Wisconsin Teen Attacked By A Bobcat While On A Turkey Hunt
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Terrifying Moment Young Turkey Hunter Comes Face to Face with a Bobcat

Turkey hunter Carson Bender was looking for some turkeys. But he found more than he bargained for. The young hunter came face to face with a bobcat while hunting on April 17.

Speaking with Outdoor Life, Bender says he was calling turkeys to his location to shoot. He had his back to a tree. But he ended up attracting a bobcat instead. The hunter was prepared to shoot several turkeys when he heard the bobcat behind him. Instinct took over. Rather than turning to look behind him, he used his phone to look behind the tree.

That's when he saw the bobcat lurking behind him.

"He was more perturbed than I was when he jumped on me and I shook him off," Bender tells Outdoor Life. "It was about a 25-pound cat, and it scratched me through my camo shirt a couple times."

Bobcat in the Woods

Fortunately, Bender remained calm. The bobcat ended up leaving the area. Bender went back to turkey hunting. But the entire event rattled him so much that his game was off.

"I've shot other big turkeys, so I wasn't too shaken by trying to take that gobbler," says Bender. "The strutting tom I missed was only 30 yards away. But thinking about that bobcat didn't help my aim."

Likewise, the young turkey hunter had to go to the doctor. He got his bobcat scratches looked at and needed antibiotics.

"The scratches are ok now, no problem," Bender says. "But you never know about infection, especially from a wild animal like a bobcat."

After the incident, he was able to go hunting again without incident.

"I was hunting the same pasture area and shot a 22-pound gobbler with a double beard using my same 20-gauge and number 5 shot," he said. "That bird was standing at 25 yards, a little closer than the one I missed after calling in the bobcat."