Few things demonstrate the savage beauty of nature quite like footage of a predator succeeding in a hunt. A trail camera caught a prize-winning clip with a breathtaking feat of athleticism by a bobcat.
The video was the worthy winner of the 2025 Trail Wildlife Camera Video Contest held by Trailcampro.com. A turkey tries to take flight to escape a bobcat but is pulled from the sky at a height that seemed impossible. The bobcat leaps so high that its body leaves the frame of the camera before returning to ground in a crescendo of feathers. The struggle continues off-screen, but we can safely assume it did not go too well for the turkey.
The footage was taken in Oregon, where both wild turkey and bobcats are fairly common; turkeys were introduced to the state in 1961 as game for hunters. A turkey is a surprisingly fast bird despite its considerable heft. They can fly up to 55 miles per hour in short bursts and can outrun most humans on the ground, which makes the bobcat's success all the more impressive.
Bobcats are about twice the size of a domestic housecat and are found throughout North America. They generally prefer wooded areas but can thrive in a variety of habitats. A bobcat hunts with stealth, and as the video showed, when they get close enough, there's no escape. They hunt with great frequency; a lion only hunts every two to three days, but a bobcat consumes 1-2 pounds of flesh daily. This helps regulate prey populations, and they benefit people indirectly by eating those typical disease vectors by the dozen, per Mongabay.
The footage underscores the immense value of trail cameras in conservation research and work. A camera trap makes it possible to capture a trove of valuable information about a species, whether to confirm its presence or to learn more about it. With insights from the cameras, it's possible to form more effective local measures to protect wildlife.
The competition-winning footage garnered several comments from impressed viewers. "Bro hit a double jump," said one. "Those feathers weren't on too tight," quipped another. "The kings should sign him. We need some defense," a basketball fan from Sacramento, California, added.
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