Bobcats in IndianaBOBCATS IN INDIANA LEARN MORE AT: wildlife.IN.gov/3380.htm PROPOSED LIMITED BOBCAT...
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0 10 20 30 40 50 60 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016* *staff vacancies reduced reporting of roadkilled bobcats 5-year Average Number of Bobcats Killed on Roads BOBCAT TIMELINE IN INDIANA Early to mid-1900s Population declines in the Midwest, including Indiana BOBCAT POPULATIONS Estimating population size for most wildlife is time- consuming, expensive and rarely accurate. Wildlife biologists don’t know the exact population of bobcats in Indiana—just as they don’t know the exact number of white-tailed deer, wild turkey, gray squirrels or most other animals. No one does. Instead of trying to count individual bobcats, DNR biologists use trends from surveys to understand populations. ROADKILL REPORTS Conservation officers and other DNR staff collect road- killed bobcats. This information shows that the number of bobcats in Indiana being killed by vehicles has been increasing since 2000. This suggests bobcat numbers are increasing, and that the species’ range is expanding. BOWHUNTER SURVEYS Bowhunters have reported seeing more bobcats every year since 2000. This suggests the bobcat population is increasing and the species’ range is expanding. The rates of bobcats observed by hunters now resemble the observation rates for striped skunks, which are considered common. CONCLUSION The information we have indicates that bobcats are common in Indiana. There are 47 states, including Indiana, that have a bobcat population. Currently, 40 of those states have harvest seasons. Based on information from those 40 states and the DNR’s expertise in managing other species, the DNR is confident that limited, regulated hunting and trapping of bobcats won’t hurt the growth or spread of bobcats in Indiana. 0 1 2 3 4 5 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 5-year Average Sightings by Bowhunters/1000 Hours Bobcat Striped Skunk Reported Bobcats 1 2 - 10 11 - 20 21 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 90 ALL BOBCAT REPORTS THROUGH JUNE 2017 BOBCATS IN INDIANA BOBCAT FACTS • Average size is about twice that of a house cat. • Color is tannish brown with black spots, but the spots may not be visible. • Tail is short (bobbed) and tipped with black and white. • Black bars are present on the inside of their legs. • They are Indiana’s only remaining native wild cat. • Mostly eat rabbits, squirrels, and small mammals like mice and voles. • Can travel more than 100 miles to find a home, which allows population to expand easily. By Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA (Calero Creek Trail Bobcat) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons DNR biologists use surveys like those shown to see how bobcat populations are changing in Indiana. Another way to think of it is like this: You have two jars of candy. The right jar clearly has more pieces of candy than the one on the left, but you don’t know how many pieces are in either. The DNR’s information shows that bobcats are increasing. This essentially means we’ve gone from the left jar in 2000 to the right jar now. Bobcats are now common in southern Indiana, but we don’t have an exact count. The DNR balances regulated hunting and trapping of bobcats with bobcats that would have died from other causes, such as being killed on the road. The DNR manages bobcats and other wildlife for several reasons, such as photography, wildlife viewing, and regulated hunting and trapping. It’s important to remember no furbearer has ever become endangered or gone extinct from regulated trapping. 1969 Listed on Indiana’s first Endangered Species list 1998 to 2006 Research on species done in south-central Indiana 2005 Removed from Indiana Endangered Species list 2017 Occupy 78 of Indiana’s 92 counties
Transcript of Bobcats in IndianaBOBCATS IN INDIANA LEARN MORE AT: wildlife.IN.gov/3380.htm PROPOSED LIMITED BOBCAT...
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016*
*staff vacancies reduced reporting of roadkilled bobcats
5-year Average Number of Bobcats Killed on Roads
BOBCAT TIMELINE IN INDIANAEarly to mid-1900s Population declines in the
Midwest, including Indiana
BOBCAT POPULATIONSEstimating population size for most wildlife is time-
consuming, expensive and rarely accurate. Wildlife biologists don’t know the exact population of bobcats in Indiana—just as they don’t know the exact number of white-tailed deer, wild turkey, gray squirrels or most other animals. No one does.
Instead of trying to count individual bobcats, DNR biologists use trends from surveys to understand populations.
ROADKILL REPORTSConservation officers and other DNR staff collect road-
killed bobcats. This information shows that the number of bobcats in Indiana being killed by vehicles has been increasing since 2000. This suggests bobcat numbers are increasing, and that the species’ range is expanding.
BOWHUNTER SURVEYS
Bowhunters have reported seeing more bobcats every year since 2000. This suggests the bobcat population is increasing and the species’ range is expanding. The rates of bobcats observed by hunters now resemble the observation rates for striped skunks, which are considered common.
CONCLUSIONThe information we have indicates that
bobcats are common in Indiana. There are 47 states, including Indiana, that have a bobcat population. Currently, 40 of those states have harvest seasons. Based on information from those 40 states and the DNR’s expertise in managing other species, the DNR is confident that limited, regulated hunting and trapping of bobcats won’t hurt the growth or spread of bobcats in Indiana.
0
1
2
3
4
5
1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016
5-year Average Sightings by Bowhunters/1000 HoursBobcat Striped Skunk
All Bobcat Reports through June 2017
Reported Bobcats1
2 - 10
11 - 20
21 - 30
31 - 40
41 - 90
ALL BOBCAT REPORTS THROUGH JUNE 2017
BOBCATSIN INDIANA
BOBCAT FACTS• Average size is about twice that of a house cat.• Color is tannish brown with black spots, but the
spots may not be visible.• Tail is short (bobbed) and tipped with black and white.• Black bars are present on the inside of their legs.• They are Indiana’s only remaining native wild cat.• Mostly eat rabbits, squirrels, and small mammals
like mice and voles.• Can travel more than 100 miles to find a home,
which allows population to expand easily. By Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA (Calero Creek Trail Bobcat) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
DNR biologists use surveys like those shown to see how bobcat populations are changing in Indiana. Another way to think of it is like this: You have two jars of candy.
The right jar clearly has more pieces of candy than the one on the left, but you don’t know how many pieces are in either. The DNR’s information shows that bobcats are increasing. This essentially means we’ve gone from the left jar in 2000 to the right jar now. Bobcats are now common
in southern Indiana, but we don’t have an exact count. The DNR balances regulated hunting and trapping of bobcats with bobcats that would have died from other causes, such as being killed on the road. The DNR manages bobcats and other wildlife for several reasons, such as photography, wildlife viewing, and regulated hunting and trapping. It’s important to remember no furbearer has ever become endangered or gone extinct from regulated trapping.
1969 Listed on Indiana’s first Endangered Species list
1998 to 2006 Research on species done in south-central Indiana
2005 Removed from Indiana Endangered Species list
2017 Occupy 78 of Indiana’s 92 counties
BOBCATSIN INDIANA
LEARN MORE AT: wildlife.IN.gov/3380.htm
PROPOSED LIMITED BOBCAT HARVEST SEASON FAQS:
Q: Aren’t some traps cruel or painful to the bobcat?
A: Traps are more humane, efficient, and selective than ever before. The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, to which the Indiana DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife and all other states’ similar organizations belong, have done humane trap research, called Best Management Practices. Trapping is highly regulated and strictly enforced by Indiana Conservation Officers. In addition, many of the traps used by licensed trappers are the exact same types of traps the DNR staff use to trap and collar bobcats for research. This helps the DNR see where bobcats go and what type of habitat they used but does not injure or maim them.
Q: People don’t eat bobcats, why hunt or trap them?
A: Unlike species like deer and wild turkey, with bobcats and other furbearers, the main purpose of hunting and trapping isn’t for meat but for the fur. Fur is a natural and sustainable product used to make clothing. A few people do eat bobcat meat, but because the DNR requires the carcass to be turned over, few people would have the opportunity to consume bobcat meat. DNR staff collect information on age and reproduction from the bobcat carcasses, which provides a lot of important data to assist with continuing to monitor the bobcat population in Indiana.
Q: Would the season be statewide?
A: No, the season would be limited to counties that support strong, self-sustaining bobcat populations. Those counties have not yet been finalized, but would likely to be limited to southern Indiana.
Q: Are bobcats causing problems?
A: We get very few reports of bobcats being a nuisance or causing damage. The proposal to have a limited season is not because of complaints or conflicts with bobcats. The DNR manages bobcats and other wildlife for several reasons, such as photography, wildlife viewing, and regulated hunting and trapping. A limited, highly regulated season will allow those with interest the opportunity to hunt or trap bobcats. This season will not jeopardize bobcat populations in Indiana. It will be closely regulated to still allow the bobcat population to thrive.
Q: How can we ensure too many bobcats aren’t hunted and trapped?
A: In addition to the limit of one bobcat per licensed hunter or trapper, there would be a season quota that would limit how many total bobcats could be hunted or trapped. Once this quota was reached, the season would close. This is the same system that is used to successfully manage river otter harvest in Indiana.
Q: Why did the original bobcat population decline?
A: Bobcats declined as the result of a large-scale habitat change at the turn of the 20th century. Specifically, these changes were conversion to agriculture by massive forest removal and draining of swamps and wetlands by European settlers. Unregulated hunting and trapping that had no seasons or limits was another factor. This is similar to why we lost many wildlife species in the early 1900s, such as white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, and beaver, all of which are plentiful now and have regulated hunting or trapping seasons now. Bobcats were put on the endangered species list in 1969, which is the year the first state endangered species list was created.
