Bobcats may become fair game for Illinois hunters. Legislators this week sent the governor a plan to make it legal to kill the animal.
The once-threatened species has rebounded, to the point that the state's Department of Natural Resources says there are too many.
Since bobcats were removed from the protected list in 1999, Sen. John Sullivan, D-Quincy, says they've gotten out of control.
"I spend a lot of time out in the woods. I hunt,” Sullivan said. “My district is over in western Illinois, which is where the bobcat population has exploded.
“I used to never see a bobcat. Now, it is uncommon to go to the woods and not see bobcats. And not one, or two. But three or four or five or six of 'em."
Sullivan says Illinois needs a bobcat hunting season to manage their growth.
Sen. Linda Holmes, D-Aurora, says there's another motive.
"Why are we doing this? I'll tell you why we're doing this. We're doing this for trophy hunting."
Senator Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, says this is a way to bring their numbers under control.
"Prevent starvation, overaggressive animals from having to survive," Koehler explained. “Hunters are really used as part of a management tool.
Environmentalists say there is no evidence the bobcats have caused destruction and that reports of a population boom are exaggerated.
Bobcat hunts would begin next November, unless the governor vetoes the legislation.
