Pike County tops state in bobcat harvest
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By DAVID CAMPHOUSE
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Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Certified Trapping Instructor Mike Vose traps bobcats near Perry. Recently released data from IDNR showed that Pike County leads the state in the number of bobcats harvested during this year’s bobcat season, which concluded Feb. 15. Vose said that the trapping of bobcats helps keep the local ecosystem in balance, preserving numbers of species that the bobcat preys on, including turkeys.
The 2022-2023 Illinois bobcat season concluded Feb. 15 with 367 bobcats harvested by hunters and trappers.
A total of 198 (52 percent) of bobcats were taken by hunting, while trapping accounted for 169 (44 percent) of the harvest. Sixteen (4 percent) were salvaged by permit holders from circumstances such as roadkill.
Hunters and trappers in Pike County reported 24 bobcats, which was the most for any county this year.
Perry’s Mike Vose, who is an Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Certified Trapping Instructor, said that the increasing bobcat population negatively affects the populations of other species of wildlife.
“I’m hoping, in the future, the state will increase the limits on bobcats,” Vose said. “For the most part, the purpose of trapping bobcats is about population control. Without any human controls the populations can get out of control. The turkey population is dropping because of the rise in the bobcat population.”
Vose reported that 20 of the 24 bobcats harvested in Pike County were caught by trappers.
Fellow Pike County hunter/trapper Kory McAllister reported that he does not believe the season on bobcats has hurt bobcat population numbers. McAllister said that he and each of his sons bagged a bobcat during this year’s bobcat season.
There were 6,200 bobcat lottery applicants in 2022, and 1,000 permits were issued for the season.
The bobcat harvest from the 2021-2022 season was 290, with 23 salvaged.
The IDNR appreciates the support of hunters, trappers and IDNR staff who collected data for the bobcat research project at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. The IDNR continues to monitor the status of bobcats and will evaluate the program as new data become available from ongoing research.
Vose went on to say that other fur-bearing species cause significant economic damage in the region – including raccoons.
“It’s not just bobcats causing damage,” Vose said. “It’s about population control. It got so bad that the Brown County Farm Bureau offered a $2.00 bounty on racoons because they were creating so much damage in the fields. It’s definitely a serious issue.”
Vose stressed that the intent of hunters and trappers is on maintaining balance between predator and prey in the local ecosystem.
“Most of the general population doesn’t understand,” Vose said. “Fur-bearing animals produce more young than the environment can handle.”
Vose said that hunting and trapping can prevent imbalances between species, and he said that the intent of responsible hunters and trappers is to maintain healthy ecosystems.
“It’s called conservation, not preservation,” Vose said.
