Controversial bobcat trapping season in Indiana one step closer to becoming reality

Controversial bobcat trapping season in Indiana one step closer to becoming reality

Hoosier trappers are a step closer to adding bobcats to their potential targets after the the final public hearing last week on the controversial plan approved by state lawmakers.

The Natural Resources Committee closed the public comment period following Thursday’s hearing on the plan and will work to finalize the rules for the state’s first trapping season in more than 50 years at an upcoming meeting.

State legislators passed a bill last year requiring the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to establish bobcat trapping rules by July. Once established, the new rules would allow Hoosiers to trap bobcat in 40 southern counties and set an individual bag limit of one cat per trapper and a statewide season quota of 250 bobcats total.

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Bobcats, once nearly gone from the state, have been recovering since being placed on Indiana’s endangered species list in 1969. The state removed them from that list in 2005 after reported roadkill and other mortalities increased in the early 2000s.

If the state approves the new rules, the first trapping season will begin in the fall.

Managing Indiana’s bobcats

Nick Erny, a board member of the Indiana State Trappers Association, said the proposed rules are a good starting point for DNR to establish a baseline for the species.

“If the season comes and the quota is filled in 10 days, obviously the quota needs to go up,” Erny said. “But if it’s February before the quota is filled, maybe we’re exactly where we need to be — or if the quota is never filled maybe we ought to take it back.”

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Some critics have expressed concern about trapping bobcats, which were nearly brought to extinction in Indiana due to overharvesting before the state gave them protections.

“I don’t think anyone wants to see that happen again,” Erny said. “That’s true on either side of the argument, but we need to have some population control otherwise things will get out of balance.”

The southern portion of Indiana has a healthy population of bobcats, Erny said, and opening a trapping season would also more money into the state economy.

This map from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources shows reported bobcat sightings across Indiana through spring of 2020.

This map from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources shows reported bobcat sightings across Indiana through spring of 2020.

Recent poll shows Hoosiers oppose trapping rule

Prior to the final public hearing on the trapping plans, a survey conducted by the Remington Research Group polled 706 Hoosiers about their thoughts on the upcoming bobcat trapping season.

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The survey found 71% of people oppose recreational bobcat trapping in Indiana and 66% thought providing recreation opportunities for trappers is not a sufficient reason to allow bobcat trapping.

Groups opposed to the trapping rule are asking DNR to establish a season as directed by lawmakers, but setting the statewide quota at zero, essentially closing the season.

Samantha Chapman, Indiana state director for the  Humane Society of The Unites States, said in a news release that the bobcat trapping rule favors only a small number of Hoosiers.

“The Department of Natural Resources has a responsibility to protect wildlife for all Hoosiers, and it is deeply troubling that our bobcats are being sacrificed for the benefit of approximately 4,000 trappers — less than .1% of the state population — who seek to trap, kill, and profit from a species that is still recovering,” Chapman wrote.

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Remington’s survey found 53% of people were supportive of a zero-quota trapping season. The results from the poll reflect Republican, Democratic and Independent Hoosiers and the majority of each political segment was opposed to bobcat trapping in Indiana.

Chapman previously told IndyStar there is not enough data to establish a season.

“We’ve said from the very beginning that we just don’t know how many bobcats are in the state,” Chapman said. “It’s really important to have that information before determining a quota.”

Anticipated timeline for bobcat trapping

The NRC will review all of the comments it received from the two public hearings and those submitted online. Those comments, and the NRC’s final rules, will be provided at an upcoming public meeting, which has not yet been announced.

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The upcoming meeting will be advertised on the NRC website, with an agenda so Hoosiers can find more information there when it’s available.

Once the final rules are adopted by the NRC, they will head to the attorney general and governor for review, who both have about a month to approve or deny the rule.

Once approved by the governor, the rule will become effective 30 days after it is formally published.

Karl Schneider is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach him at karl.schneider@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @karlstartswithk or BlueSky @karlstartswithk.bsky.social

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IndyStar’s environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana bobcat trapping plan moves ahead, season could open in fall

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