Bobcats in Indiana?

[ThrottleJockey]

Exempted from this section are the following species of mammals that are not considered to be exotic mammals: white-tailed deer,
bobcat, red fox, gray fox, and coyote.

I think this means you CAN take them. I have one (or more) that lives in the woods behind my house. Fast SOBs, but if I ever get a bead on it, you bet your azz I'm shooting it. It is a threat to my pets and my small children.

 

[Lawguns]

I agree I think you can shoot them,
Exempted from this section are the following species of mammals that are not considered to be exotic mammals: white-tailed deer,
bobcat, red fox, gray fox, and coyote.

ANd if you are the land owner you can take the others under this provision and some others I did not copy.
(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a), a person may take an exotic mammal only if the exotic mammal is:
(1) taken by a resident landowner or tenant while causing damage to property that is owned or leased by the landowner or
tenant; or

I think killing my deer is damage since I bought the land to hunt on. So if I see a Mountian Lion I think I might need to take it since I was unarmed the last time I saw one (darn those California laws, oh and in a park.)

 

[Chefcook]

I think this means you CAN take them. I have one (or more) that lives in the woods behind my house. Fast SOBs, but if I ever get a bead on it, you bet your azz I'm shooting it. It is a threat to my pets and my small children.

I would doubt very highly that a Bobcat is any threat to your kids or pets. (Unless you have a very small tethered dog or some chickens that are left out unattended over nite.)They are not very big animals, they are more or less nocturnal, and tend to avoid humans at all costs, this is why they are so rarely seen. I have only seen one in the wild and that was in Tn. some years ago. I have always thought they were beautiful animals, I don't believe I would go out of my way to shoot one...

 

[ThrottleJockey]

Considering that a small house cat is capable of killing a small child if provoked, I consider a wild cat 2-5 times the size of a house cat quite a potential threat. ESPECIALLY since there is a possibility of it being rabid, territorially protective of it's young....etc....I see them rather frequently too, like every night that I'm home. My wife hears them nearly every night. On a positive note....perhaps they will keep the rabbits out of my garden?

 

[shibumiseeker]

a friend of mine treed one while coon hunting outside of franklin a few years ago. had a collar on it

My company made the collars for the radio trackers that the DNR was using about 6-7 years ago. Talking with Scott Johnson, non game wildlife biologist for the DNR when we made the collars he told me that he was tracking one male that went halfway across the state before it was killed.

He told me bobcats like the river valleys and denser brush. They tend to stay away from mature forests and like ground that has been recently cut over. They'll be around edge zones (transitions from woods to field) as their prey is more prevalent there. You may see them traveling through mature forest, but they don't tend to live there. I live near the East Fork of the White River in SW Lawrence county and he told me then that he was tracking several of them up and down the river valley. After 20 years of having my place, it wasn't until summer of 2007 that I saw not one but two (probably the same one), one near my driveway on the way in to town, and another about a mile away when we were kayaking on the river a couple weeks later.

 

[RelicHound]

I remember once when I was very young..probably 8-9 my dad and I where turkey hunting near hoosier national forest and we came across a big sand stone rock that was laying on the ground with a big hole up under it,my dad told me to look in there and tell him what I seen..well I seen to small critters so he took a look and said they where bobcat kittens and we let em be and moved on...I cant say for sure what they where as all I seen was a couple fury critters but I have to believe my pops.

 

[ghitch75]

been down here for 15 years....seen 5... 2 with collars ....first year i lived do here...was cookin' on the grill out front and it was dark then i heard a sound like a woman gettin' murdered across the road and alot of leaves and sticks crunchin'....grabbed the spot light and there was 2 that looked as they where fightin'.....closer look not a fight but...cat sex!!!!....guess it was the female screemin'!!!.......there to cool.....would be a nice pet if they wouldn't rip your face off!!!!...LOL

 

[sandman]

My family farms in Parke County. Have always heard rumors and never believed them until I got a pic of one on my trail cam. Since then I have only seen one wild.

 

[ghitch75]

My family farms in Parke County. Have always heard rumors and never believed them until I got a pic of one on my trail cam. Since then I have only seen one wild.

can you post the pic?

 

[Old Syko]

Jack Ryan is correct. Shoot one for verification if you dare. Local fella did just that about 3 years ago and bragged to a CO about it. Lost his equipment, a large amount of money and had to spend time also.

DNR: Bobcat

Bobcats once ranged throughout Indiana before settlement of the Hoosier state. Loss of habitat because of forest clearing and new settlements in remote areas probably caused the drastic population decline. As a result, the bobcat was classified as endangered in 1969, providing full protection for this rare species. A database was created in 1989 to record bobcat sightings. A total of 38 confirmed bobcat sightings have been recorded along with dozens of unconfirmed reports. Some reports are actually feral cat sightings. Without physical evidence, photos or expert confirmation, most reports are viewed with skepticism. Data accumulated to date suggests that bobcats occur at moderate levels in the forested, southcentral portion of the state, and to a lesser extent, in the natural lakes region of northwest Indiana.
In neighboring Ohio and Illinois the bobcat is also considered a rare species. Bobcats are more common in Michigan and Kentucky, where they are a game species trapped for their valuable​

 

[shooter521]

As a result, the bobcat was classified as endangered in 1969, providing full protection for this rare species.

A database was created in 1989 to record bobcat sightings. A total of 38 confirmed bobcat sightings have been recorded along with dozens of unconfirmed reports. Some reports are actually feral cat sightings. Without physical evidence, photos or expert confirmation, most reports are viewed with skepticism. [/LEFT]

As of 2007, the bobcat was listed as "special concern" in Indiana, rather than State Endangered, Federally Endangered, or Federally Threatened.
http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/files/Mammals_of_Indiana_April_2007.pdf

Then there's this report, which shows 40-some confirmed bobcat fatalities in 2008 alone. They are obviously here, probably in much larger numbers than folks believe or are willing to admit.
http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/files/fw-BobcatMortalities2008.pdf

 

[Leadeye]

I usually see them during deer season in Lawrence county. Fun to watch as they move through the brush. Both my wife and I have had them pass directly under our stands so we get a close look.

 

[Jack Ryan]

I wasn't doubting you Jack, I really wanted to read the statute. I didn't think there were ANY big cats in this state, and if there were, I wouldn't think that there'd be enough of them to "protect". My curiosity is piqued now...

I haven't read the IC but it's mentioned in the hunting guide and I've seen them, discussed it with the taxidermist and the game warden.

Shouldn't take much to google it. I'd pile up the links here but I'm limited by dial up.

The Nature Conservancy in Indiana - JWN - Indiana Bobcats

Outdoor Indiana - September/October 2004

 

[Jack Ryan]

Considering that a small house cat is capable of killing a small child if provoked, I consider a wild cat 2-5 times the size of a house cat quite a potential threat. ESPECIALLY since there is a possibility of it being rabid, territorially protective of it's young....etc....I see them rather frequently too, like every night that I'm home. My wife hears them nearly every night. On a positive note....perhaps they will keep the rabbits out of my garden?

You guys panic worse than a pack of wet hens.

 

[Old Syko]

For those of you who haven't seen a bobcat in this state it's probably because they are mostly nocturnal and scared to death of folks. Get out in the real world at night and discover what you're missing. You haven't been so shocked until you've been in the deep woods at 2AM with all lights turned off, straining to hear your hunting dogs in the distance when a big bobcat stowed away in the very tree you're standing under lets out a blood curdling scream. Unless you've actually met bigfoot you've never heard anything like it.

I've seen plenty of them alright, but never had one run between me and my monitor.

 

[den57]

A friend of mine got this on his trail cam in southern Indiana....

 

[bigcraig]

I seen two in the mid 90's when I was deer hunting in the Greencastle area.

They don't like people very much, and if they spot you or "wind" you, they make a hasty exit.

 

[LCPer]

What about Timber Wolves, Mountain Lions (cougars) and Bears?

 

[RelicHound]

What about Timber Wolves, Mountain Lions (cougars) and Bears?

nope,maybe and nope...would love to see a bear in the wild{not in Indiana } I have always wanted to see a big ole grizzly in the wild...at a good distance though

 

[IndianaCPA]

For those of you who haven't seen a bobcat in this state it's probably because they are mostly nocturnal and scared to death of folks. Get out in the real world at night and discover what you're missing. You haven't been so shocked until you've been in the deep woods at 2AM with all lights turned off, straining to hear your hunting dogs in the distance when a big bobcat stowed away in the very tree you're standing under lets out a blood curdling scream. Unless you've actually met bigfoot you've never heard anything like it.

I've seen plenty of them alright, but never had one run between me and my monitor.

Did it scream or meow? I thought a bobcat was more feline than monster...