Influence of Season and Human-Induced Mortality on Spatial Organization of Bobcats (Felis rufus) in Maine

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Abstract
Movement patterns of 30 radio-equipped bobcats in two areas in Maine were studied in relation to reproductive seasons and trapping/hunting removals from 1979 to 1984. Resident male and female bobcats occupied stable home ranges (X̄ = 95.7 and 31.2 km2, respectively), with substantial seasonal variation in the percentage of total home range occupied. Resident males and females occupied the largest portion of their total home ranges during the gestation season (X̄ = 59%) and the smallest portion during the nursing season (X̄ = 18%). This variation may have been a response to seasonal availability of prey. The average overlap between successive seasonal ranges was 71%, indicating strong site fidelity by resident bobcats. Transient bobcats moved extensively through areas 2. Annual survival rates of bobcats ≥1 year old varied by bobcat sex, age, and study area. Trapper- and hunter-caused mortality accounted for 55% of the total annual mortality of bobcats ≥1 year old (33%). Transients quickly settled into ranges after the removal of a resident bobcat, resulting in a stable spatial organization.

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