{"id":20707,"date":"2023-01-13T09:00:44","date_gmt":"2023-01-13T13:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/?p=20707"},"modified":"2023-01-12T15:59:18","modified_gmt":"2023-01-12T19:59:18","slug":"bobcat-basics-indianas-only-native-wild-cat-wild-bulletin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/bobcat-basics-indianas-only-native-wild-cat-wild-bulletin\/","title":{"rendered":"Bobcat basics: Indiana\u2019s Only Native Wild Cat – Wild Bulletin"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wild Bulletin<\/u><\/em><\/a>, IN DNR Fish and Wildlife: Bobcats, the only resident native wild cat in Indiana, are common in southern and parts of central Indiana, and increasing in northern Indiana. They are rarely seen because of their ability to blend into their surroundings and move silently.<\/p>\n

Bobcats have been reported from almost every Indiana county but are most common in southern and west-central Indiana. A study conducted by the DNR in south-central Indiana revealed that bobcats are capable of dispersing up to 100 miles from where they were born. The DNR collects reports of bobcat sightings, trail-camera photos, and mortalities. Bobcat reports are also collected through the annual\u00a0Archer\u2019s Index<\/a>, in which volunteer deer bow hunters report the number of hours they hunted and the species they saw while hunting.\u00a0Snapshot Indiana<\/a>, a citizen-science trail-camera survey, also helps document bobcat presence in some areas.\"Image<\/a><\/p>\n

Bobcats prefer forested areas that have brushy areas, fields, or clear cuts that are beginning to regrow mixed in. Female bobcat home ranges may vary from 6\u201312 square miles, and male bobcat home ranges may vary from 30\u201375 square miles. Bobcats are primarily nocturnal, hunting and moving during early-morning and late-evening hours; however, seeing a bobcat during the day is not cause for concern.<\/p>\n

To identify and learn more about Bobcat, please visit the Bobcat basics: Indiana\u2019s Only Native Wild Cat<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Subscribe to Wild Bulletin<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Resources
\n<\/strong>A Template for Your Wildlife Habitat Management Plan<\/a>, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
\nManaging Your Woods for White-Tailed Deer<\/a>, The Education Store
\nWoodland Stewardship for Landowners<\/a>, Playlist, Purdue Extension \u2013 Forestry and Natural Resources YouTube channel
\nA Woodland Management Moment<\/a>, Purdue Extension \u2013 FNR playlist
\nWildlife Habitat Hint<\/a>, Purdue Extension \u2013 FNR playlist
\nAsk an Expert: Wildlife Food Plots<\/a>, Video, Purdue Extension \u2013 Forestry and Natural Resources YouTube channel<\/p>\n

Indiana Department of Natural Resources<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wild Bulletin, IN DNR Fish and Wildlife: Bobcats, the only resident native wild cat in Indiana, are common in southern and parts of central Indiana, and increasing in northern Indiana. They are rarely seen because of their ability to blend into their surroundings and move silently. Bobcats have been reported from almost every Indiana county […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,54],"tags":[1697,451,619,72],"class_list":["post-20707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-howto","category-wildlife","tag-bobcat","tag-idnr","tag-indiana-department-of-natural-resources","tag-wildlife","audience-for-enthusiasts","audience-for-homeowners","audience-for-landowners","audience-for-professionals"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-21 19:01:29","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20707"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20707\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20716,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20707\/revisions\/20716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}