Bobcat hunting legal in Illinois?

Someone dumped a fairly large bobcat this morning on a road running through my farm. Had a deer slug placed from an upward angle (probably deer stand) going down through the lungs and heart. No blood on the ground and the fur was totally dry on top and wet on the bottom from laying on the rain soaked ground so it was probably dumped this morning after being in someones possession overnight. Have tried 3 times unsuccessfully to contact DNR today.
 
I live in Southern Il. I64. Bobcats are fairly common here. Just saw one last week in the road. My son has a few pictures of them on a trail camera.
 
from the Illinois DNR regulations:
"Wild mammals and parts thereof, including
their green hides, are protected throughout
the year and include: grey/timber wolves,
bobcat, flying squirrel, red squirrel, white
squirrel, eastern woodrat, golden mouse, rice
rat, bats, mountain lion and black bear."
 
Grew up in JoDaviess county, top west of state. Local plumber hit one with his truck about 1965, had it made into a rug in his basement.
 
Probably more common here in Southern Illinois due to the forest and hills. Last year rumor was 2014-15 bobcat hunting was going to be open in the I-64 corridor south but the limit was to be one cat and they had to be tagged . . . .
 
DNR likely would be interested if you can reach them. They like to positively id the animal and record the location of a confirmed sighting. It helps them understand the range of the species and population whereabouts. One would think you would not be in any kind of trouble for reporting what you found. (No witnesses if it is a hunting violation, so no proof connecting you to anything)
Your local FSA office can reach DNR if you can't.
 
I would agree with the guys saying shusssh. By trying to report it they may ticket you. One of my customers who killed a deer with his car was almost cited by the cops because while he waited for them to show a couple guys in a truck stopped, offered help and then took the dead deer. The state trooper was ------ at the poor sap who hit the thing. Another guy had the trash collectors turn him in when they saw a deer hide in his trash, it was road killed and he only got off by showing the cop that there was no bullet holes in that hide.
Moral of the story is don't involve the cops if you don't need to.
 
They are common in Mo., have been for about 15 years. Legal to shoot during furbearer season, which I think started Nov. 15th here.


I have a full body mount hanging on the wall that I am looking at as I type.


A legally killed cat needs to be checked with the Conservation Dept, and a tag attached.

They are covered under some International treaty that regulates the posession and sale of spotted cats.

If it isn't too badly torn up it might still be worth something as fur.

Gene
 
I've been told it is illegal to shoot bobcats in Illinois.
Now for wild hogs there is no season so it's open season for them all year long.
 
(quoted from post at 21:17:37 11/24/14) Someone dumped a fairly large bobcat this morning on a road running through my farm. Had a deer slug placed from an upward angle (probably deer stand) going down through the lungs and heart. No blood on the ground and the fur was totally dry on top and wet on the bottom from laying on the rain soaked ground so it was probably dumped this morning after being in someones possession overnight. Have tried 3 times unsuccessfully to contact DNR today.

What would they charge them with? Littering or maybe improper disposal of a carcass? Bobcats and feral cats are predators of quail and turkeys. I would say good riddance.
 
From what I've seen hunters will shoot anything that moves. Doesn't matter if it's legal or in season. My uncle shot a man out of a tree one time because all he could see was the guys hands and thought it was a squirrel, and yes the guy was in a tree in Illinois.
 
What would they charge WHO with?

Nobody knows who dumped the carcass, and DNR isn't going to launch an epic TV crime drama investigation to find out "whodunit."

At best they will take the cat and file a report. At worst they will try to accuse Prawn Farmer of poaching.

Shovel, and shut up at this point. IMHO.
 
Legal or illegal, it's one less preditor killing deer and small game that could be on your table feeding your family instead. If the warden who eventually shows up has half a brain he'll be able to tell the thing wasn't killed right there. Your choice. If it was me, I'd just toss him in a brush pile and let the coyotes, crows and buzzards have him.
 
I'm not too much of a "look the other way" type person. Enough of that in this state as it is.
Besides, my interest is more in the biology data the DNR may want. If not, the buzzards can have the cat.
 
LOL !!!!

They will now have to get vests and place on all of them. At tax payer expense of course.
 
Well lets see. It's on your place and reported by you. Looks like YOU are now the prime suspect !

I agree with wanting to doing the right thing but these days no good deed seems to go unpunished. So I'd probably S,S,S. Kind of too late for the last S since it is plastered all over the internet. You didn't do the first S either but I'd sure do the middle S.
 
Donald:
Have way too many deer and probably why there are more cougar and bobcat sightings. DNR has issued me as many as 20 August nuisance permits (non-antlered ) when we have soybeans. I allow hunting but seems like when it comes to deer season everyone is wanting a trophy and forget about table fare. What compounds the problem is some guys take does, process it themselves and don't tag. DNR bases permits on the tags of each individual county called in from the previous year. I'd rather see predators weed out the weak deer rather than have to bury the mangy things in the summer that die from wasting/blue tongue disease because of their over-population.
 

If a cat needs killing and Game & Fish says 'No' then go with SSS ([b:dce52a2040]S[/b:dce52a2040]hoot, [b:dce52a2040]S[/b:dce52a2040]hovel, [b:dce52a2040]S[/b:dce52a2040]hut up)
 
In my state it is legal to take bobcat during a certain phase of the fur harvester season. You of coarse have to have a fur harvesters permit, and a special tag for bobcat. Your suppose to have a tag before trapping one. Sometimes a cat gets trapped here by a fur harvester without a cat tag. The game warden is a pretty good guy and will ussually come out and make sure that you are not specifically trying to trap cats, and will tag it for you. How well do you know the game warden?? And is he a good guy?? Some law enforcement guys are happy to nail the messenger if they can't nail anyone else. So its your call.
 

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