The Shadow
HOT SPRINGS — The bobcat continues to survive and persevere as part of Bath County’s ecosystem.
After timber cutting and other harmful forest practices nearly led to its extinction a century ago, the bobcat has rebounded, thanks in part to efforts of hunters, wildlife lovers and various game agencies.
The results of “Bobcat Ecology in the Mountains of Western Virginia,” a study by Dave McNitt, Robert Alonso and Dr. Marcella Kelly in conjunction with the Virginia Tech Depart-ment of Fish and Wildlife Conservation and the Vir-ginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, were highlighted during a presentation Friday evening at the Hot Springs Firehouse.
McNitt provided the information during the presentation. Originally from Anna-polis, Md., he is completing his master’s degree in wildlife science at Virginia Tech. Data has been collected in Bath County since 2011. McNitt has been working on his research for three years.
The bobcat research is part of the Virginia Appa-lachian Carnivore Study. It was conducted from the Cowpasture River into the western sections of Bath County, including the Warm Springs Preserve, the Gath-right Dam area and areas of Back Creek.
“The main goal of the study was to examine the predation ecology of bobcats, black bear and coyotes and their potential impact on white tail deer,” McNitt explained.
The coyote was the latest predator to show up in Bath County. McNitt said the coyote first appeared on the landscape in the 1980s.
Previous research included the Virginia Appalachian Coyote Study (2011-2015) and the Cooperative Allegheny Bear Study that was conducted in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The only other research on bobcats was conducted in 1955.
“That was the only bobcat research that had been done in Virginia up until this point,” McNitt said. “No information on bobcats in Appalachia.”
Bobcat findings from the Virginia Appalachian Coyote Study were analyzed using scat DNA. McNitt estimated approximately 15 bobcats per 40 square miles or 25,000 acres.
“This is one of the only places in the country where we actually have a good idea of how many there are,” he said.
Analyzing the DNA results, McNitt said the bobcat’s diet is composed of about 25 percent squirrel, 25 percent voles, mice and rats, 17 percent deer, 11 percent rabbit and 10 percent insects.
McNitt said bobcats, like all cats are, are carnivorous. They compete with bears and coyotes for food.
“Bobcats are ambush predators,” he explained. “They need to sneak up on their prey. They like that dense habitat.
“They have to eat meat to survive,” McNitt continued. “The prey and dense cover are very important facets of their ecology.”
Bobcats are solitary and territorial, McNitt explained as he divided their year into three seasons. Breeding season covers the timeframe from Jan. 1 until the end of March. The kitten rearing or denning season follows from April 1 through Sept. 30. The dispersal season runs from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31.
“They don’t travel in groups,” McNitt said. “They each have a distinct territory.”
Bobcats are polygamous. One male breeds multiple females, McNitt explained. Females raise their young by themselves. Large male home ranges overlap multiple home ranges.
“The males need much more space than the females,” McNitt said.
In Bath County, 20 bobcats — 14 males and six females — were trapped and affixed with GPS collars. They were caught in cage traps, mostly in late winter or early spring, and sedated. Every four hours, researchers received a location through the GPS trackers.
The males weighed an average of 22 pounds, while the females weighed approximately 14 pounds.
The males experienced a 43 percent mortality rate, while the female rate of mortality was 17 percent.
Two out of seven males died in the first year and four out of seven died in the second year of research. Two were caught in coyote neck snares, one was caught in a foot hold by a fur trapper. One was shot by a deer hunter, another was hit by a truck and one died of disease. The female died of natural causes.
The bobcats were monitored for about a year, and McNitt concluded that the home range for males was about 8,400 acres or 13 square miles, while the female home range was about 3,000 acres or 4.5 square miles. Females increased movements during denning season, while the male makes increased movement during the dispersal season.
“This fits with their biology and findings in other areas,” McNitt said. “During the denning season, a female has to hunt way more to get more prey for herself and her young. During the dispersal season, you have an influx of wandering bobcats looking for their own territory. The resident males are going to be marking their territory more intensely.”
McNitt said the bobcat home ranges are usually found at higher elevations, and they prefer to avoid steeper slopes.
“Energy is a calculation for these critters,” he said. “They have to kill food to get calories, so if they are burning calories, they are wasting calories. The way they move across the landscape reflects that.”
McNitt briefly discussed how changes in the forest such as fire, timber harvesting and regrowth have impacted the bobcat.
He said the bobcat study yielded four major conclusions:
•Males use three times as much space as females.
•Males have higher mortality rates than females.
•Both sexes select home ranges primarily on ridges, especially females.
•Within their home range, bobcats prefer an open canopy structure.
“The point of this study is that we want to look at bobcats as predators,” McNitt said. “We want to understand the impact they’re having on deer, but also other prey species.”
McNitt said he hoped the study would provide insight into an animal on which little research has been done.
“They are here; they are around us,” he said. We’re living amongst them.
“I think it’s good to understand them,” McNitt added. “There is a lot of misinformation and poor understanding, because they are so secretive.”
McNitt acknowledged the support of Mike Fies, Al Bourgeous, Steve Tanguay, Nikole Simmons, Elizabeth McNichols, Jean Lorber and Steve Croy, along with friends and supporters in Bath County.
“You guys are the reason we’re here,” he said.
McNitt concluded his presentation with some final thoughts. He reiterated that bobcats are territorial and only so many are going to live in a certain space.
“They are pretty cool animals,” he said. “They don’t cause a whole lot of problems. I think they are awesome.”
McNitt applauded the bobcat for its ability to survive in an ever-changing habitat.
“They’ve weathered the storm,” he said. “They were dang near sent to extinction in this whole area. Now they have decolonized, largely due to the efforts of hunters, wildlife lovers and the game agencies.”
McNitt said more long-term research is needed on the bobcat species.
“We need to keep looking at things,” he said. “Don’t take this stuff I’m telling you as gospel. That’s the way it is right now. We need to continue this research.”
