Prairie State Wire

The 2024-2025 bobcat hunting season in Illinois ended on February 15, with hunters and trappers harvesting a total of 649 bobcats. Of these, 415 were taken through hunting, representing 61.6% of the total harvest. Trapping accounted for 234 bobcats or 34.7%, while an additional 25 bobcats, making up 3.7%, were salvaged by permit holders from situations such as roadkill.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) issued a total of 2,000 permits during the bobcat lottery this season out of approximately 9,200 applicants. Among the counties, Fulton County reported the highest number with 26 bobcats harvested, followed closely by Pike County with a count of 25.

This year's success rate for hunters and trappers stood at 32.5%. While this is slightly above the average success rate since the inception of the season in 2016 at around 32%, it is below last year's rate which was recorded at 37%. The previous season's harvest totaled to only half of this year’s numbers with a figure of just over half at 370 bobcats and included a salvage count of nineteen.

Research conducted by Southern Illinois University at Carbondale has suggested that an increased annual harvest would not negatively impact the overall population size in Illinois. Meanwhile, IDNR continues its efforts to monitor and assess the status and management program for bobcats based on ongoing research findings.

For more detailed information regarding regulations and procedures about hunting and trapping bobcats in Illinois, interested parties are encouraged to visit IDNR's official website.