Bobcat on a cold resort roof

COEUR d'ALENE — As a security officer at The Coeur d'Alene Resort, Ryan Tyler is used to reports of unusual sightings.

Sunday morning's call ranks near the top of them.

"There's a bobcat out on the roof," a guest told him.

Tyler immediately went to check it out. While some reports don't turn out quite as advertised, this one did.

A smallish bobcat, maybe 15 pounds, was on a second-floor rooftop area.

It was pacing on a ledge near windows, glancing around.

"He was right there," Tyler said. "It was pretty interesting to find a bobcat out there."

While bobcats keep out of sight, this young one had somehow wandered from North Idaho's wilderness to Coeur d'Alene's downtown waterfront and ended up front and center at a world-class resort.

Tyler said the bobcat appeared healthy.

"He mostly just acted confused. He just wanted to get out of there," he said.

Tyler said his first response was to make sure guests were safe and that no one could wander close to the juvenile cat because they can, if feeling threatened, become aggressive.

He secured the area and called for help.

One piece of advice was to cordon off the bobcat, leave it alone and let it find its way home.

But Tyler feared there was a risk it could end up coming close to people on either side of the waterfront resort, as it had few exit options, and someone could get hurt.

"That particular area is mostly waterlocked," he said. "And who knows how long it could take to leave the area."

Coeur d'Alene Police Officer Jason Wiedebush heard the service call. As someone familiar with wildlife, he contacted Resort security with a key question: "Is it really a bobcat?"

They sent a picture. It showed a short and stout creature, with a bobbed trail, black hair on pointed ears, big paws a mix of gray and tan with black spots.

"It's a bobcat," Wiedebush said.

He said they tend to be skittish, but feel comfortable in confined areas.

With a catchpole brought to The Resort by city animal control, and after some short pursuits, Wiedebush and Tyler corralled the cat near the igloos outside Whispers lounge without much trouble and got it into a canine crate about 10 a.m.

It wasn't aggressive, but was defensive and didn't care for being caught and caged.

"It wasn't too pleased," Tyler said.

From there, Wiedebush drove it several miles away to the wilderness and released it. It was reluctant to leave the cage, but after some encouragement, the animal darted away.

He said as a police officer he has responded to calls about bears, lions and moose. This was a first for a bobcat, but not a surprise.

"We live in North Idaho," Wiedebush said.

TJ Ross, Idaho Department of Fish and Game regional communications manager, Panhandle Region, said there are a surprising number of bobcats in North Idaho, but sightings are few.

He said bobcats are small and generally not aggressive, unless they feel cornered.

"They want to stay away from humans," he said.

According to Fish and Game's website, the last verified bobcat sighting in Kootenai County was Nov. 11, 2020.

It was walking around a yard in Coeur d’Alene until the property owner's dogs scared it up a tree, according to the report.

Asked if the bobcat could have been a pet that got loose, Ross said that was "highly unlikely."

Tyler praised police.

"They really went above and beyond," he said.

He said he came to North Idaho for the outdoors and wildlife, so he appreciated the bobcat encounter and how it turned out.

"That's why I moved here, " he said.