Bobcats make comeback in Illinois

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Once they mature, most bobcats in Illinois stay in the same area their entire lives, a fact that usually is lost on a majority of the state's human population.

"People spend their entire lives outdoors and never see one, so they're surprised we even have bobcats here," said Alan Woolf. "Hearing that we've trapped bobcats near their homes and along busy roads kind of shocks them."

Overall, the bobcat population seems to be doing quite well.

"Southern Illinois, west-central Illinois and northwest Illinois have the best habitat and contain the biggest concentrations," said Woolf, who is director of the Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. "In those areas, the cats are not only common, they seem to be abundant."

Bobcats have been protected in Illinois since 1971. They were removed from the state's threatened list in 1999, but remain a protected species.

A six-year study conducted by the Wildlife Research Laboratory documented sightings of bobcats in 99 of the 102 Illinois counties, and researchers have estimated a population of more than 2,000 in Southern Illinois alone. The new publication, "The Bobcat in Illinois," which contains the results of the study, includes chapters on food habits, habitat characteristics and population ecology.

"It breaks all those areas down, but in summary, the bobcat is doing very well in Illinois," Woolf said.

Based on trap numbers

The study was based on more than 5,000 trap nights, which resulted in 99 bobcats being caught 145 times from 1995 through 1999. Radio collars were placed on 76 bobcats and 5,000 locations were traced with them.

Some of the facts discovered by the researchers include:

The survival rate of bobcats in the state is 80 percent, and most deaths are caused by vehicles.

Adult male bobcats average 25 pounds, while females average about 15 pounds.

The largest bobcat captured during the study was a 32-pound male.

Females can create dens in a variety of areas, from barns to hollow logs, and generally have from two to four kittens.

Most juvenile males disperse from their birthplaces; they frequently travel more than 50 miles to establish new ranges.

Male bobcats may travel more than eight miles a day during normal activities.

Males and females range over areas of 33 and 10 miles, respectively, and most adults remain in the same area for their entire lives.

The study's finding that bobcats are doing well seems to be confirmed by information collected by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, which surveys archery deer hunters each year.

Last fall, 1,366 volunteers logged nearly 84,000 hours of wildlife observations as they hunted for deer. They reported seeing an average of 1.57 bobcats per 1,000 hours.

That number is up substantially from the 0.53 bobcats spotted per 1,000 hours in 1992.

"One thing that we are learning about bobcats in Illinois is that they are in good physical condition and are at little risk for disease," Woolf said. "Most of them meet their death by automobile."