Hunters and trappers in Indiana are one step closer to being allowed to hunt bobcats in the state. SB 241 directs the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to establish a bobcat season.
It passed the Indiana House on Tuesday and is now headed to Gov. Eric Holcomb’s desk. The bill has already passed the Senate.
Bobcats were taken off the Indiana endangered species list in 2005. Now, the bill’s author, Sen. Scott Baldwin (R-Noblesville), said their numbers could be growing out of control. He said they are devastating squirrel, rabbit, and turkey populations on land he owns in southern Indiana.
READ MORE: Indiana lawmakers ask for bobcat hunting, trapping season once again
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But the Humane Society of the United States questions whether the state has enough data on bobcat numbers to support a sustainable hunting season. The Indiana Natural Resources Commission took up the issue in 2018 and found it was unpopular with many Hoosiers.
Indiana already allows residents to get a permit to kill a bobcat if it’s hurting livestock.
Rebecca is our energy and environment reporter. Contact her at rthiele@iu.edu or follow her on Twitter at @beckythiele.