Did I hear bobcats?

What type of animal would make this sound?

I was at my property near LaDue having a bonfire and we heard a strange sound that almost sounded like a cat mixed with a person yelling. I am used to the sounds of owls, coyotes, sandhills, etc., but the last time I heard a sound similar to the one I heard it was two bobcats when I was in western North Carolina.
Do we have bobcats here and is there another possibly culprit?

Thanks for your question!

Bobcats are rare in Northeast Ohio, but they are around. The Ohio Division of Wildlife has recorded three confirmed bobcats in Geauga County between 1970 and 2020.

Recently, sharp-eyed witnesses have spotted bobcats in Stark County and Summit County.

Have a listen to this recording of various bobcat sounds and see if it is a good match for what you heard. (Personally, I’ve always thought that bobcats sound like a human trying to imitate a crow!)

My other suspect for the sound you described is a “fox squawk”:

Keep your ears open, and let us know what you find!

-Naturalist Chris Mentrek