Hunters in Illinois had a successful bobcat hunting season, with a total of 370 bobcats harvested. This is the highest number of bobcats harvested since 2016, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
130 mountain lions were hunted in the state in 2016.
In Jo Daviess County, hunters successfully caught the highest number of deer, with a total of 19, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), out of the total 370 animals, 214 were hunted, 156 were trapped, and 19 were salvaged from incidents like roadkill.
The American bobcat, according to the Illinois Bobcat Foundation, is the sole native wild cat species in the state. Although it was once listed as an endangered species in 1972, it was later removed from the list in 1999. Hunting of bobcats in Illinois commenced in 2016.
In DeKalb County, a driver fatally struck a mountain lion on Interstate 88 in 2022.
Mountain lions disappeared from Illinois before the 1870s because of the loss of their natural habitat and excessive hunting. While mountain lion sightings are extremely uncommon in Illinois, there have been confirmed reports of these majestic creatures in recent decades. Typically, these sightings involve younger mountain lions that have migrated from the Black Hills of South Dakota.
According to the Illinois Bobcat Foundation, there are more than 5,000 bobcats currently roaming the state.
