For hunters using trapping devices to snag prey, it’s not guaranteed just what will get stuck in the jaws of the device. If it’s an animal you don’t want — like a bobcat — letting it free can be tricky business.
A video recently posted on YouTube shows a group of hunters’ efforts to free an upset bobcat in a trap. The footage is so dramatic that the video went viral within a day of its posting, garnering more than 1.25 million hits so far. According to the video’s title, the bobcat was accidentally trapped.
“I got him, I got him. I’ve got him right where I want him,” said the man attempting the release. This could not have been more untrue though. Just when the man thinks he has the animal under control, it evades him or breaks his stick. There’s a whole lot of growling and clawing.
(Image: YouTube screenshot)
(Image: YouTube screenshot)
(Image: YouTube screenshot)
Eventually the jaws of the trap open and the bobcat is released. The hunters’ first instinct when the animal is free? The one doing the freeing backs up, but the one doing the filming closes in.
(Image: YouTube screenshot)
Was that a wise decision? See for yourself (Content Warning: Strong language):
The men head toward their Jeep and the cat begins to come toward them slowly, stalking. But then he slips underneath the SUV for cover. Firing up the engine, the cat is scared out and makes his final exit.
(Image: YouTube screenshot)
“That was a very cool experience right there,” the man filming said. “That was cool.”
In the thread on Reddit about the video, where many have taken the opportunity to discuss inhumane trapping, it said the trap in the footage was a leg hold trap. This sort of trap isn’t designed to harm the animal and was likened to being about as harmless as a hook in a fish’s mouth.
(H/T: io9)
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Comments (153)
Reeferman
Jan. 4, 2013 at 12:55pmI am a hunter but do not agree with leg traps. Never have and never will. And to those who say it only holds the animal that is bull ****. I grew up around trappers with trap lines and yes most times that is true but many times the leg is broken and the animal will chew it off or die a slow horrible death. I am no tree hugging granola cruncher but do not like leg traps.
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bondroid
Jan. 4, 2013 at 1:12pmThank you! Leg traps are vile!
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banjarmon
Jan. 4, 2013 at 1:59pmThat bobcat is just a BALL of FUR with TEETH and CLAWS that will make ribbons of human flesh!!
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John.Galt
Jan. 4, 2013 at 2:03pmYeah, the problem I have with leg traps is just that – sometimes they get away, sometimes they chew off their legs (very common with muskrats). Personally, I want my prey DEAD when I arrive to collect it.
Of course, that being said, this “cute” bobcat would be dead, and there would not be any viral video…
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MMSands
Jan. 4, 2013 at 2:41pmThanks!
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shakedowncrews
Jan. 4, 2013 at 3:12pmoh bull. technology has advanced these aren’t your grampas traps. you can find videos on youtube that showanimals that were trapped with these that were later killed (by gunshot) and they show the leg and there is not any damage.
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pagraywolf
Jan. 4, 2013 at 3:16pmAs a hunter, you know that many animals die a slow death because of poor shots. Intentional and accidental. Don’t denigrate trapping for what happens also in your sport. By the way, I am a hunter, angler, and have know trappers.
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OldSurfRat
Jan. 4, 2013 at 3:54pmYea just not cool to use leg traps. Maybe the trapper should give a whirl some time.
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MisterSarcastic
Jan. 4, 2013 at 3:59pmI’ve always used traps manufactured by ACME. Same as Wyle E. Coyote
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BostonHarold
Jan. 4, 2013 at 4:15pmI’ve yet to meet a hunter who wasn’t an amateur naturalist and an animal lover. PETA punks are city cowards and wouldn’t have been within 100 miles of the Bobcat. A ranger friend of mine had to shoot a black bear that was attacking him from the bushes at an occupied campsite. She had cubs nearby. It was a nice piece of instinctive fast draw shooting. The bear literally dropped dead at his feet. He is a nature boy and was bummed for weeks. The campers praised him to the sky. The Humane Society and PETA savaged him as a trigger happy goober in the local editorials. They even tried to bring him up on criminal charges for doing the right thing.
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ronin_6
Jan. 4, 2013 at 4:23pmI like granola.
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Victoriaautmors
Jan. 4, 2013 at 4:44pmI own leg traps and they sit on a shelf. Strictly SHTF eat or die use.
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tbconrad
Jan. 4, 2013 at 5:00pmIf I remember correctly they were Illegal in NY back in the 70′s and 80′s because of that reason
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firman
Jan. 4, 2013 at 5:15pmProperly set foot traps do not seriously damage the foot. Notice I said “properly”. That means the correct size and pan tension for the target animal. Done responsibly, it is far less cruel than some of your fellow hunters shooting a deers leg off and tracking it for a mile. Yet I’m sure you wouldn’t want hunting with firearms banned because of a few irresponsible people or an errant shot. Animals will twist out if the leg bone is broken, which is caused by using too big of a trap with not enough pan tension. The goal for any trapper is to be as humane as possible by using traps responsibly. managing wildlife involves more than just hunting.In many areas,some animals cannot be shot legally, i.e. beaver, mink,muskrat,etc.. In these cases, trapping is the best management option.
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Anamah
Jan. 4, 2013 at 5:52pmAt least a miserable human is needed to use a leg trap to hunt.
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gonnaneedabiggerboat
Jan. 4, 2013 at 5:58pmAbsolutely agree. Trappers in general are, in my humble opinion, doing something cruel and evil. Generally speaking, how one treats animals is a very good indication of what’s in their hearts. I’m okay with hunting and other activities that at least try to end an animal’s life quickly and painlessly. Trappers should be made to experience the pain and fear they inflict.
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Keatonc33
Jan. 4, 2013 at 5:58pmBanjarmon. you idiot. Bobcats barely ever attack humans. unless they’re rabid
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Keatonc33
Jan. 4, 2013 at 6:00pmJohn.galt. id be ashamed to call my self a hunter if i were you. using leg traps. its not even a sport at that point its just killing to kill. i mean setting a trap, thats it? its the easiest thing in the world to do. You are not a man! you are a little cowardly child! bwahaha
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buttpatriot
Jan. 4, 2013 at 6:25pmamateur naturalists and animal lovers…i am a hunter and animal lover but i have met many hunters that are not. went hunting on a buddy’s ranch in montana with a group of locals. damn they shot anything that moved. they always had some excuse; digs holes in the fields, etc, etc… hunters are not all noble gentlemen providing for their families…plenty of trigger happy yahoos.
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troubble27
Jan. 4, 2013 at 10:17pmTrapping is for pu$$ies. If youre going to hunt, then be a hunter. There is no sport in trapping whatsoever.
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amylockmer
Jan. 4, 2013 at 10:31pmvery difficult to watch.
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wardance
Jan. 5, 2013 at 2:26amListen to that idiot in the background laughing. What the hell is so funny, an animal fighting for its life and in pain and fear. Yeah its hilarious.
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January5
Jan. 5, 2013 at 7:51amIt is the same with the sticky mouse traps. The mouse gets stuck on them and starves to death. You can’t get them off without pulling their legs off which is more horrible. The old snap traps are best and most humane.
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Armed Patriot
Jan. 5, 2013 at 8:59amPoor little fella.
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georgette
Jan. 5, 2013 at 9:55amit is impossible to respect those who take life for pleasure, bait, or set traps , terrorizing animals, walking away leaving the animal to die a lingering painful death that you would not wish to experience yourself……….. how much humanity do you have to give up to do that? …when you don’t respect animal life and see it’s worth, you have automatically diminished your own worth….this also applies to trophy hunters….
if you do not hunt for meat, hunt with a camera……..period.
I come from a long line of hunters ……if your life doesn’t depend on the meat, do not cause death for your own pleasure.
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TRILO
Jan. 5, 2013 at 10:53amI absolutely agree with you. These should be done away with. While out hunting my family found a dog caught in one, who has become a member of our family. Her foot will never heal. This bobcat will probably end up dying of starvation over time because of the injury to its foot will not allow it to hunt or climb trees.
These traps should be compared to land mines. They wreak havoc on all wildlife. Shame on the hunters who use them.
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sillyfreshness
Jan. 5, 2013 at 11:31amThe guys that set that bobcat free is a total badass. Not many people have the guts to be able to do that.
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Kalish
Jan. 5, 2013 at 2:18pmI love guns, but people who use traps are *******, and I still dont understand the hunting thing, there is plenty of food around, but my dad told me, never shot any animal unless you are going to use it for food ….
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scarydave
Jan. 6, 2013 at 5:03pmYes, that experience was awesome!
Note to all kids and their Gamer Parents… Put down the Game controls and go play outdoors. It’s much healthier and builds incredible character in Humans.
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Quester55
Jan. 6, 2013 at 11:48pmBad or Not, What these Hunters Did Was A Plus for all of us. BOBCATS are getting very close to Extinction Levels, Letting this one Go, Was The Proper thing to do. Killing it Would have been wrong, for so many reasons. , now if it had been a Moose, Bear, Elk, Deer, Even a Wild Bore, It’s going in my Freezer, but only RATS with 2 legs Hunt these Beautiful Cats for Sport.
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cwoz10
Jan. 7, 2013 at 7:12amThere are several misinformed people here. I am a trapper, hunter, and angler. Foot holds do not damage or harm the animal, if the traps are checked every 24hrs as per the law. A responsible trapper is out there checking them even more often than that. The national trappers association has posted a youtube video debunking all the myths around footholds. These are tools not only of the trapper, but also of wildlife biologists and conservation officers to obtain valuable species data which in turn determines open seasons and management. As for the bobcat, these gentleman were lucky to catch one. I would love to have one in my sets. beautiful pelt. Which reminds me, time to go check my trap line.
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woodyee
Jan. 4, 2013 at 12:52pmOne million hits in a day, because most people don’t get out much.
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Paparock
Jan. 4, 2013 at 1:08pmI understand the feel good nature of the video yet I grew up out in nature and have the other side of this picture. Bobcats preying upon your pets, your farm animals that you depend upon for food, and becoming rabid stalking a group of children have all been part of factual history I have known and are not as warm and fuzzy. There is a time and place to protect bobcats as they surely have their place in nature however they can also become a threat so blind protectionism is just as ignorant as blind destruction of the animal. People need to consider their actions and not act out of emotions.
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RedDawn2012
Jan. 5, 2013 at 5:57amPaparock said it best.
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suzpenn
Jan. 4, 2013 at 12:45pmCurious as to what these men were trapping. Bobcats aren’t stupid. My brother has trapped since the early ’60′s so we know a thing or two. Also, if it wasn’t their trap . . . take it.
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BostonHarold
Jan. 4, 2013 at 4:34pmBack in the 70′s a nice fluffy Red Fox pelt would fetch $600. I knew good old boys that made a few grand off their trap lines. The leghold ban hit them heavy. They checked their traps religiously every morning.
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kadster01
Jan. 4, 2013 at 12:37pmIt’s pretty dumb to keep coming toward an injured and p1$$ed off bobcat. I’m sure that leg hurt pretty bad. What he wanted was to see what the inside of that hunter’s face looked like!
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McDigger
Jan. 4, 2013 at 12:47pmWhite people are crazy O_O
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circleDwagons
Jan. 4, 2013 at 1:45pmMore b a ll s then brains. Glad they had the nerve to free the cat but wow how dumb
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RUSHOFFOOLS
Jan. 4, 2013 at 1:48pmThe bobcat was scared, trapped and probably in pain. What do you expect? Purring?
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kindling
Jan. 4, 2013 at 12:30pmA bobcat broke into my chicken coop and killed all the hens and rooster night before last. It ate one hen there and cached dead chickens all over the barn yard. I am going to go out and get a trap today and let fish and game deal with it after I use one of the cached PETS to catch it. They are beautiful animals that are ruthless and distructive especially when you get a lot living in a small area. We have LOTS of bobcats.
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Independent4233
Jan. 4, 2013 at 1:11pmkindling
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 12:30pm
“A bobcat broke into my chicken coop and killed all the hens and rooster night before last. It ate one hen there and cached dead chickens all over the barn yard. I am going to go out and get a trap today and let fish and game deal with it after I use one of the cached PETS to catch it. They are beautiful animals that are ruthless and distructive especially when you get a lot living in a small area. We have LOTS of bobcats.”
What signs were there that it was a bobcat?
The reason I’m asking is because I’ve never known bobcats to indiscriminately kill everything.
Are you sure it wasn’t a weasel? Or another predator?
What state do you live in?
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sta
Jan. 4, 2013 at 1:36pmMaybe from the footprints in the snow?
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GPS-Tech
Jan. 4, 2013 at 6:04pmMy parents live near a state park in a new subdivision. There are still many vacant lots and the wild life from the park wander into the neighborhood. A bobcat shredded my mother’s house cat to bits and he was a mean old tom that beat up every other cat in the neighborhhod. A bobcat isnt anything close to a domesticated cat. That guy should have backed off as soon as they freed that animal.
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kindling
Jan. 6, 2013 at 8:58pmI saw him jump the fence.
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kindling
Jan. 6, 2013 at 9:08pmHave you ever watched a barn cat get into a mouse nest. They have fun eating and killing the babies there. It is a gruesome sight but it is what cats do. Well, bobcats are house cats on mega steroids and will kill everything in a pen, cache what they can’t eat right then and carry back to the den. The state trapper taught me a bunch about them because I had one try to kill one of my goats. I had to beat it off the goat and later that same night it tried to get in my chicken coop and when I saw it with my flash light it jumped and hit me. I do not think it was planning that but the light blinded it as it jumped. We have bobcats like crazy. I have had them walk right up to the house to wait for me to let the dog out and yelled at it and it just sat there. I have set up a place for my son and I to practice shooting the .22 rifle and that may be enough to get it to leave the area with the female and 2 grown babies that live in a bolder pile in my front yard.
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GoodStuff
Jan. 4, 2013 at 12:29pmTraps are for hunters who can’t hunt.
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kindling
Jan. 4, 2013 at 12:32pmNo, traps are for people protecting their own food sources that choose not to sit out in the cold all night waiting for something to come kill their livestock. I love animals as much as the next person but I must draw the line at my family and our livestock. There will always be bobcats.
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Priscilla King
Jan. 4, 2013 at 12:35pmDittos. What does a coyote trap cost these days? About the same as a tank of gas for a pickup truck, right? So, don’t drive for a week, buy a box trap, give a nuisance animal a good healthy scare without putting a mark on it, and as a bonus you can probably reuse the same trap for years.
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rangerskippy
Jan. 4, 2013 at 1:02pmyou hunt muskrat, beaver, mink, ?
traps allow you to catch them, and not tear up the hid with a exit wound
Now that trapping has almost gone away, predators are over populating (like coyotes) and are destroying the quail populations and other species
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o2nine17
Jan. 4, 2013 at 12:29pmPound for pound, the Bobcat is the most powerful predator in the world, not something to treat casually.
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kindling
Jan. 4, 2013 at 12:37pmOur state trapper for our area said they caught and released a bobcat that when freed turned and attacked them. They are killing maciines and will kill just for the fun of it. I had one kill a setting hen and kill all the babies and throw them everywhere. It was such a horrible seen when baby chicks strewn everywhere I cried for days. As far as I am concerned I am another animal living in the same place and will protect my family just as they do. I do not attack if they don’t.
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BostonHarold
Jan. 4, 2013 at 4:28pmCanadian Lynx are even nastier. They don’t flee humans. It’s why hunters and trappers carry thundersticks. Fur trappers in Siberia have to deal with huge hungry tigers that want to eat their ponies.
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DDD
Jan. 4, 2013 at 12:16pmThe leg hold traps do great damage on a struggling animal.
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sstoeberl
Jan. 4, 2013 at 12:43pmFoot hold traps do not ‘damage’ the animals. They are designed to hold the animal until the trapper can come harvest it. If the trap damaged their leg, they would simply fight until their leg broke then run away. That is even worse, since you would then have an injured animal on the loose. The animal in the video was not harmed, as very evident from it running away without limping or bleeding in any way. It is very apparent form this video that either these idiots are inexperienced trappers or they were illegally releasing an animal from someone else’s trap. My husband traps and is very responsible about his trapping. When stupid people like this post irresponsible videos like this, it damages the reputations of all responsible trappers.
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buttpatriot
Jan. 4, 2013 at 1:52pmyeah, i bet animals actually enjoy the sensation. most trappers wouldn’t post what they do; shoot in head, throw into bushes.
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whatthecrazy
Jan. 4, 2013 at 12:10pmThat was cool,these guys did what Americans do best,lend a helping hand even if it means said hand could get bit.Good job fellas mom would be proud.
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subic
Jan. 4, 2013 at 12:07pmI have come across quite a few bobcats, some very close while deer hunting. My friends ask why didn’t you shoot it? Because I’m not going to eat it, that’s why.
Now a coyote is a different story. Those things are getting out of control.
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woodyee
Jan. 4, 2013 at 12:50pmMy friends ask why didn’t you shoot it? Because I’m not going to eat it, that’s why.
Nice! It is PRECISELY waht I teach my grandchildren, nephews and nieces. Also, I’ve taught them to look towards using EVERY part possible of any animal they take. It was hard though, convincing them that politicians were not game animals…
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Karama
Jan. 4, 2013 at 12:04pmPoor kitteh. Glad some nice brave people took pity on him.
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darkknight91
Jan. 4, 2013 at 1:25pmThey did a good thing letting him go but the cameraman was asking for it by getting up in his face after he was free. Those things are fast and could have half his face ripped to shreds before he realized it.
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Dauh
Jan. 4, 2013 at 12:04pmUtah. You can tell by the guy’s Utahrded accent.
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RUSHOFFOOLS
Jan. 4, 2013 at 1:53pmYour screen name should be DUH! for dumb. There is nothing wrong with people from Utah or any other state.
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urrybr
Jan. 4, 2013 at 2:49pmWhere are you from . . . ******??
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butler180
Jan. 4, 2013 at 12:03pmBless the hunters for releasing the bobcat.
As for trapping – true and responsible trappers check their traps and release (if possible) unintended trapped animals as the hunters in this video did.
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Frederick_Douglass_Republican
Jan. 4, 2013 at 11:54amI hate those traps.
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katzkiner
Jan. 4, 2013 at 11:54amBobcats don’t attack, but they don’t back down either. I crossed paths with one when I was 11, all I had was a single shot .410 shotgun. It was not enough. I broke the stock on the .410 fighting the bobcat. When I healed enough to go hunting again my mother bought me a Sears Ted Williams semi-auto 12 gauge. That was enough for bear. 1963 Guess what? I did not shoot up my school either. We went to church every Sunday.
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schroeder123
Jan. 4, 2013 at 11:28amTraps like that suck.
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CatB
Jan. 4, 2013 at 11:44amAgree when I was a kid we lived in the country .. one day my cat came home dragging a small trap with her front paw in it. She recovered (it took a long time) but I am glad that the trap came lose or was lose .. it is a horrible way for an animal to die ..often times chewing off their own paw or leg to escape.
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chips1
Jan. 4, 2013 at 12:04pmCATB:
Ah, yes!!! High School dating. I remember it well!!!
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oneshiner
Jan. 4, 2013 at 12:08pmTraps are totally inhumane to innocent animals. Especially people who put out traps and don’t check them until poor innocent animal dies inhumanely.
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Dodsfall
Jan. 4, 2013 at 11:22amIt was odd that the cat didn’t run off right away once free, most wild animals will simply leave when confronted by humans. Maybe it was confused or very angry.
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Metallicat
Jan. 4, 2013 at 11:38amI think the cat was worn out from the ordeal and just wanted to lay down and rest.
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weareskrewed
Jan. 4, 2013 at 12:05pmWas probably fighting that to get out all night ! I think if a human was trapped like that for several hours; they’d probably be in a daze too !
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Priscilla King
Jan. 4, 2013 at 12:58pmSome cats feel safe and snug under a warm motor…not the ones that live longest, of course.
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BostonHarold
Jan. 4, 2013 at 4:01pmThe cat was terrified and in shock. Bobcats are fierce little warriors and will do battle with a bear. It was ready to take a stand and fight it’s last battle on earth. It was not going out with a whimper. Most critters live on the edge and know the odds. Those country boys did a righteous compassionate thing. They didn’t give up and abandon the animal. They probably felt the kinship of all living things in a jam. The Great Spirit of the wild will surely bless them. Professional game managers would’ve been equipped to hit the cat with a tranquilizer dart then cover it’s eyes. Getting that close to wildlife is a blessing. I’m jealous.
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BostonHarold
Jan. 4, 2013 at 4:21pmIt was obviously traumatized and in a state of shock. She looked plum tuckered out. It could’ve been the first time in it’s life it encountered two humans and a Jeep. That would be a UFO and two space aliens to you and I.
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The-Monk
Jan. 4, 2013 at 11:16amI hate traps. It’s inhuman. If you need to kill an animal do it as quickly as possible.
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Top_Contributor
Jan. 4, 2013 at 11:20amBobcats are not human. They are feline.
biohazard23
Jan. 4, 2013 at 11:29amHappy New Year, Monk!
That was funny right there. The only thing missing some one of them saying, “Hey, y’all, watch this…”
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biohazard23
Jan. 4, 2013 at 11:30amBTW, I’m glad the poor bobcat got away. He did not look pleased at all.
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The-Monk
Jan. 4, 2013 at 3:30pmHi Biohazard23,
Happy New Year to you also…
Sorry for the late reply.
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biohazard23
Jan. 4, 2013 at 3:54pmThat’s OK. No worries, my friend. :)
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DadRocked
Jan. 4, 2013 at 11:15amThe guy ended the film saying… “That was a very cool experience right there. That was cool”
It sure was man…
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Mad_as_Hell...
Jan. 4, 2013 at 11:14amIn the world we now live in… Always nice to see humanity at work.
God bless all involved
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Metallicat
Jan. 4, 2013 at 11:11amI’m sure all the hits for the video came from all the bleeding heart animal rights activists and busy bodies looking for someone to shake their finger at. Its obvious the animal was not permanately injured. Im glad they had a baseball instead of a gun in case things got out of hand. Dont want an evil gun involved,that could lead to instant death. Its much better to beat an animal to death and risk wounding your hunting buddy while you wildly flail on a PO’d animal out to wound you.
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RaydocX
Jan. 4, 2013 at 11:10ami am sure these trappers will receive grief for their inhumane means of collecting specimens.
anyone angry might want to consider that instead of taping and RELEASING the bobcat, unscrupulous trappers might have dispatched the potentially dangerous cat instead, and hiding the evidence, gone on with their otherwise legal practice.
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thegreatcarnac
Jan. 4, 2013 at 11:10amThat Bobcat was justifiably pizzed off. lol. Can’t even walk around in your own wilderness without stepping into some trap set by some human!
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Cavallo
Jan. 4, 2013 at 11:09amGood to see the animal wasn’t limping. Brave guys, good thing for those thick rubber boots, eh? Otherwise he’d have lost some flesh off his legs.
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Centurian
Jan. 4, 2013 at 11:03amThis video made my day! I haven’t laughed this hard all week!
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HairRazor
Jan. 4, 2013 at 11:20amAwesome cat… didn’t find it funny.
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