The Iowa bobcat season ended Sunday, 15 days after it opened, as hunters hit the quota of 250 set by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. D.N.R. spokesman Willie Suchy, says they try to set a limit that is conservative to allow for a hunting season while maintaining the population. Suchy says they will use information from this season to help manage the population in the future by gathering some animal information.
He says when hunters contact the conservation officer to report, they will sometimes ask the hunter to drop off the carcass so they can collect some biological information to get a better handle on the population. He says they also do some surveys to get information on the populations. Suchy says many hunters go after the bobcats for sport, but others are looking to make money on the fur.
Suchy says most of the hunters or trappers will either sell the skins of have them mounted. Suchy says the price of the skins varies from year-to-year. This is the fourth year for the bobcat season, with hunting available in the southern three tiers of counties and along the western border.
There is a 48-hour grace period once the quota has been reached and hunters who have a bobcat, but have not reported it to the D.N.R. have until Tuesday at 2:30 to report. After the Tuesday (November 23) deadline, they must turn the animals over to the D.N.R.