Published on March 12, 2026 3:00 pm
Last Updated on March 12, 2026 3:00 pm
The 2025-2026 Illinois bobcat season concluded Feb. 15 with 627 bobcats harvested by hunters and trappers.
A total of 405 (62%) bobcats were taken by hunting, while trapping accounted for 222 (34%) of the harvest. Twenty-seven (4%) were salvaged by permit holders from circumstances such as roadkill. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) issued 2,000 permits for the 2025 season out of 9,700 bobcat lottery applicants.
Hunters and trappers in Jefferson County reported 33 bobcats, which was the most for any county this year. Macoupin County was second with 28 bobcats reported.
IDNR continues to monitor the status of bobcats and will evaluate the program as new data become available from ongoing research. For more information about bobcat hunting and trapping, visit huntillinois.org/bobcat.
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Illinois Bobcat Season Summary 2016-2025 |
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| Year | Hunting | Trapping | Total Harvest | Salvage | Permits Filled |
| 2016 | 81 | 49 | 130 | 11 | 141 |
| 2017 | 159 | 159 | 318 | 40 | 358 |
| 2018 | 177 | 129 | 306 | 37 | 343 |
| 2019 | 151 | 155 | 306 | 29 | 335 |
| 2020 | 196 | 143 | 339 | 22 | 361 |
| 2021 | 174 | 116 | 290 | 23 | 313 |
| 2022 | 198 | 169 | 367 | 16 | 383 |
| 2023 | 214 | 156 | 370 | 19 | 389 |
| 2024 | 415 | 234 | 649 | 25 | 674 |
| 2025 | 405 | 222 | 627 | 27 | 654 |