{"id":7924,"date":"2014-01-01T21:45:32","date_gmt":"2014-01-01T21:45:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ramworks.net\/blog\/?p=7924"},"modified":"2014-11-14T14:08:58","modified_gmt":"2014-11-14T14:08:58","slug":"bill-and-the-bobcat-blues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/bill-and-the-bobcat-blues\/","title":{"rendered":"Bill and The Bobcat Blues"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IMG_5739\"<\/a>I\u2019m not a very good storyteller. Mostly because I have such an affinity for the truth and most often the truth does not make a good story. This lack of an ability or maybe a desire to embellish may come form 13 years of writing police incident reports where, \u201cJust the facts.\u201d was expected. The old clich\u00e9 goes: truth can be stranger than fiction. In this case it is. I couldn\u2019t have made this up if I tried.<\/p>\n

Our tale starts near Pearsall, Texas. It was supposed to be one of those fancy media hunts where the sponsors arrange first-rate accommodations in an area saturated with critters and provide fine shooting firearms and plenty of ammunition. One out of four is what we got. Remington supplied several nice rifles. As for the accommodations, we were housed in an old farm house with paint peeling off the walls and flea infested furniture.<\/p>\n

We were hunting feral hogs, coyotes and bob cats and after four days our take amounted to two bobcats, two coyotes and three hogs. The hogs had been hunted so hard the only reliable way to see one was with a spot light. As for the coyotes, well, I found two tracks in four days. One I\u2019ll admit was moderately fresh. The other; a fossilized relic.<\/p>\n

But this story is not about how fly by night outfitters can take advantage of companies looking to gain some press on their products. \u00a0Still, if I may, let me interject something.\u00a0 If you arrive at the lodge and find no \u201cgrab and grin\u201d photos on the wall, that\u2019s a clue.\u00a0 If the zero range amounts to two 50 pound bags of corn thrown over a folding card table, that\u2019s another clue. If after two days of hard hunting and seeing no coyotes your outfitter begins to spout stories of all the coyotes he saw on the ride out to pick you up, that\u2019s another clue.\u00a0 And finally, if the only critter sign you see amounts to petrified poop and crusty old tracks; you do not need any more clues.<\/p>\n

Enough whining.<\/p>\n

Few will argue that Bill Bynum is one of the foremost experts on predator hunting and calling in the world. I had wanted to hunt with Bill for a long time and was glad he was present at this fiasco. The evening of the first day Bill said, \u201cBoy, grab your gear.\u00a0 We\u2019re going to go kill a bob cat.\u201d<\/p>\n

We drove about a mile from camp and stopped along a brushy creek.\u00a0 As the guide, no let me re-phrase that, as the man piloting the truck disappeared, Bill whispered to sit down and be still. He lit up a cigarette and keenly watched the wind carry the smoke away as he looked into the thick brush.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re gonna go right down next to the creek and set up. Be ready, don\u2019t move a muscle. Them cats spook if you blink.\u201d Bill whispered as he crushed out his cigarette and placed the butt in his pocket. I followed and he motioned for me to set up at the base of a crooked oak indicating the direction I should watch.\u00a0 Bill arranged himself behind me, facing opposite, and we became one with the woods.<\/p>\n

As I became immersed in my surroundings wondering how many skeeters it would take to drain enough blood from me to cause unconsciousness, Bill let out a squall on his predator call and a chill shot down my spine and ended up in my feet. I jerked like I\u2019d peed on an electric fence. (Go ahead, admit it; you\u2019ve done it too.) Bill cast an evil-eye my direction.<\/p>\n

Ten seconds later I look up and a bobcat is charging me. It stopped just across the path at about 20 feet with its eyes boring into my sole. I knew a slow deliberate movement would be fraught with disaster so with all the dexterity and speed I could muster, I swung the rifle on the cat and when the cross-hairs covered fur, pulled the trigger. Bill had not seen the cat and the roar of the .221 Fireball lifted not just his feet but his ass-end off the ground. (I’m pretty sure Bill has peed on an electric fence or two in his time.)<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was it?\u201d\u00a0 Bill shouted.<\/p>\n

\u201cBobcat!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid ya get him?\u201d\u00a0 Bill asked as gravity finally pulled his body back to earth.<\/p>\n

\u201cYep.\u201d I said. \u201cBut the hit may not be good. He didn\u2019t give me much time.\u201d<\/p>\n

We ambled on over to the spot and found blood and hair. \u201cHe won\u2019t go far. Let\u2019s give him a minute and think this out.\u201d Bill said, pulling a cigarette from his pocket.\u00a0 (Bill\u2019s first step in sorting anything out, be it trailing up a wounded bob cat or preparing for a tax audit is to smoke a cigarette.) Two cigarettes later we took up the blood trail and in 30 yards we reached the steep bank of the creek. The blood had stopped.<\/p>\n

The bank was about 20 feet above water and there was a deep under-cut on our side. Bill, being the cat-killing expert he is, surmised the wounded feline was hiding underneath, waiting in ambush. Just as I was beginning to get the picture that I was going to have to be the one to go over the bank first, Bill said, \u201cThere\u2019s your cat.\u201d He was pointing up into a huge, slanted oak tree that hung out over the creek. And there, on a limb, staring belligerently at us was my cat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe he\u2019s hurt bad.\u201d\u00a0 Bill said. pulling another cigarette from the chest pocket of his camo shirt and that’s when I knew he was preparing to calculate our next move.\u00a0 \u201cIf you shoot him here you\u2019ll ruin your pelt. I bet if we just wait he\u2019ll die there on that limb and you can crawl right up there and get him.\u201d Three cigarettes later that cat was still there, opening his eyes every so often to give us that malicious glare.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had enough of this!\u201d Bill blurted as he picked up a stick and hurled it at the cat. The cat fell out of the tree and into the rushing water. \u201cHe\u2019ll drown right there.\u201d At first I thought Bill was right but the cat just kept flopping and squalling as he tried to make it to the bank on the other side. Finally he did and I watched through my riflescope as he lay completely motionless with his head resting on the bank. That\u2019s when Bill had what I am sure he would consider a \u201cgood idea at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGet a good stick, sneak around to the other side of the creek and go get your cat. I\u2019m sure he’s dead. He ant moving but take a stick just in case. I\u2019ll stay here and watch.\u201d\u00a0 Bill grinned, found him a stump and planted his lanky frame indicating the topic was closed for discussion.<\/p>\n

As luck would have it, the only stick I could find with enough rigidity to even swat a fly was about four feet long and five inches in diameter.\u00a0 (Were talking a log or at least firewood here.)\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t too concerned though, it would take me about 20 minutes to navigate to the other creek bank and by then I doubted I would need a stick.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_5775\"<\/a>When I reached the other side Bill yelled that the cat had not moved and he felt certain he was dead. I started the decent down the steep muddy bank and on my second step, slipped. When I came to a stop my feet were at the bobcat\u2019s face which was no longer resting on the bank waiting for rigor mortise to set in.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeeeeOwwww!.\u201d\u00a0 Squalled the bob cat.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeeeeOwwww!\u201d I echoed repeatedly as I began to frail the creek bank, water and my entire surroundings with a wooden club that looked like some weapon from the dark ages. Finally, I connected and the melee stopped.<\/p>\n

I was wet and winded when Bill shouted more advice across the creek. I thought Bill said hold him under water with the stick but I wasn\u2019t sure, mostly because Bill had been overcome by a fit of laughter that had consumed his entire body. This of course explains why he was flopping around on the other creek bank like a possessed, camouflaged clown. Had it been necessary for him to shoot in amongst us to save me from a serious mauling he would have been incapable.<\/p>\n

I pushed the cat under the water until no more bubbles reached the surface. I timed it, waiting three minutes. Bill, now somewhat recovered from his diabolical fit, said, \u201cYou got him now boy! Get him out of the water and let\u2019s go get another one.\u201d I started to reach down and pick up the cat when something in the back of my mind said. \u201cSelf, this is not a good idea. Make sure the cat is dead<\/i><\/b> before you pick it up.\u201d So, I leaned over a flipped the bob cat on his sopping wet ear with my finger.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeeeOwww!\u201d\u00a0 Said the cat.<\/p>\n

The explicatives that began to roll from my mouth would have embarrassed me even in a road house but they were drowned out by Bill\u2019s second uncontrollable episode of laughter. The bank was too steep to run up, my stick was floating down the creek and I was weaponless. So, with no alternative, I grabbed the cat in a death grip around the neck with both hands and shoved him deep into the mud under the water. I stood there knee deep in water, choking a bob cat while my hunting partner wiped crocodile tears of laughter as he continually repeated, \u201cLet him go, I\u2019m sure he\u2019s dead now!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ten minutes later I climbed out of the creek with my bob cat. This was my first \u201ccalled-up\u201d bob cat and if they are all like this, as far as I am concerned it can be my last. And that\u2019s the truth!<\/p>\n

Afterthought: It was a loss when Bill Bynum decided to no longer write for gun and hunting magazines. He was, to say the least, a character. Some called him the modern day Davy Crockett. To me, Bill was just another hillbilly. I hope some day we can hunt together again but if we do, Bill is fetching all the critters. The\u00a0original version of this story appeared in April-June 2008 issue of Varmint Hunter Magazine<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m not a very good storyteller. Mostly because I have such an affinity for the truth and most often the truth does not make a good story. This lack of an ability or maybe a desire to embellish may come form 13 years of writing police incident reports where, \u201cJust the facts.\u201d was expected. The old clich\u00e9 goes: truth can be stranger …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[407,408,409,121],"class_list":["post-7924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-bill-bynum","tag-bobcat-hunting","tag-calling-predators","tag-varmint-hunting"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5hujZ-23O","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10557,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/cool-pic-test-post\/","url_meta":{"origin":7924,"position":0},"title":"Cool Pic – Test Post","author":"gunwriter","date":"November 15, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Caught this dude sneaking by the trail cam the other day.","rel":"","context":"In \"bobcat\"","block_context":{"text":"bobcat","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/tag\/bobcat\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bobcat","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Bobcat.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Bobcat.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Bobcat.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Bobcat.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15244,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/under-orion\/","url_meta":{"origin":7924,"position":1},"title":"Under Orion $19.99","author":"gunwriter","date":"October 29, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Under Orion - Hunting Stories from Appalachia to Africa is the latest book from the Empty Cases' proprietor Richard Mann. It\u00a0is a collection of stories he has written over the past 15 years. Some of the stories are sad, some are happy, some are nostalgic. Most are true - or\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "BOOKS by Richard Mann"","block_context":{"text":"BOOKS by Richard Mann","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Cover-Image.jpg?fit=804%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Cover-Image.jpg?fit=804%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Cover-Image.jpg?fit=804%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Cover-Image.jpg?fit=804%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11335,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/the-truth-about-long-range-hunting\/","url_meta":{"origin":7924,"position":2},"title":"The Truth About Long Range Hunting","author":"gunwriter","date":"February 25, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"There is a long standing correlation between hunters and snipers. There is also a divide among hunters when it comes to the distance that regulates an ethical shot. Ethics are always complicated and shooting has, is and always will be a skill based endeavor. Hunting, regardless of how you go\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "HUNTING"","block_context":{"text":"HUNTING","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/hunt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"LRH EC-9","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/LRH-EC-9.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/LRH-EC-9.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/LRH-EC-9.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/LRH-EC-9.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7201,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/truth-or-fiction\/","url_meta":{"origin":7924,"position":3},"title":"Truth or Fiction","author":"gunwriter","date":"June 22, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I am interested to hear rifle sayings like these below which you have heard over the years, and if you believe them or not. This will help with a book project I am working on. Beware the man with only one rifle Only accurate rifles are interesting Always use enough\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DEFENSE"","block_context":{"text":"DEFENSE","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/defense\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7559,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/not-much-else-matters\/","url_meta":{"origin":7924,"position":4},"title":"Not much else matters…","author":"gunwriter","date":"September 19, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Next week I'll be out of pocket as they say so you won't be getting any wonderfully fulfilling gibberish here at Empty Cases. I'll once again be going to one of my favorite places in the world to hunt; Newfoundland. I'll also be hunting with some good friends. A group\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "HUNTING"","block_context":{"text":"HUNTING","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/hunt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"View from the Mount Peyton Outfitters' Lodge.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/IMG_0527-1024x682.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/IMG_0527-1024x682.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/IMG_0527-1024x682.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/IMG_0527-1024x682.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13869,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/why-hunt\/","url_meta":{"origin":7924,"position":5},"title":"Why Hunt?","author":"gunwriter","date":"September 23, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"From time to time we are posed with the question of why we hunt. Generally the answers are laced with explanations where genetic disposition and conservation are combined in an effort to justify the endeavor. While this might be a scientific explanation of\u00a0reality,\u00a0it falls short in explaining why we are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "EDITORIAL"","block_context":{"text":"EDITORIAL","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/editorial\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hunt-2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/hunt-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/hunt-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/hunt-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/hunt-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7924"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7924\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}