July 15--Hunting and killing bobcats will once again be legal in Illinois after Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner on Tuesday signed into law a bill that allows hunters to kill one bobcat per hunting season.
The new law, which the governor's office said takes effect Jan. 1, opens up bobcat hunting for the first time in 40 years. The short-tailed feline, about twice the size of a domestic cat, had been on the state's threatened species list but was removed in 1999 as its population grew.
Bobcats are nocturnal, reclusive animals with few predators in the state. They use their keen sight and hearing to hunt rabbits, squirrels, small rodents and some birds.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources estimates the bobcat population has grown to 5,000 statewide, and officials say there have been credible bobcat sightings in the vast majority of Illinois' 102 counties.
Supporters of the bill argued that bobcats are now numerous, particularly downstate, and are a danger to people and pets.
But the effort to allow bobcat hunting has been controversial. Former Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn vetoed a similar measure before leaving office in January, saying bobcats are a "valuable part of Illinois' ecosystem" that should be protected. Rauner has touted his love of fishing and hunting and sport shooting.
The proposal sparked one of the more heated debates on the House floor when lawmakers took it up for a vote in the spring session. Chicago Democrats in particular argued against the bill, saying it could endanger the bobcat population.
kgeiger@tribpub.com
