Bobcat hunters and trappers have a week left to apply for permits for the upcoming season.
The Department of Natural Resources has set season for Nov. 10 through Feb. 18, according to a press release. A lottery will determine the hunters and trappers who receive the 1,000 permits to be given out. Up to 350 bobcats can be harvested this season.
To apply for a permit by Sept. 30, go to https://www.il.wildlifelicense.com/start.php.
House Bill 3399, which was signed into law on Sept. 22, has changed the counties where bobcat trapping and hunting are illegal. The list includes Boone, Bureau, Champaign, Cook, DeKalb, DeWitt, DuPage, Ford, Grundy, Henry, Iroquois, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Knox, Lake, LaSalle, Lee, Livingston, Logan, Marshall, McHenry, McLean, Ogle, Peoria, Piatt, Putnam, Stark, Stephenson, Vermilion, Will, Winnebago and Woodford counties.
No trapping or hunting is allowed in Edgar and Douglas counties north of U.S. Route 36 and north of U.S. Route 36 to the junction with state Route 121, as well as in Macon County north or east of state Route 121.
Last season, when bobcat harvesting restarted in Illinois, hunters and trappers collected 141 bobcats from the 500 permits issued.
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