Numbers from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources shows hunters in Illinois harvested 649 bobcats during the 2024-2025 bobcat season which recently came to an end. The numbers were for the period from November 10th through February 15th. The numbers were about 32 percent higher than the average of 32 percent since the first season in 2016, but was lower than the 2023 success rate of 37 percent.
The IDNR issued 2000 bobcat permits in the 2024-2025 bobcat lottery out of 9200 applicants. According to the IDNR and research from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, they said the Illinois bobcat population could see a decrease without causing the overall population to decline. The IDNR also said they would continue to monitor and evaluate the bobcat program.
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