The 2024-2025 Illinois bobcat season concluded Feb. 15 with 649 bobcats harvested by hunters and trappers.
A total of 415 (61.6%) of bobcats were taken by hunting, while trapping accounted for 234 (34.7%) of the harvest. Twenty-five (3.7%) were salvaged by permit holders from circumstances such as roadkill.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) issued 2,000 bobcat permits in the 2024-2025 bobcat lottery out of 9,200 applicants.
Hunters and trappers in Fulton County reported 26 bobcats, which was the most for any county this year. Pike County was second with 25 bobcats reported.
The success rate for hunters and trappers was 32.5% which is slightly higher than the average of 32% since the first season in 2016 but lower than the 2023 success rate of 37%. The bobcat harvest from the 2023-2024 season was 370, with 19 salvaged.
Research from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale indicated the Illinois bobcat population could support an increased annual harvest without causing the population to decline.
IDNR continues to monitor the status of bobcats and will evaluate the program as new data become available from ongoing research. Go online for more information about bobcat hunting and trapping in Illinois.
| Bobcat season summary 2016-2024 | ||||||
| Year | Permits Issued | Hunting | Trapping | Total Harvest | Salvage | Permits Filled |
| 2016 | 500 | 81 | 49 | 130 | 11 | 141 |
| 2017 | 1,000 | 159 | 159 | 318 | 40 | 358 |
| 2018 | 1,000 | 177 | 129 | 306 | 37 | 343 |
| 2019 | 1,000 | 151 | 155 | 306 | 29 | 335 |
| 2020 | 1,000 | 196 | 143 | 339 | 22 | 361 |
| 2021 | 1,000 | 174 | 116 | 290 | 23 | 313 |
| 2022 | 1,000 | 198 | 169 | 367 | 16 | 383 |
| 2023 | 1,000 | 214 | 156 | 370 | 19 | 389 |
| 2024 | 2,000 | 415 | 234 | 649 | 25 | 674 |
***Courtesy of The Illinois Department of Natural Resources***
