State Considers Lifting Ban On Hunting Bobcats

California could reinstate a hunting season on bobcats six years after lawmakers made it illegal.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife is asking for public comment on a proposed conservation and management plan that would allow a resumption of bobcat hunting and trapping to be considered.

Bobcats, with distinctive sideburn-like ruffs of fur on their heads, are generally two to three times the size of a domestic housecat. Their tails are "bobbed" and much shorter than the tail of the far larger mountain lion.

Since the hunting ban, California's bobcat population has held steady over the last five years at more than 62,000 animals, CDFW said.

The draft plan cites vehicle strikes and disease -- specifically the skin disease known as mange -- as leading causes of death for bobcats.

"Only the California Fish and Game Commission can reinstate a hunting season on bobcats," the CDFW said. "The management plan is intended to provide relevant and current scientific information and potential management scenarios to inform that process."

Written comments on the draft plan can be emailed through Nov. 1 to wildlifemgt@wildlife.ca.gov with "California Bobcat Conservation and Management Plan" in the subject line.

They may also be mailed to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Wildlife Branch, Attn: Rachel Roberts, P.O. Box 944209, Sacramento, CA 94244-2090.

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