The hunting season for bobcats in Michigan will be nine days longer than it used to be, according to a memorandum from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources issued last month.
Populations “have remained stable, despite several expansions of opportunity (for hunting) over the past decade, suggesting a robust and resilient population,” according to the memorandum.
The DNR’s new policy expands trapping season dates to include two full weekends and extends the available area into Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.
The wilderness regrowth has enticed the wild cats to travel south which suggests their population will disperse throughout the state.
“We have seen an increase in people reporting sightings of bobcats in the Lower Peninsula,” DNR Furbearer Specialist Adam Bump said to the Michigan Bridge.
In an email, Bump said that the new policy has met a mixed response.
“A few articles (were) written that generated some reaction from groups typically opposed to the hunting and trapping of game species,” Bump said. “Hunting and trapping organizations are supportive of the change.”
The DNR hopes longer seasons will expand the ranges of bobcat hunters so killings will be less concentrated.
The agency wants “to provide additional recreational opportunities without negatively impacting populations,” the memorandum said.
