After a six-year hiatus, California may allow the return of bobcat hunting.
Legislators passed a 2019 bill that took effect the following year, making it illegal to hunt or trap a bobcat until the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) produced a first-ever bobcat conservation and management plan.
CDFW unveiled a draft of such a plan on Oct. 1, 2026. It reiterates that a bobcat hunting season may not be reinstated unless the California Fish and Game Commission takes additional action but lays out a framework for how that could occur.
"If the commission considers a hunting season in one or more areas, CDFW can develop or review draft proposals for the regulatory or statutory changes necessary to implement the hunt," according to the plan."CDFW can also estimate sustainable levels of anthropogenic mortality for specific populations based on the best available scientific data and methods used by other agencies and researchers."
The plan estimates a population of 62,000 bobcats.
“What we’ve learned is that these charismatic wild felines are incredibly adaptable and can live in just about any part of the state,” said Rachel Roberts, CDFW senior environmental scientist and statewide bobcat coordinator. “They can live in almost any type of terrestrial habitat. They’re strictly carnivores but will eat almost any kind of meat. And while the statewide population seems stable, various factors can cause local growth and decline.”
Vehicle strikes and mange, a skin disease caused by parasites, are the leading causes of death for bobcats.
CDFW is accepting written comments on the draft plan through Nov. 1, 2026, which can be e-mailed to wildlifemgt@wildlife.ca.gov or mailed to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Wildlife Branch, Attn: Rachel Roberts, P.O. Box 944209, Sacramento, CA 94244-2090.
About Hunt 2 Conserve
Hunt 2 Conserve is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Its mission is to advance a legacy of hunting and conservation by educating, activating and developing stewards and defenders of these fundamentally American ideals. For more information, go to hunt2conserve.org.
(Photo credit: California Department of Fish and Wildlife)
