Illinois Bobcat Season Concludes With 370 Harvested

Mar 13, 2024 9:02 AM Mar 13, 2024 9:03 AM

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SPRINGFIELD – The 2023-2024 Illinois bobcat season concluded Feb. 15 with 370 bobcats harvested by hunters and trappers.

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A total of 214 (55%) of bobcats were taken by hunting, while trapping accounted for 156 (40%) of the harvest. 19 (5%) were salvaged by permit holders from circumstances such as roadkill.

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Hunters and trappers in Jo Daviess County reported 19 bobcats – the most for any county this year. There were 7,000 bobcat lottery applicants in 2023 and 1,000 permits issued for the season.

The bobcat harvest from the 2022-2023 season was 367, with 16 salvaged.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources continues to monitor the status of bobcats and will evaluate the program as new data becomes available from ongoing research. Go online for more information about bobcat hunting and trapping in Illinois.

Bobcat Season Summary 2016-2023

Year	Hunting	Trapping	Total Harvest	Salvage	Permits Filed
2016	88	49	130	11	141
2017	159	159	318	40	358
2018	177	129	306	37	343
2019	151	155	306	29	335
2020	196	143	339	22	361
2021	174	116	290	23	313
2022	198	169	367	16	383
2023	214	156	370	19	389