch to solid'sbut my mag will shoot long rifle to so maybe that. The 22 pistol is nice to carry just leave it in my pack but just so hard to hit with maybe i'll scope it. I've also thought about getting one of those takedown 22's

[sourdough]

A 22 long rifle is all that is needed and is probably responsible for the taking of more game than any other firearm we have to date. Don’t underestimate the 22 short cartridge. It shoots around 900 fps and is a deadly round for small game. I love the short. The CB has its place, but not for treed game. The CB comes in long or short cartridges a great round for the trapper. There are several brands of ammo that make sub-sonic ammunition for the 22 yet I feel that none do as well as the short, in my opinion. The down fall is that you have to have a firearm that can cycle the short; all my 22 long rifle firearms can take the 22 short and I shoot more of them than any other cartridge.

sourdough

[Mike Leonard]

The 22 Mag solid will usually pass thru a cat if hit in the lungs especially if fired from a rifle. Remember an adult coon is MUCH tougher than a bobcat. The hide and fat as well as the muscle of these micro bears makes them one tough customer. I have seen those 35 ound plus Dakota coons soak up a lot of lead before giving up the ghost if they are not hit just right.

CB's are ok for trapped cats and fox but they will let you down in a loose hunting situation. We had a big old tom bobber come out of the tree and we had 2 pups on him and they bayed him up against tom salt cedar, and my freind Tom drew a bead on his head and popped him with a CB and that cat went 6 feet in the air and lit out of there. Lucky the pups caught him again and I nailed him with the Woodsman and we found the CB had just made a big welt on his forehead and probably gave him a heck of a headace.LOL! The short rifle 22 is much more deadly and the trapper's friend.

I shoot a lot so a 22 pistol is my gun for bobs but I have a fine trigger and good sights and I practice taking cottontails out to 50 yards with head shots only. But the 22 Magnum in a compact rifle is probably the best choice for tall trees and shooting thru small opening s to get your spotted fur on the ground.

Brent that's a dandy cat! Would you say the Lynx are tougher to kill thata big bob? I have no experience with them at all.

[Brent Sinclair]

Mike
That bobcat is about 22 lbs or so not a big one, just a good angle on the photo...
You and Pegleg are right with the CB caps.. leave them to trapped game.
I've shot trapped wolves with them and no blood.
I don't think there is much difference in a bobcat or a lynx if you get good shot placement, lynx are not as mussled as bobcats and I've killed a few Lynx and Bobcat with a 22 short with good luck, had a couple not so good turnouts as well....
On small cats with a client I use the 22 Mag solid or a 22 LR HP.

[sourdough]

The ballistics on the 22mag verses the long rifle or 17 HMR is hands down the best rim fire out there; it’s an awesome round and very capable of great things when shooting small game. The 40grain bullet pushing down that barrel with higher velocity than your standard 22 long rifle is capable of some great shot at longer distances while maintained energy. When you add the polymer tipped rounds we have today they become an entrance only round and great for the fur taker. Check your laws concerning full metal jacketed cartridges in the magnum before shooting them at small game. I would compare the 22 mag and your standard 22 long rifle to the .357 in the pistol vs. rifle night and day proformance.

sourdough

[kscurhunter]

if your pistol is hard to hit with put a laser on it thats all i use on coons and its a pretty deadly combination thats easy to carry

[Mike Leonard]

I agree the 22 Mag in a rifle is a great round and I have taken literally truckloads of fur with them. I carried an old Marlin on the dash of field truck for years and no telling how many round went thru it but probably kept CCI in business. LOL! I liked the round so much I had a custom one bult up with an octoganal barrel and put a Rifle Basix trigger in it and is always handy a deadly truck companion.

And when you talk about the difference in the 357 Magnum in a pistol as opposed to rifle models. And How! As most know this is my gun of choice for lions and the old 92 took out another big tom here recently with one well placed shot. No fuss no muss just boom and that is it! I don't know how many sport and depredation lions this gun has taken but let's just say it has been around. LOL!