A 19-year-old hunter in Wisconsin got the surprise of his life on Saturday when he encountered an elusive creature stalking him in the woods.
Carson Bender was hunting for turkey on private land near Nekoosa while wearing full camouflage and sitting at the base of a tree when the incident happened, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Sunday.
After using a call to draw several turkeys, Bender said he was lining up his shotgun when he heard the soft crunch of leaves behind him. The seasoned hunter did not make any sudden moves, but raised his phone and began recording.
The creature approaching turned out to be a bobcat. Bender said the animal was staring at him, but he did not take his focus completely off the turkeys nearby.
“I knew where the bobcat was and I didn’t know what it would do, but I was actually just about to take a shot at the gobbler,” he recalled.
Video footage of the tense moments showed the bobcat a few feet behind Bender who kept as still as possible. The bobcat took its time in approaching, gingerly lifting one paw, then another while keeping its eyes fixed on Bender. At one point, the creature appeared to glance toward the hunter’s phone, but decided to keep advancing.
Turkeys were heard gobbling in the background as the hunter and bobcat faced off. The statuesque bobcat remained still for a moment, then leapt towards Bender and pawed at him:
Bender was able to shake off the bobcat that eventually fled the scene. However, he was left with a scratch and two small skin breaks. He later took some prescription antibiotics just to be safe.
“It might sound dumb, but I wanted to kill that turkey that was strutting in. It was a lot of action in just a minute or so but I never really felt threatened and went with my instincts,” recalled the young man who was somewhat disappointed he did not end his day with a turkey trophy.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, bobcats are an iconic species in the state that are quite common even though they are rarely seen.
Indeed, more video footage showed encounters with bobcats in Wisconsin, one of which happened in 2023 when a bobcat got stuck inside the grill of a car after being hit:
Bobcats live in a variety of habitats, consume mostly rabbits and hares, can jump high enough to catch birds, and have the ability to run up to 30 miles per hour, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute.
“They stalk their prey with unparalleled patience, and often travel 2 to 7 miles (3 to 11 kilometers) in an evening while hunting and patrolling their territory. They will place their back feet in the same spots where their front feet have stepped to reduce noise when hunting,” the institute said.
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