Indiana’s Controversial Bobcat Trapping Season Moves Forward Despite Public Outcry

The Indiana Natural Resources Commission has taken a step towards opening the state’s first regulated bobcat trapping season by adopting an initial rule proposal with a quota of 250 bobcats. This comes despite widespread public opposition and concerns from conservationists over the lack of scientific data to Support the plan. The trapping season is expected to begin by July 2025, as mandated by legislation passed earlier this year.

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has proposed allowing various methods for trapping bobcats, including cage traps, steel-jawed leghold traps, and cable wire snares. These traps can capture the animals until trappers arrive to kill them, while neck snares are designed to fatally strangle bobcats. Many are alarmed by the use of these inhumane methods, which further fuel public dissent.

This isn’t the first time Indiana has faced backlash over bobcat hunting. In 2018, a similar proposal was rejected due to overwhelming public opposition. However, recent legislation signed by Governor Eric Holcomb forces the DNR to implement a bobcat trapping season, leaving the specific details up to the Commission. Under the current proposal, the season will be limited to 40 counties in southern Indiana, with a one-bobcat-per-trapper limit and an overall statewide quota of 250. The DNR has indicated that bobcats and their parts could be sold legally, and those found dead on the road can be salvaged for personal use under the state’s roadkill permit system, without counting toward the quota.

Critics have pointed to a lack of updated population data to justify the new season. While the DNR now claims that research suggests the bobcat population in these counties can sustain a regulated harvest, much of the data presented is from before 2020. This raises concerns, especially since in 2019, the DNR stated it did not have sufficient data to Support a sustainable bobcat hunting season.

Samantha Chapman, Indiana state director for the Humane Society of the United States, expressed deep disappointment at the decision:

“We are deeply disappointed by the Natural Resources Commission’s decision to initially approve a proposal that would allow so many of Indiana’s bobcats to be cruelly trapped and killed. While the Commission was given no choice on proposing such an unpopular season, we urge them to recognize Hoosier’s overwhelming opposition to this inhumane and scientifically unjustifiable treatment of Indiana’s only remaining native wildcat, whose population is still recovering. As the legislation’s sponsor has noted numerous times, the DNR and the Commission have the discretion to set a quota of zero bobcats, which we believe is the only responsible course of action.”

As this proposal moves forward, Hoosiers are encouraged to participate in public hearings and provide comments online. The future of Indiana’s bobcat population rests heavily on the decisions made in the coming months.

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