The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: twyacht on December 19, 2009, 06:55:51 PM
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Tough Dude with a rabid bobcat. :o No gun needed, but it would have been handy, but it sounds like he never would have time to draw it.
http://www.abc15.com/content/news/phoenixmetro/north/story/Man-kills-bobcat-with-bare-hands-during-north/UqOgRN66ike4K2_bNKfrhg.cspx
Man kills bobcat with bare hands during north Phoenix attack
Reported by: Jay Reynolds
Last Update: 12/17 10:42 am
PHOENIX - After being attacked by a bobcat Monday afternoon, a local man reportedly protected himself and killed the cat with his bare hands.
"I felt like it was a life or death situation," said James Gruver.
Just north of the Valley near Lake Pleasant, an Arizona Game and Fish official says Gruver was hooking up his trailer when he looked underneath and the bobcat attacked, knocking him on his back.
"It just came running over and jumped right on top of me," said Gruver.
To protect himself, Gruver reportedly held onto the cat until it died.
"I just got a death grip on it because I thought when I was on the ground this has just gotten real serious," said Gruver.
The bobcat later tested positive for rabies.
Officials say it's rare for an animal living this close to the Phoenix-area to test positive for rabies.
In fact cases of rabies have gone up this year. Last year 184 cases were reported. This year 250 cases have been reported so far.
Arizona Game and Fish want people to be aware that animals affected with rabies sometimes attack without any provocation.
"The animals willl attack anything that comes near them, it could be cars, it could be horses, anything," said Randy Babb with the Game and Fish Department.
James Gruver can attest to that, after witnessing a rabid bobcat attack first hand and living to tell the tale.
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Another report said he choked the thrashing cat, with a type of "Vulcan Death Grip".
Pretty bad a-- older guy. Slideshow at link.
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I see many painful injections in his future.
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I see many painful injections in his future.
Not nearly as painful (or as many) as it used to be.
And it beats the alternative.....
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Could have been worse. That is amazing to have killed a bobcat with your bare hands.
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Could have been worse. That is amazing to have killed a bobcat with your bare hands.
amasing what you can do when adrenaline kicks in
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Never underestimate your neighbors.
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I'm always on the look out for coyotes at work when I take something to the dumpster. YES I work in the city, But I HAVE seen coyotes at that exact highway intersection before. The fact that I work nights, either till 10 PM or 1 AM, helps me keep alert for predators. We even have had skunks out on the grounds, but I never have seen them (A coworker has seen them lots of times. says there's usually 3 or 4 of them at a certain time of night.). Only smelled them. I always have my hand on the .357 while walking back to the building as I'm scanning for dangerous critters. Hopefully I'll never have to shoot a rabid critter, or even come into contact with one, but the scout motto is Be Prepared. Actually, there's bobcats in the area too, come to think of it......
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He should carry when he goes to get the mail :)
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This is an example of why we need more than one skill. Bad guys, and critters, can come form anywhere at anytime, and a single weapon is not always the answer. If all you know is gun, and a cat comes out from under the trailer at your feet ... you're screwed!
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Somehow I don't feel impressed. It's just an overgrown house cat.
Call me when he strangles a mountain lion.
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Somehow I don't feel impressed. It's just an overgrown house cat.
Call me when he strangles a mountain lion.
You ever fought a healthy house cat? We've had some nasty buggers around here that have caused a need for stitches with one move because you touched them wrong or tried to move them or the dog got too close. Add in wild instinct, two to three times the body weight (muscle mass) and the effects of illness ... Color Me Impressed!
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I saw the guy on Fox news. He said it jumped him and he went down. He was laying on his back and realized it was about 2 feet from his head. He reached over, grabbed it by the neck and pinned it's head down to the ground. He got up on his knees and it was scratching with all legs. He said he finally put a knee in the ribcage and came down with his weight, crushing the chest and lungs. He didn't actually strangle it.
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I'm not saying you're not going to get bit or scratched up but is your life really in danger (other than the rabies)?
How many people have actually been killed by bobcats?
Still not impressed.
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Had a guy here a few years ago confronted a rabid animal in his yard (I forget what it was, just remember it was woodchuck size) He started out shooting it with a 10/22 finally wound up breaking the rifle stock on it. He did kill it, but it took some doing.
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I'm not saying you're not going to get bit or scratched up but is your life really in danger (other than the rabies)?
How many people have actually been killed by bobcats?
Still not impressed.
Being killed by the cat or having it maim you, with life long repercussions, is another. There was a "When Animals Attack" on Spike for a while, i can not find link, where a control officer tried to cage a house cat which was leashed, long story short that cat twisted the leash around his leg and clawed his way up to the nether regions.
I can deal with scars on back, arms., legs, pinky toe, not worried. Go after the lil' fella and I just became in fear of my safety. ;)
Now on the is your life really in danger (other than the rabies)?
part. Put your mother, grandmother/father, elderly, disabled loved one, child(grandchildren) or whom ever, in that situation, where they have been knocked to the ground by a rabid animal whom knows how to injure, and or, kill pray. It is at least scary, which means.......in fear for.
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Largest bobcat on record was nearly 70 lbs. Probably had claws 1/2-3/4" long and 3/4" long canine teeth.....I'll take my chances with a housecat but the bobcat I'd try and avoid. Big ones have been known to take full grown whitetail deer.
Dangerous animal by most standards. Had it not been rabid, it probably would have left him alone.
Update:
"Male bobcats are slightly larger and heavier than females. Most adult males weigh 20 to 22 pounds, while females average 18 to 19 pounds. Individuals may be much larger at times, especially in the northern states where many mature males may weigh 30 pounds. The heaviest recorded bobcat was taken in Maine and weighed 76 pounds."
courtesy Maine Trappers Association...
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I found that video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIoOJKLHeY0
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I found that video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIoOJKLHeY0
Yup! That the one, puts me in fear of my safety.
Side note, has to be related to Haz.
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The bocats I've seen in my area stand about knee high(18-20 inches) weighing close to 20lbs. They are not something I would want to tangle with without a gun.
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I'd rather fight a bob cat then a coon. A big coon will whip any dogs ass.
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I'd rather fight a bob cat then a coon. A big coon will whip any dogs ass.
That's kinda like saying "I'd rather be hit by a VW bug than an Impala" or "I'd rather be shot with a .38 special than a .45 acp." I'll pass on em all!