Illinois bobcat season finishes with 649 harvested

(WAND) - The 2024-2025 Illinois bobcat season finished Feb. 15 with 649 bobcats harvested by hunters and trappers.

A total of 415 (61.6%) of bobcats were taken by hunting, while trapping accounted for 234 (34.7%) of the harvest. 25 (3.7%) were salvaged by permit holders from circumstances such as roadkill.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources issued 2,000 bobcat permits in the 2024-2025 bobcat lottery out of 9,200 applicants.

Hunters and trappers in Fulton County reported 26 bobcats, which was the most for any county this year. Pike County was second with 25 bobcats reported.

The success rate for hunters and trappers was 32.5%.

Research from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale indicated the Illinois bobcat population could support an increased annual harvest without causing the population to decline.

Bobcat season summary 2016-2024
Year	Permits Issued	Hunting	Trapping	Total Harvest	Salvage	Permits Filled
2016	500	81	49	130	11	141
2017	1,000	159	159	318	40	358
2018	1,000	177	129	306	37	343
2019	1,000	151	155	306	29	335
2020	1,000	196	143	339	22	361
2021	1,000	174	116	290	23	313
2022	1,000	198	169	367	16	383
2023	1,000	214	156	370	19	389
2024	2,000	415	234	649	25	674