Playing Hide-and-Seek with the Elusive Bobcat
A Bobcat Management Plan Update
 Bobcats might be shy and secretive, but they can’t outrun technology. Employing infrared cameras along with scent lures and hair snares, wildlife biologist Suzie Prange is on the research trail of this forest-dwelling feline.
Prange recently compiled data from survey sites in eastern and southeastern Ohio that reveals bobcats are not only living in the state, but that their population numbers appear to be on the rise.
It was a different story in the mid-1800s. The bobcat had all but disappeared from the Ohio landscape as large tracts of land were cleared for settlement and agriculture. The first modern-day record of a bobcat was of one adult male in 1946. In contrast, there were 214 unverified bobcat sightings and 65 verified sightings in 2008.
It’s believed that the increased sightings of this state endangered species directly correlates with a maturing forest habitat that’s interspersed with openings of early successional growth.
As the focus continues on managing for this type of forest habitat, Prange is hopeful that the number of bobcats prowling Ohio’s woodlands will continue to grow – only time and more research will tell.
Best Places for Ohio Bobcats
 Forested areas in the following counties:
• Monroe
• Muskingum
• Noble
• Vinton
• Washington
2009 Update
This endangered species occurs in the forests of eastern Ohio. The Division of Wildlife received reports of 214 unverified bobcat sightings in 2008 compared to 173 in 2007. In 2008, 65 reports were verified (i.e., road-killed, incidentally trapped, photographed, etc.), an increase from the 51 verified reports of 2007. Because of the large amount of unoccupied, suitable forested habitat available in eastern Ohio, bobcat sightings are expected to continue to increase in future years as the population increases in abundance and distribution.
Survey details and historical data can be found in the Forest Wildlife Overview section of the 2008-2009 Wildlife Population Status and Hunting Forecast.
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