Originally Posted by
super_hunt54
Well then prepare to be shocked.
With Blago's rape and pillage of the IDNR's funds during his reign of terror the IDNR most certainly didn't have the funds for a relocation program for Bobcats. Quinn didn't help matters much either. But nope there was no relocation/repopulation of the Bobcat in Illinois. They did it all by themselves (well with the help of being on the protected species list) the old fashioned way. You are probably seeing the results of good cover and habitat growth spurring on reproduction. More kitts surviving. I would assume where you are seeing them has a pretty close habitat to the way ours is. Good young tree growth, lots of underbrush, plenty of mice, rabbits, and squirrels to munch on.
I'm not shocked because I don't believe that they all the sudden made a huge comeback all at once across several counties.
The habitat has been the same all along.
There are people with boat loads of money that would love to see predators released in certain parts of IL.
We went from never seeing a single bobcat on the pike and Scott county farms I hunt and the surrounding 1000 acres that buddies hunt EVER to all the sudden all of us seeing full grown adult bobcats running around everywhere(2012 I believe) followed by litters of bobcats the following years.