Bobcat sighted in Chester

EDITOR'S NOTE: To see video of the bobcat and the coyote pups, see the Herald Tribune's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/randolphcountyheraldtribune.

It's a jungle out there, at least in Cathy Sauer's yard.

<span>The Chester resident, who lives at 430 Riverview Blvd., has had a front row seat to nature's creatures thanks to a trail camera set up in her yard.</span>

<span>Deer, raccoons and even the occasional fox are a common find via the camera's footage, but lately, coyotes and a bobcat have been visiting the yard.</span>

<span>"It's a zoo," Sauer said. "(Friday), we were sitting out on the side porch and this is the first time we haven't heard commotion in the woods."</span>

<span>The Sauer residence is bordered on three sides by thick woods on property that sits on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River.</span>

<span>"That's the first boy I've seen in awhile," Sauer said, referring to the bobcat. "Evidently, they're not too afraid here. We live at the end of Riverview on the bluffs and apparently, they like to den there."</span>

<span>Chester Police Chief Ryan Coffey said bobcats aren't that rare anymore, but added he hasn't gotten many reports of sightings.</span>

<span>"I have a theory that it's being forced into that location due to the high water, but that's just my guess," he said. "I wouldn't call (bobcats in Chester) common, but not entirely surprising. For them to have (bobcats) in their yard, it's kind of scary."</span>

<span>Sauer also told the Herald Tribune about a group of six coyote pups who visit the yard with their mother. The mother divides the pups up into three groups and they spar with each other while she watches.</span>

<span>"You have no idea this is going on, unless you have a camera," Sauer said.</span>

<span>A time stamp on the video of the coyotes showed 5:16 a.m. Wednesday.</span>

<span>"The male coyote limps and has half a tail," Sauer said. "I don't know if he got hit by a car or a train. I would think if he was in a trap, he'd have chewed his leg off.</span>

<span>"The female is really thin right now."</span>

<span>The Sauer family does have a pet cat, Max, that they put inside at night.</span>

<span>"We put Max in at night, because there's always so much wildlife going on," Sauer said.</span>

<span>A new law, signed by Gov. Bruce Rauner on July 14 and set to take place Jan. 1, will make it legal to hunt bobcats for the first time in 40 years, with a limit of one per hunting season.</span>

<span>Once on the state's threatened species list, bobcats were removed in 1999 as their population grew. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources estimates the bobcat population has grown to roughly 5,000 statewide.</span>