Authority: IC 14-10-2-4; IC 14-22-2-6

Affected: IC 14-22

Sec. 18.1. (a) An individual may take a bobcat (Lynx rufus)

1. beginning November 8 and ending:
2. (1) January 31 of the following calendar year; or
3. (2) the date on which the statewide quota under subsection (g) is reached;

whichever is earlier.

(b) Except as provided under IC 14-22-11-1, an individual may not trap a bobcat unless the individual possesses at least one (1) of the following licenses:

1. (1) A resident license to take a bobcat under IC 14-22-12-1(a)(36).
2. (2) A nonresident youth license to take a bobcat under IC 14-22-12-1(a)(37).
3. (3) A resident youth consolidated license to hunt and trap under IC 14-22-12-1(a)(24) or IC 14-22-11-10(b).
4. (4) A nonresident license to take a bobcat under IC 14-22-12-1(a)(38).
5. (5) A lifetime basic trapping license under IC 14-22-12-7(a)(6) before its repeal.

(c) An individual may not take more than one (1) bobcat in a bobcat trapping season.

(d) An individual who captures a bobcat alive and does not include it in the bag limit for the individual under subsection (c) shall release the bobcat into the wild in the location where the bobcat is captured immediately after discovering the bobcat.

(e) An individual may trap a bobcat in the following counties:

1. (1) Bartholomew County.
2. (2) Brown County.
3. (3) Clark County.
4. (4) Clay County.
5. (5) Crawford County.
6. (6) Daviess County.
7. (7) Dearborn County.
8. (8) Dubois County.
9. (9) Floyd County.
10. (10) Franklin County.
11. (11) Gibson County.
12. (12) Greene County.
13. (13) Harrison County.
14. (14) Jackson County.
15. (15) Jefferson County.
16. (16) Jennings County.
17. (17) Johnson County.
18. (18) Knox County.
19. (19) Lawrence County.
20. (20) Martin County.
21. (21) Monroe County.
22. (22) Morgan County.
23. (23) Ohio County.
24. (24) Orange County.
25. (25) Owen County.
26. (26) Parke County.
27. (27) Perry County.
28. (28) Pike County.
29. (29) Posey County.
30. (30) Putnam County.
31. (31) Ripley County.
32. (32) Scott County.
33. (33) Spencer County.
34. (34) Sullivan County.
35. (35) Switzerland County.
36. (36) Vanderburgh County.
37. (37) Vermillion County.
38. (38) Vigo County.
39. (39) Warrick County.
40. (40) Washington County.

(f) An individual may trap a bobcat with a:

1. (1) cage trap;
2. (2) foothold trap permitted under section 18 of this rule; or
3. (3) snare permitted under section 18 of this rule with a relaxing snare lock.

(g) The statewide quota for the bobcat trapping season is two hundred and fifty (250) bobcats. The department shall track the statewide quota for trapping bobcats on the website of the department.

(h) An individual who takes a bobcat shall:

1. (1) report the taking; or
2. (2) ensure the taking is reported;

by registering the bobcat with the electronic harvest reporting system of the department not later than twenty-four (24) hours after taking the bobcat. An individual reporting a take under this subsection shall provide true and accurate information to the department. An individual shall keep the confirmation number provided by the electronic harvest reporting system of the department with the bobcat until the individual checks in the bobcat with a designated department employee or at an official bobcat checking station under subsection (i).

(i) An individual who takes a bobcat during the bobcat trapping season shall possess the bobcat and deliver the skinned hide of the bobcat to a designated department employee or official bobcat checking station not later than fifteen (15) days after the calendar month in which the bobcat is harvested. A department employee shall issue a tag to the individual.

(j) A bobcat, including the hide and any other part of the bobcat, taken during the bobcat trapping season may not be:

1. (1) sold;
2. (2) traded;
3. (3) bartered;
4. (4) gifted;
5. (5) transferred to a taxidermist or any other person; or
6. (6) shipped;

until the bobcat is registered with the electronic harvest system for the department and issued a tag by a department employee under subsection (i).

(k) After registering a bobcat and obtaining a tag from the department under this section, an individual who takes a bobcat may:

1. (1) sell;
2. (2) trade;
3. (3) barter;
4. (4) ship; or
5. (5) otherwise transfer;

the hide of the bobcat under this section and federal law.

(l) An individual may possess an untanned bobcat hide if the bobcat hide is lawfully obtained.

(m) An individual may not trap a bobcat:

1. (1) after the individual bag limit under subsection (c) is reached;
2. (2) after the statewide quota for the bobcat trapping season is reached;
3. (3) after the bobcat trapping season ends; or
4. (4) in a county not listed under subsection (e).

This subsection does not apply to an individual who takes a bobcat under a scientific purposes license under 312 IAC 9-10-6, or a nuisance wild animal control permit under 312 IAC 9-10-11.

(n) An individual who takes a bobcat with a trap that captures and immediately kills the bobcat:

1. (1) during the bobcat trapping season after the individual bag limit under subsection (c) is reached;
2. (2) after the statewide quota is reached;
3. (3) in a county where the bobcat trapping season is not open;
4. (4) outside the bobcat trapping season; or
5. (5) without a license to take a bobcat under IC 14-22-12-1 or is exempt from the licensure requirement under IC 14-22-11-1;

shall notify the department not later than twenty-four (24) hours after taking the bobcat. The individual shall arrange to deliver the bobcat to the department.

(o) A person may not possess a live bobcat except as follows:

1. (1) With a wild animal rehabilitation permit under 312 IAC 9-10-9.
2. (2) With a scientific purposes license under 312 IAC 9-10-6.
3. (3) With a nuisance wild animal control permit under 312 IAC 9-10-11.
4. (4) With a wild animal possession permit under 312 IAC 9-11.
5. (5) By a registered or licensed person under IC 14-22-26-1.

(p) An individual may not sell a live bobcat unless the individual obtains a game breeder's license under 312 IAC 9-10-4.

(Natural Resources Commission; 312 IAC 9-3-18.1; filed Jun 23, 2006, 2:24 p.m.: 20060719-IR-312050214FRA; readopted filed Nov 24, 2008, 11:08 a.m.: 20081210-IR-312080672RFA; filed Mar 12, 2010, 1:28 p.m.: 20100407-IR-312090479FRA; readopted filed May 20, 2014, 9:43 a.m.: 20140618-IR-312140017RFA; filed Jun 21, 2018, 1:45 p.m.: 20180718-IR-312170436FRA; readopted filed Sep 18, 2019, 1:16 p.m.: 20191016-IR-312190325RFA; filed May 7, 2025, 11:48 a.m.: 20250604-IR-312240383FRA)