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California's First Bobcat Plan Is Open for Comment Through November 1
The draft puts the statewide population at more than 62,000 and is the step the law requires before any bobcat season could return.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has released a draft Bobcat Conservation and Management Plan, the first in the state's history, and is taking written comments through November 1. Bobcat hunting and trapping have been illegal in California since 2020 except under limited circumstances such as a depredation permit, and that law requires a plan like this before a season can even be considered.
Five years of study found bobcats throughout the state with a stable population of more than 62,000, similar to the department's estimates from 1977 and 1981. The 133-page draft lists vehicle strikes and disease, especially mange, as the leading known causes of death.
Only the Fish and Game Commission can reinstate a season; the plan is meant to give it current science and possible management options. Comments go to [email protected] with "California Bobcat Conservation and Management Plan" in the subject line, or by mail to CDFW Wildlife Branch, Attn: Rachel Roberts, P.O. Box 944209, Sacramento, CA 94244-2090.
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