Readings to Learn More About Bobcats

The Bobcat of North America by Stanley P. Young, published in 1958 by Stackpole Press and is often reprinted. This was the first comprehensive summary of the natural history of bobcats by a world-class biologist. The book covers many details of a bobcat’s life, including some interesting observations of bobcats as pets, albino bobcats, and probably one of the largest bobcats ever captured (43 lbs, in Maryland).

Bobcats Before Breakfast by John Kulish, and published in 1969 by Stackpole Press (out-of-print). If your library can’t find a copy, there are used copies for sale on the internet. This is a very enjoyable book written by someone who is well known to naturalists in southwestern New Hampshire. Kulish recounts his escapades running bobcats with hounds in the woods and ledges that surround Hancock, New Hampshire. John eventually became the first teacher-naturalist at the Harris Center and some of the best bobcat habitat in that area is still referred to as the “Kulish ledges”.

Bobcat Year by Hope Ryden, published in 1983 by Viking Press. This is an easy-to-read account of the life of a bobcat. Ms. Ryden is a keen observer, but she is not a field biologist. Her book does provide an interesting perspective on the life and times of bobcats.

Bobcat – Master of Survival by Kevin Hansen, published in 2007 by Oxford University Press. If you’re into bobcats, this is your book! Hansen has done an exceptional job pulling together a tremendous amount of field research on bobcats, much of it conducted in the last 25 years. He covers a broad range of topics on natural history and provides an excellent summary of the recent ups and downs of bobcat populations and how science-based management is the bobcat’s best bet for long-term survival.