The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has ended the state’s first bobcat trapping season ahead of schedule after the season’s harvest limit was reached.
The season began in November and was planned to run through the end of January, but the DNR closed it this past Saturday once the statewide cap of 250 bobcats was met. State wildlife officials say the limit was based on population information gathered across Indiana and was closely tracked through required reporting by trappers.
Anyone who harvested a bobcat was required to report it within 24 hours and later bring in the animal’s pelt for inspection and tagging. That process also included federal wildlife documentation needed before any pelts could be transported or sold across state lines due to the bobcat’s resemblance to the endangered lynx.
DNR officials say they will now evaluate how the first regulated season went and use that information for future wildlife management decisions.
This marked Indiana’s first bobcat trapping season in more than 50 years. The animal had been considered endangered in the state for decades before being removed from that list in 2005.
The season was created through legislation passed in 2024 that required the DNR to establish a regulated bobcat hunting and trapping season by mid-2025. The issue drew significant debate at the Statehouse, with supporters pointing to increased sightings and opponents questioning whether enough population data existed to justify reopening a season.
