Preliminary Studies Of Bobcat Activity Patterns

Home range and activity patterns were determined for one male and one female radio-collared bobcat (Lynx rulus) in an eastern Tennessee hardwood forest. Home range of the male was calculated to be approximately 3076 ha while the female utilized 1416 ha. Both bobcats' ranges were larger than previously reported values for the southeast. Measurements of both average net distance traveled per day showed the male moved a statistically significant greater distance than the female. The larger home ranges may be primarily the result of relatively low prey populations in the mountainous terrain of eastern Tennessee as compared to upper coastal plains areas where most of the previous research on southeastern bobcats has been carried out.