A bobcat and her two kittens paid a daytime visit to Dale and Tana Brand’s rural Sully residence on Sunday, Sept. 4. The Brands, who live approximately four miles west of Sully, were in awe when they caught such a close and clear look at the surprise guests roaming around their front deck and the dense landscaping around their home. Dale quickly grabbed his cell phone and over the span of the bobcats’ 19-minute visit, he snapped several pictures from the elevated and safe vantage point of the couple’s main floor. Based on comparison of the Brands’ front deck boards, Dale estimates the size of the mother bobcat to be 26-28” long.
Dale Brand took a few photos from the safety of his house on Sept. 5 when a bobcat and her two kittens roamed the Rural Sully couple's deck and landscaping. The Brands had the privilege to view all kinds of wildlife on their property, but they say he never experienced anything like Sunday's daytime bobcat and kittens sighting.
The last time the Brands saw a bobcat on their property was a very brief sighting approximately 12 years ago. Several trail and security cameras dot the Brand property, but the couple has never caught a daytime sighting like this before.
Sunday’s pictures taken of the bobcat and her kittens rank as the most unique, according to Dale, and he will add them to a significant collection of wildlife pictures he has taken from his home nestled in the oak savanna.
The experience of seeing the bobcat family on their front deck was “too amazing not to share,” said Dale. The Brands encourage readers to enjoy the pictures and allow the bobcat family to live freely in the area.
Bobcat sightings are on the rise since the early 1990s after being nearly wiped out in the 1800s due to unregulated trapping and shooting. Vince Evelsizer, a furbearer and wetlands biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, has the following tips should you ever encounter a bobcat: 1. Keep your distance, especially if you have small children or small pets with you. 2. The cats are notoriously shy and skittish, but this does not mean they won’t attack if they feel threatened. 3. If you’re not at a safe distance, back away slowly and deliberately, make loud noises or do both. 4. If you are at a safe distance, enjoy the rare sighting. If you are concerned about the bobcat being too near a pet, holler or make noise to scare it off.
