BOBCAT! WOOOOOOOOO!

Anyone want to guess what I saw on my noontime run today?

Bobcat!

Woooooooooooooooooo!

I have lived in large predator cat country for a while both in CA and here in NM. Working at at least two places (one NM one CA) that had regular mountain lion sitings outside buildings where I worked. But I always missed them. I really want to see one. The best I have done is a large mountain lion print in the mud on a trail I ran on here in NM.

But today made up for years of near misses. So there I was on my weekly lunchtime run. I run from my workplace through Mortendad canyon up to the rim and loop around the canyon rim back to work. I have seen lots of coyotes and mule deer on this run or on the part of it that I bike commute on often (even in the middle of the day). Today I saw a small herd of mule deer in fact in the bottom of the canyon. Smelled them before I saw them, really, but it was about 5 does and a handful of fawns.

But toward the end of the run on the rim of the canyons I saw a clearly feline bobtailed form dash across the singletrack in front of me into the canyon, maybe 20 feet. I ran to the edge and looked down and saw the unmistakable ears. Then it crossed about 10feet over and 10 feet down in front of me, and there it was! Bobcat! wooooooooo! It turned a crappy day at work into a really good one.

Being modest, I lorded it over my usual running companions who have been dissing me for track workouts of late. Track workouts? What the hell guys? You missed a freeking bobcat!

Bobcat wooooooo!

I am sad to say I was unable to catch it, kill it, skin it with my teeth, eat it, or tan its hide with brains, but maybe next time...

No no just kidding. Bobcat!!!!!!!!!!! Wooooooooooooooooo!