Furbearer
Hunting Bobcat in Illinois, 2026-27 Dates and Limits
Season lines, limits and licenses for bobcat, checked November 13, 2026.
Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District (CC BY 2.0)
Illinois bobcat: the short version
The window for bobcat stretches from Nov 10, 2026 to Feb 15, 2027, split into 2 rows by weapon, zone or segment. On limits, IDNR says one per permit.
Bobcat is a one-per-permit species with a one-time lottery in September, a registration within 48 hours of the take, and a closed zone whose edge is Interstate 39/Route 51 on the west side and US Route 36 on the southside. You can look at 137 site pages here that list bobcat, out of 137 such sites in the IDNR records.
From 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Illinois bobcat dates, row by row
Dates as printed by IDNR for bobcat, with the status checked against today.
| Season | Where | Permit | Dates | Limit | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunting (guns and bows) | Statewide except bobcat closed zone | License |
| One by permit only | |
| Trapping | Statewide except bobcat closed zone | Trapping |
| One by permit only |
From 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Bobcat closed zone, permit lottery and registration
It is prohibited to take a bobcat in an area bounded by Interstate 39/Route 51 on the west side and US Route 36 on the southside.
Bobcat one-time lottery September 1-30, 2026; $5 non-refundable application fee.
Closed during the first and second firearm deer seasons in counties open to firearm deer hunting. Bobcat Hunting and Trapping Permit required before attempting to take one; limit one per permit; Bobcat Registration Permit within 48 hours; closed zone applies.
From Digest bobcat pages and IDNR permit information (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Bobcat: limits, weapons and methods
| Species | Bag |
|---|---|
| bobcat | One by permit only |
For bobcat, the data lists these means: hunting or trapping with a Bobcat Hunting and Trapping Permit; registration permit within 48 hours.
From Digest season tables and Digest equipment pages (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
What bobcat hunters buy and what it costs
| Product | Resident or not | Base price | With vendor fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resident Hunting | Resident | $12.00 | $12.50 |
| Nonresident Hunting | Nonresident | $57.00 | $57.75 |
| State Habitat Stamp | Either | $5.00 | $5.50 |
| Resident Trapping | Resident | $10.50 | $10.50 |
| Nonresident trapping license | Nonresident | $175.50 | $175.50 |
The fee-table column includes the vendor fee, the Digest column does not, and the license year runs March 1 to March 31 of the next year.
From Digest license pages (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Legal points for bobcat in Illinois
| Topic | What it says |
|---|---|
| Sale of wildlife | May not buy, sell or offer to sell or barter game birds, migratory game birds or parts (including feathers, nests, eggs and wild turkey parts) or the edible parts of game mammals except under specific permits. |
| Interference and drones | May not interfere with or disturb another person lawfully taking wildlife with intent to prevent the taking, and may not use a drone in a way that interferes with another person's lawful taking. |
| Wanton waste | Must make a reasonable effort to retrieve and include killed or crippled limited species in the bag; may not wantonly waste the usable meat (breast of a bird; hind ham and front shoulders of a mammal) or dump carcasses on a right-of-way or property without permission. |
Only a few topics are shown; the hunting laws page has the rest, and site rules can go beyond the Digest.
From Digest general rules and Digest hunter orange page (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Land options for bobcat
137 public sites list bobcat, led by 44 state fish and wildlife areas, 29 state parks and 15 state natural areas, and the biggest ones with pages are in the table.
| Public site | Kind | Where | Size in acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crab Orchard | Wildlife refuge | Williamson and Union | 44,415 |
| Jim Edgar Panther Creek | Fish and wildlife area | Cass | 16,400 |
| Cache River | Natural area | Johnson and Pulaski | 15,425 |
| Kaskaskia River | Fish and wildlife area | St. Clair and Randolph | 14,000 |
| Horseshoe Lake | Fish and wildlife area | Alexander | 11,690 |
| Mississippi River Pool 24 | Fish and wildlife area | Pike and Calhoun | 10,211 |
| Carlyle Lake | Fish and wildlife area | Fayette and Clinton | 9,868 |
| Mississippi River Pool 21 | Fish and wildlife area | Adams | 8,536 |
Acres are fact-sheet figures, and each site page lists the permits, check-in rules and seasons that apply to bobcat there.
From IDNR site records (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
When bobcat may be hunted by the clock
The legal hours rule for bobcat reads Raccoon, opossum, red fox, bobcat: open 24 hours, beginning 1/2 hour before sunrise on opening day and closing 1/2 hour after sunset on closing day, except during archery deer season, when hours are 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset.
From Digest hours rules (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Bobcat gear picks
No listing appears until you choose one.
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Thermal-insulated bibs
Illinois hunters pack the thermal-insulated bibs for this kind of trip.
Sunset over the Mississippi River at Buffalo, Iowa, across from Rock Island CountyPhoto: David Brossard (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Sunset over the Mississippi River with the St. Louis skyline, the Gateway Arch and the Eads BridgePhoto: Bryan Werner (CC BY 2.0)
Morning light reflecting on the Ohio River at Paducah, across from Massac CountyPhoto: jjmusgrove (CC BY 2.0)
Bobcat, answered
Which days is bobcat open in Illinois?
The Digest lists hunting (guns and bows) statewide except the bobcat closed zone: November 10, 2026 to February 15, 2027; trapping statewide except the bobcat closed zone: November 10, 2026 to February 15, 2027.
What does IDNR allow for the bobcat bag?
IDNR lists One per permit.
What license do I need to hunt bobcat in Illinois?
Plan on a trapping license ($10.50 resident, Digest-listed or fee-table price) or, for hunting, a hunting license and the State Habitat Stamp.
What does Illinois allow for taking bobcat?
According to the data, hunting or trapping with a Bobcat Hunting and Trapping Permit; registration permit within 48 hours.
Who must take trapper education?
A trapping license is required, $10.50 for residents, and new trappers born on or after January 1, 1998 need trapper education.
How do I find out where bobcat may be trapped on public sites?
Public trapping is by site permit at many areas, and the furbearer and trapping page explains the statewide framework.
Does Illinois allow bobcat hunting on Sundays?
Sunday hunting is not addressed in the sources used for this page; check with IDNR before relying on any answer.
Do first-time bobcat hunters need a course?
A certificate of competency is required for anyone born January 1, 1980 or later, unless they can show a previous hunting license. Beginners may instead buy an apprentice license and hunt beside a licensed adult aged 21 or more.
Where do IDNR sites allow bobcat?
Public options exist, 137 of them, and 137 are written up on the public land pages with their own rules.
Other photos on this page: David Brossard (CC BY-SA 2.0); Bryan Werner (CC BY 2.0); jjmusgrove (CC BY 2.0).