A 19-year-old man named Carson Bender was turkey hunting in Wisconsin when, suddenly, the hunter became the hunted. Bender was sitting in camouflage against a tree, when a bobcat began stalking him from behind. Bender sat completely still, recording the bobcat’s fierce stare down. Eventually, the wild cat pounced on him, leaving him scratched up a bit but not seriously injured. Bender shared his video on social media, and it has reached over 35 million people.
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“Found out I’m good at calling cats and turkeys!” wrote Bender in his Instagram caption. “Missed a bird three minutes later at 35 yards then headed to the docs office. Just a few scratches on the shoulder.”
Watch a bobcat stalk and attack a man who was recording the whole thing (or see it here):
Header stock image by Wendy/Jeff Sparks/Torquemada/Getty Images
I’ve had two such encounters with bobcats hunting turkeys in Florida. The 1rst time the cat came around a large water oak I was sitting against and jumped right over my lap and around to the back of the tree. It happened so fast it was a blur. I turned around to see him crouched staring back just as confused as I was before he disappeared into a palmetto thicket. The second time was truly scary, I was sitting against a split trunk tree in a fresh cut on a rainy morning. I was making a last series of calls before calling it a bust when the cat leapt thru the split, over my shoulder and landing flat in my lap. He never stopped and bolted into the grass before I had a chance to let out a choice word. The speed and stealth is truly amazing.