(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 |
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