preview

Bobcat Population Research Paper

Good Essays

Hunting and Trapping Bobcats in New Hampshire

In 2010 the University of New Hampshire did a study and estimated about 1400 bobcats in the state of New Hampshire. Since 2007 the population has been growing by approximately ten percent each year (NH Fish and Game). As they breed the population will continue to increase and this could cause problems. This could increase diseases and property damage. In order to control New Hampshire’s bobcat population fifty hunting and trapping permits should be issued. Bobcat hunting and trapping was first restricted in 1989 when the bobcat population went down. The decline was blamed on overharvesting, but it was actually because of the weather patterns. The 1970s was a snowy decade …show more content…

The population is still increasing. The reason for the increase is that they put a ban on all the hunting and trapping seasons. Another reason for the bobcat population increasing is because there are more turkeys and bobcats eat them. In 1990 it was estimated that there were 2500 turkeys and in 2015 Fish and Game officers estimated 40,000 turkeys in N.H.( Walski). Bobcats have been found in the rocky and rugged areas of southwestern New Hampshire. Now the bobcats are all spread over the state. In 2010, a researcher from Cornell University published a report estimating the bobcat population in the Northeast range at approximately 1.5 million and approximately 3.5 million in all the U.S.(Walker). These numbers show that there are a lot of bobcats in the U.S. and bobcats usually have between 1-7 …show more content…

They can find out the age of the animal, take tissue samples to find out if they have diseases and they can find out how big they are to make predictions about winter. Hunters are asked where they hunt, so the Fish and Game can see what the hunters are seeing. They can find out if the hunters are violating the

Get Access