Sandhill Cranes or Bobcats

[florble mcfumperdink]

So since the new map is confirmed as being based in the Rockies and has 9 species, there is room for a tenth, so I got some ideas.

Bobcats would make for an interesting (non-coyote/fox) small predator on the map. It would bring a bit of new flavor to the NA maps as the fourth predatory cat added to the game, and only the second small one. Its intelligence and stealth would make it a very spicy bow/shotgun/handgun hunt. It would also be an entirely new model because they are enough physically different from lynx that they couldn't use the same model.

Then there's the bird. Sandhill Cranes are medium-sized bird that can stand about 50 inches tall and have a wingspan of over 7 feet. They also breed/nest in winter and through spring and summer between the months of December and August. While their preferred nesting/living areas are marshes and swamps large amounts of them (in fact the largest congregations on their entire migratory path) will stop and breed/nest on and near the Platte River throughout the plains, valleys, foothills, and mountains of Nebraska, Colorado, and Wyoming.

I personally vote for the Crane because it would be the most unique animal, it is also a widely hunted animal during its migration.

Also before someone says Grizzly Bears, Wolves, or Blacktail should be on the map I'm gonna address that. The map is based in Colorado, so Blacktail can't be added because the two existing species are only endemic to Washington State, Oregon, California, and Alaska. Grizzly Bears were in dwindling numbers in CO by 1920 and if I remember correctly the last confirmed living bear in the state was shot and killed in the 1940s or 1950s. Wolves are the same story, they were just wiped out about a decade earlier, although some of the packs descended from those in Yellowstone and other areas in northern Idaho/Wyoming live in and around southern Wyoming and Idaho, possibly occasionally crossing state borders into CO, but currently there are no confirmed established populations, only the occasional dispersal young male or female and/or packs taking shortcuts to hunting grounds in a different state. Also considering the location the likelihood of Whitetail being added is low, since they are almost entirely confined to the plains and lowlands in the Eastern half of the state, and are still usually out-competed and out-survived by Mule Deer, as the state's climate is more aligned to the needs of the larger deer species.

Also as far as Grizzly bears go the incident in the 80s where one was confirmed in the state after it nearly mauled an Elk hunter to death doesn't count because I believe shortly afterwards it was killed because it did that whole "Dropping everything it knows in order to pursue the most dangerous game"(paraphrasing) thing.

Wolves apparently are actually in the state lol, six adult individuals were confirmed spotted in Moffat County back in January, although they still wouldn't be placed well in a hunting reserve because the fines and sentencing for killing one (without purpose that is, if one is attacking you for some reason or if it is a severe threat to livestock you are within your rights to smite it to save yourself or your livelihood) ..... well it's certainly heavy, $100,000 for each animal killed illegally.

[McSqurl Nugget]

I'd rather not see 2 cats in the same map, 3 predators then with bear and mountain lion. Cranes could be fun, they're huge, and one i've not yet had the pleasure to hunt IRL.

[florble mcfumperdink]

Originally posted by McSqurl Nugget:

I'd rather not see 2 cats in the same map, 3 predators then with bear and mountain lion. Cranes could be fun, they're huge, and one i've not yet had the pleasure to hunt IRL.

Yeah bobcats would be better placed in an Eastern US map or Southwest map because that way they could do it along with coyotes and make the rest of the reserve prey animal focused.

Sandhill Cranes are probably the most hunted bird in the state after Turkeys and Ducks/Geese, it's a bit crazy how many are taken each year and how the population is STILL increasing. Also I agrees that the redundant nature of another predator being on the Rockies map would be a bit prying, so cranes were my choice, also because we need a significantly large species of waterfowl now that we have the country's namesake large upland fowl coming to the game.

[Snail Rancher]

Originally posted by florble mcfumperdink:

Originally posted by McSqurl Nugget:

I'd rather not see 2 cats in the same map, 3 predators then with bear and mountain lion. Cranes could be fun, they're huge, and one i've not yet had the pleasure to hunt IRL.

Yeah bobcats would be better placed in an Eastern US map or Southwest map because that way they could do it along with coyotes and make the rest of the reserve prey animal focused.

Sandhill Cranes are probably the most hunted bird in the state after Turkeys and Ducks/Geese, it's a bit crazy how many are taken each year and how the population is STILL increasing. Also I agrees that the redundant nature of another predator being on the Rockies map would be a bit prying, so cranes were my choice, also because we need a significantly large species of waterfowl now that we have the country's namesake large upland fowl coming to the game.

I'd love bobcats, and given that there is a lynx model from Medved, it should be pretty easy to do. Alternately, they could just straight up use the lynx and rename it as Canadian Lynx

I'd rather have the bobcats though -- they are quite common (unlike threatened lynx). My folks have one that regularly visits their backyard looking for squirrels and cottontails. (They live not far from Lone Tree, Colorado, on the south end of Denver, in a typical suburban housing development.)

And yes, cranes!

[florble mcfumperdink]

Originally posted by Snail Rancher:

Originally posted by florble mcfumperdink:

Yeah bobcats would be better placed in an Eastern US map or Southwest map because that way they could do it along with coyotes and make the rest of the reserve prey animal focused.

Sandhill Cranes are probably the most hunted bird in the state after Turkeys and Ducks/Geese, it's a bit crazy how many are taken each year and how the population is STILL increasing. Also I agrees that the redundant nature of another predator being on the Rockies map would be a bit prying, so cranes were my choice, also because we need a significantly large species of waterfowl now that we have the country's namesake large upland fowl coming to the game.

I'd love bobcats, and given that there is a lynx model from Medved, it should be pretty easy to do. Alternately, they could just straight up use the lynx and rename it as Canadian Lynx

I'd rather have the bobcats though -- they are quite common (unlike threatened lynx). My folks have one that regularly visits their backyard looking for squirrels and cottontails. (They live not far from Lone Tree, Colorado, on the south end of Denver, in a typical suburban housing development.)

And yes, cranes!

Speaking of Lynx we do have some here but due to their threatened nature it isn't legal to hunt them as far as I know, the waterfowl & small game brochure from Colorado Parks & Wildlife actually has a chart of how to differentiate between them and bobcats so if waterfowl or upland fowl hunters spot one they can notify fish & game so that they can in-turn notify bobcat hunters that their quarry's endangered protected cousin is present in the area, and to therefore CONFIRM THE TARGET before they shoot.

Also speaking of Bobcats I've seen a few myself while in the mountains. One time it was a mother and her kittens. More specifically I first saw the kittens when they were running into a small short-grass meadow for some reason, which I thought was strange since they are basically always hidden away somewhere when their mother is out hunting. So as it turned out the two little kittens were being chased by a pair of coyotes, so the coyotes either noticed them and the kittens tried to escape or the kittens panicked and ran when they shouldn't have. So of course here I am thinking I'm about to watch two poor little defenseless kittens get eaten alive by the scourge of the Western US and then here comes the mother bobcat at what seemed to be the speed of sound with all of the fury of a fully grown bear and it slams into the coyote that was closest to the kittens. What ensued was probably the fastest series of movements I have ever seen a terrestrial animal pull off and this bobcat completely out-maneuvered and out-fought two coyotes (not a big surprise of course bobcats are known to fight like hell and certainly do have a mean-streak but good lord). After about seven-ish seconds one of the coyotes did the smart thing and ran and then the other one did what could probably be described the most absolutely stupid thing in existence, and it tried to lunge for one of the kittens, at which point the female bobcat's brain switched from chase away to eliminate with extreme prejudice and then mauled the coyote to death, or half way there at least, I know it wasn't moving and lots of its varying important body parts looked to be broken or severely bleeding, but then the female bobcat just took both of her kittens in tow and walked away like it was a calm wednesday afternoon in the park, after completely destroying two coyotes.

Then there's the cranes, I have a similar story about the cranes. So large waterfowl tend to be very aggressive when defending their nests. They also for the most part remain a couple to protect and raise the hatchlings, with lots of species being monogamous, but sandhill cranes are something else. Imagine a bird that's just a tad over four feet tall with all of the fury of an ostrich and the relentlessness of a canada goose, and that is how they act when chasing threats away. It increase by a magnitude of five when physically beating something into dust in order to properly communicate the message of stay the hell away from my children. The one which will always stick in my memory was two sandhill cranes were sitting on their nest up in the mountains (which is unusual because they prefer marshes and riverbeds but carrying on) and once again the scourge of the earth known as the coyote appeared and started antagonizing them. So first the female got up and ran it off several times, and after about the fifth time the male got up first, jumped onto the coyote, and then proceeded to deliver a royal smackdown onto it, the entire time the coyote was yowling in terror because it was being physically assaulted by a 20 pound bird, and this continued for a good minute until the coyote got free and ran off with his tail between his legs practically screeching. Nature is both terrifying and awe-inspiring but sometimes also provides good comedy, at least in my experience.

[EIRIKR]

Bobcats and Prairie Dogs would be perfect

[EIRIKR]

Also I'm probably not hunting the bobcats, but they would be cool for the ambiance. Especially after that bobcat mother story, much respect you cool cats and kittens.