Illinois Bobcats???
 

I hunt in illinois and I have seen 5 bobcats this year and talked to many other people from illinois who have also seen them. Anyone else in illinois seen any.

RE: Illinois Bobcats???
 

i havent seen any but Illinois Outdoor magazine had an artical about them a couple of months ago. i guess the college in carbondale has been tracking and studying them. they say they are on the come back. i was hunting down south last weekend and my mother in law said they have a lot of bob cats and a couger down there. it is a little town of Tamms between anna and cairo on 127. in fact i drove threw your town last night on my way home. the rut is deffinatly on down there.:D

RE: Illinois Bobcats???
 

i havn' t seen any, but my dad said he had one walk by 2 nights ago. thats the first one he has seen.

and yes the rut is definantly ON!

RE: Illinois Bobcats???
 

Yup, I saw one near the crab orchard NWR last year.

jimmya....cougars? really?



.........nosir...I don' t like it.....

RE: Illinois Bobcats???
 

A friend of mine works for the Illinois Fish and Wildlife Services.
We had this discussion last year. She said they have been tracking cases of cougar sightings in Illinois for several years and had confirmed some on occassion. It takes a certain amount of confirmed sightings for FWS to officially say there are cougars in Illinois to protect so they encourage everyone to report their sightings.

A good article on this subject can be found online at the Champaign News-Gazette, Jan 6, 2003 edition, titled " Guess who is quietly sneaking back into our state?" You can read that article here.

http://www.news-gazette.com/story.cfm?Number=13013

RE: Illinois Bobcats???
 

Had one walk by right on the other side of the Cache River near Ullin with a doe trailing behind about 20 yards; I guess she was following it to keep an eye on it.

RE: Illinois Bobcats???
 

Guys,

I' m a little further south, down here in LA. But I saw one Sat on the stand. Shot him with my bow at 26 yds. I only saw one deer on the stand that day, a spike. Now, I know why. He was about 35 lbs. Only went 50 yds after the shot.

They just made it legal to kill them again this year down here.