Predator & Furbearer
Lynx rufus
Photo: SaguaroNPS via Wikimedia Commons (PD) · PD · Source: commons.wikimedia.org
Conservation status
Least ConcernTag difficulty (general)
Varies by stateVaries by state and unit.
Methods generally used
The bobcat is the only native wildcat most American hunters will ever see, and even seeing one is a small event. Fifteen to thirty pounds, tawny to gray-brown with dark spots and a diagnostic short black-tipped tail, the bobcat lives across nearly all of the lower 48 in low densities — a hunter can walk bobcat country for a year and never lay eyes on one. Hunters who pursue them seriously do it with hounds, with calls, or with traps. Hound work is the highest-effort method: a strike dog cuts a fresh track, the pack runs the cat to a tree or rock ledge, and the hunter walks in for the shot. Calling produces lower success than coyote calling but stunning sights when it works. Trapping accounts for the majority of national harvest in trapping states. Bobcats are listed on CITES Appendix II to monitor international trade in wildcat pelts, which means exporting a pelt internationally requires an export tag — handled by state agencies as part of harvest registration, with details that vary by state. Several states also require in-state pelt-tagging regardless of export. The value is in the pelt and the experience.
Across nearly all of the lower 48 states from coast to coast, north into southern Canada, and south through Mexico. Densest in mixed habitat with rugged cover: sage and pinyon-juniper of the West, southwestern desert canyons, southern bottomland hardwoods, southeastern swamp, Appalachian and Ozark hills. Lower densities but present in farmland-forest mosaics.
Mixed habitat with broken cover and prey concentrations: sage and pinyon-juniper, desert canyon, oak-juniper, hardwood swamp, riparian thicket, brushy clearcut regen. Avoids the most open prairie and the most heavily developed urban; tolerates suburb-wildland edges. Den sites in rock crevices, hollow logs, brush piles.
A strike dog or a small pack cuts a fresh track in snow, mud, or wet sand, runs the cat to a tree or a rock ledge, and bays it. The hunter walks in and takes the cat with a rifle or shotgun. Hound work is the highest-effort and lowest-quantity method — a hard winter of cat hunting may produce two or three cats — but it has the deepest culture among western big-cat hunters.
Foothold traps in flat sets or dirt-hole sets along travel corridors. Bobcat trapping is closely regulated in most states because the species is on CITES Appendix II and pelts require tagging. National harvest is dominated by trappers in the western and southern states where trapping seasons are open.
The bobcat is listed on CITES Appendix II, which means an export tag is required for any international export of a bobcat pelt or product. Most states issue the required CITES tag as part of the in-state harvest registration. Some states also require physical pelt-tagging regardless of export. Details vary widely; see your state hunting page for the current procedure.
Mouth or electronic distress calls (rabbit-distress, bird-distress, fawn-distress) in known bobcat travel corridors at dawn, dusk, or after dark where night hunting is allowed. Bobcats respond slowly compared to coyotes and circle the call carefully; setups must be patient and the wind has to be right. A shotgun or a small flat-shooting centerfire is typical.
Legal methods, weapons, and seasons vary by state and unit — confirm with the issuing agency before you hunt.
Daderot via Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · CC0
Rennett Stowe from USA via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-2.0) · CC-BY-2.0
11 states