BigGameHoundsmen.com

I know they are rare but has anyone on here treed or seen one? I asked this on trapper man.com and a few old timers remembered seeing some. I was just curious

What area are you in? I know there's been a increase and callers and trappers are seeing more to .

I'm in Elko I'm to far north I think but it would be an awesome cat to see in the wild. Do you know where people have been seeing them

In az and the boot hill of new Mexico ate the only places I'm aware of for certain they don't run very hard and seem surprised that the dogs ate interested in them them seem more like a lion then a bobcat in that respect. But then I haven't treed loads of them myself so I'll hold judgement just in case there's some waiting out there with a attitude. I doubt it though they all seem to go up as quick as possible. I don't even think the dogs see them on the ground . I hunted near in Chihuahua and treed four in a nine day period but they all where in the tree immediately and I got the impression from the guys there that's normal. They also seem to like oak forest and the wetter areas we have which isn't saying much but they might require surface water more regularly . They do get into our mountains so they have to be semi comfortable traveling low desert . I think they're attractive I just don't know anything about them maybe some of our Mexican hunters could give us more details on their range and behavior

Yes, I saw one and it was beautiful. It’s body was lower to the ground than a bobcat but a longer appearance.They have some in South Texas and they seem to really like quail. The quail population has really took a hit so it may have had an effect on the Ocelots. Several studies have been done around the King Ranch area. Texas Parks and Wildlife may have some information JTG

I think that might be a important factor. We got lots of quail but one species is mentally defective IMO they hold so tight its not unusual to drive or ride over them and I've had dogs catch them on the ground far to regular. I think in this area at least they are probably a key meal . I've seen where a bobcats caught several in one spot I'm not sure if this happens at night or day but I'm sure it'd be similar for ocelot's

Pegleg, you're a knucklehead. Ain't no way you caught 4 in 9 days. lol Lets see some pics if they are so "common." Geeze

Ajherm-

They are SUPER rare. The Jaguar Conservation Team had 100's of trail cameras for 10 plus years in all the mountain ranges along the border and NEVER got an Ocelot pic, yet they got 80 plus pics of Jaguar.

I got this pic on my trail cam last winter and was bombarded by game and fish as to it's where abouts. It was a total fluke and have not got another pic of it since.

http://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/to ... otted-cat/



Azlongears

Those are awesome pics! Did you ever see it or just the trail cams catch him?

My experience with ocelots is that they are very similar like the jaguar any you seldom see them at daylight. They habitat is the tropical forest and the jungle. I know there are in good population and problems with inbreeding in a reserve of la Laguna Atascosa near la South Padre Island in the USA. But its a small place and they have lots of ocelots or tigrillos. Here is information of the ocelots in the USA http://ckwri.tamuk.edu/fileadmin/user_u ... ocelot.pdf

At my fathers ranch about 3 hours south of Brownsville, Texas they are plenty of ocelots. I treed one with my hounds many years ago and he didn´t run much. They are fighter´s but they are very small in size maybe 15 to 20 pounds, smaller than a bobcat and they take refuge easily up a tree when the dogs press them.

They like the dense jungle that is why there habitat more to the west of texas is not there range and only habitat the tropical climate. The South part of Texas is the northest range and they are all to the south all the way to Brazil and Bolivia.

At my fathers ranch I have call with rabbit distress three ocelots, it was at night and they come very slowly like cats do and with a red lense they are not spook of the light. They have come all the way up to 40 yards. And I have call only about 10 times, seven of them being coyotes and the other three ocelots. So I can tell there are a good population of them.

Hoping to have good dogs in the near future and try them in ocelots. At this time I have three blueticks thay I think they will be able to tree them in the near future.

Pegleg said he was down in Mexico so I could see catching 4 in 9 days there. There is a decent population only 30 miles south of the Az border.


This one was likely already in the tree before the dog even smelled the trail. They tend to use trees to sleep in during the day and are almost entirely nocturnal so in AZ since we can't hunt at night its even more unlikely to catch one.
rare-catch-t20476.html?hilit=ocelot

Since those pictures the same one has been caught on game camera several times. Because the Game and fish got such good pictures from all different angles they can now match up the spots from game camera pictures and make a Positive ID. Likely why they pushed so hard as to Location on that one you caught on camera AZlongears.

I don't know how " common" they are anywhere I do know there's a big difference in my catch rate in as and what we catch in Mexico . Which is why I go through the hassle of getting down there. I treed a ocelot on four different occasions while hunting that ranch . I didn't kill four ocelots . It may have been one two three or four cats? I can't say absolutely so I didn't. I know what happens when you mention to game and fish treeing one of their special cats and your right you end up with phone calls visits and then the move in with a research team who might be cordial the first time you see them but soon are anything but bitching about your dogs tripping cameras chasing their cats and eating secondary evidence. Its not for me then if they decide to set snares or box traps along with being parked at every trail head you will find you be lost a hunting area .

Tom you have a pretty good spot there it funnels a lot of game through that trail from hunter into Carr and Ramsey the top of Ramsey does a similar corridor into fort with all the water holes along the east side and the two streams between the west gate if you ever get the chance to hunt west of Coronado pass you'll get your dogs on some lion with out having to worry about houses and traffic . I'm surprised to hear ocelots are rated as fighters I didn't see that in their behavior at all. But once you get a bobcat in a tree they can seem pretty meek to guess I should have spent the morning setting trail cams instead of chasing my tail

TomJr-
The ocelot on my trail cam was NOWHERE near where you put that one up a tree. Anyone can look at the spots on the two cats and see they are not the same animal. Two different cats, two completely different mountain ranges.

im pretty sure he was not saying the one you captured on the trail cam and the one he treed are the same animal. I believe he was in fact saying that they put cameras up all around the area where he treed one and now they have several pictures of the same one that he treed on their trail cameras.

Yes, AZlongears that is definitely not the same cat. Here are a few pictures from today showing the left side so you can compare them to the left side of the one on your trail cam.

I hope you cooperated with the Game and Fish, as I have had nothing but positives from my experience in 2011. The trail cams that caught the one my dogs treed were in fact not placed by the Game and Fish but by other hunters and not in the same canyon. I don't think the Game and Fish has the money to put game cams all over the place but instead rely on the general public reporting sightings ect.

Note, this is the same one treed February of last year (2011). Almost 2 years later and even with the fire, the habitat is still good enough to support him. I heard this one has been seen in at least one other Mtn. range in the past year so they do travel some...

There was one run over as far north as Globe, AZ a few years ago.







The last picture was taken at least 30 mins after the 2nd. Foxes and most Bobcats would leave in that amount of time. They are very much at home in trees. I had pulled the dogs and left the tree. But had forgotten to place a flag near the tree so I can relocate it, if needed. So climbed back up and just looked from afar, cat was still there. Appeared to be sleeping. Snapped a few more pictures and left him to snooze until dark.

On the way out we ran into some Javalina. One big one wanted to play but my lab/rott mix sent him on his way without any contact. Just bluffing and being ready if the bluff was called. They often attack if run from and can be very nasty.