SALT LAKE CITY – Officials with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources are proposing some changes to the rules regarding bobcats during the upcoming hunting and trapping season.
Wildlife biologists track bobcat populations by noting how many young bobcats are taken each year, how many females are taken, how long a trap is in place before it catches a bobcat and the survival rate of the adult bobcat population.
Mark Hadley of the Division of Wildlife Resources spoke about the most recent findings.
"Bobcat populations are doing really well in the state of Utah,” he said.
Last season the number of bobcats that could be taken was 4,600, and individual hunters could only take three of the animals. This year officials are recommending against an overall cap and want to allow individual hunters to have up to six permits.
Hadley said these measures will increase the number of bobcats taken, but not by as much as some might think.
"There's only X number of people here within the state of Utah that know how to trap and hunt bobcat well enough to have a very high chance of success,” Hadley said.
State officials are taking comment on the issue before a final decision is made. Click here for more information about the changes and for information about submitting your comments.
