Bobcat

Bobcats are carnivorous predators, that look similar to, and are only slightly larger than, a big housecat. They are shy and secretive, and rarely seen by people, though they may be inhabiting forests nearer than many Williston residents imagine. This species has experienced dramatic population changes over the past 200 years, connected to land use patterns and prey—particularly eastern cottontail—abundance. A study in New Hampshire looked at historic hunting records and found that bobcat abundance in that state peaked in the middle of the 20th century. It is conceivable that there are more bobcats now than during the early 19th century, but the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife reports that populations may be in decline.

The decline may be cause in part by habitat fragmentation. Bobcats seem to require large areas of connected core habitat. (See the vegetation layer [LINK] for more information on core habitat in Williston.) They make use of a variety of landscape types, but prefer ledgey habitat for breeding and winter dens. As these areas of core habitat become separated by more human development—more houses and heavily-traveled roads, the areas where bobcat can be found will shrink.

Williston is fortunate to have several large pieces of habitat that likely still support bobcat, including the Richmond Ridge, the Gramma Ridge, Lake Iroquois, and Brownell Mountain. But don’t plan on easily spotting one of these animals. You are lucky to see their tracks in the snow, as several graduate researchers did on one cold and snowy day at Lake Iroquois.