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Patrick Soniera has been hunting and tracking bobcats in Vermont for fifty years, and he has a diary entry about every single hunt–the weather, the birds or the bears, the behavior of the cat tracks he followed–his diaries fill one whole wall of his office. And for the majority of those days out in the woods, Patrick never even saw a bobcat. You almost never see them, which is why Patrick is so fascinated by these cats.
Last year Patrick went out tracking cats with his hounds a hundred and fifty times and he shot one bobcat. He says it isn’t about the killing. And that’s what all good hunters say. And when you ask, ‘Well then why not just take a camera?’, the answer is always the same.
‘Because I’m a hunter.’
After years of interviewing good hunters, I’m beginning to understand the tautological logic of this. Part of Patrick’s love for bobcats is the fact of the hunt. And part of why he’s able to share years’ worth of knowledge with Vermont Fish and Wildlife is because now and then he kills one.
Thank you to Louis Porter of Vermont Fish and Wildlife for recommending Patrick to me. I love the state where I live…
This show is sponsored by Honey Road, my all time favorite restaurant in Vermont. Make a reservation. Go. Eat. Report back. And click on the image below for more information.
Hi Erica,
Very interesting episode. As a guy who spent 40 years making a living in the Vermont woods and hunts a great deal, I consider myself very lucky to have seen a couple bobcats. They are such elusive creatures. As I’ve aged, the passion I have for hunting has stayed strong, yet the need to kill my quarry has waned. With my 9 year old grandson growing up next door, I feel the urge to teach him the ways of forest and the creatures that we share it with so he can appreciate what we have around us if we know how to look.
Great interview.
Be well and do good deeds,
Bill
Erica,
I enjoyed your piece about my brother Pat, “Bobcat Bunter.” As a retired member of the Washington Press Corps your story telling is most excellent! I am so happy you present an interesting piece with no slants or opinions! Wonderfull piece about Vermont and a part of Vermont that is going away, sadly, like so many other ways of life. Again, a great story.
Bob Soneira
Erica,
I enjoyed your piece on Patrick and his passion for Bobcats. I’ve known the Soniera family a long time – met Pats older brother Bill in college. We spent a lot of time together in the woods and fields. Thank you for bringing back memories of growing up in Vermont
Robin Barrows