Bobcat hunting hearing set

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department has scheduled a public hearing on proposed rules for a bobcat hunting season.

The hearing will take place Monday, February 1 at 6 p.m. at Representatives Hall in the New Hampshire Statehouse in Concord.

The department proposes a lottery system for 50 bobcat hunting permits.

According to their website, "Following a multi-year collaborative bobcat research study carried about by Fish and Game with the University of New Hampshire ... [t]he Department concluded that the population could sustain modest harvest while still accommodating slow growth." 

Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont also allow bobcat hunting.

Opponents of bobcat hunting dispute the conclusion that the bobcat population is large enough, especially given last year's harsh winter. 

Other opponents note that bobcat trappers can accidentally catch Canada lynxes, a federally protected species. The proposed bobcat rules would allow a trapping season.

When the LFDA asked our Facebook community about bobcat hunting last October, the vast majority opposed a hunting season. Read a summary of the discussion here.