Bobcat caught on Conway trail camera. Are they common in Horry County?

A bobcat was spotted on a Conway man’s trail camera Sunday evening.

Kevin Leeman, who lives in the Hillsborough neighborhood, posted the video to the social media app Nextdoor warning his neighbors to watch their pets. In the video, it appears the bobcat is running to the woods with dinner in its mouth.

Commenters on the video wondered if the bobcat snagged someone’s pet cat, or if it could possibly be a baby black bear. Leeman speculated it was an Indian Runner duck, as he and his wife see a trio of them every spring.

“We kind of nicknamed them the three amigos,” he said. “We have not seen them since that night.”

According to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources’ website, bobcats commonly prey on cotton rats, mice, cottontail rabbits and squirrels, while occasionally eating poultry.

Leeman has also recently spotted black bears, foxes and coyotes since putting the camera up in January.

Are bobcats common in Horry County?

Bobcats are found throughout South Carolina, and are most abundant in the state’s Coastal Plain, according to SCDNR’s website.

They are classified as furbearers, and can be hunted during the open season with a valid hunting license.