If you’ve had trouble keeping track of what is happening with Indiana’s Bobcat hunting rules, you’re not alone.
The process has been unusually confusing. Indiana held its first modern bobcat hunting season just last year, with trapping only and a statewide quota of 250 bobcats killed. Almost immediately afterward, DNR moved to expand the season to include hunting and raise the quota to 400, using both an interim rule for the 2025-2026 season and a separate permanent rulemaking process. The permanent proposal has gone through two rounds of public comment and hearings, while the rules governing this winter’s season (the “interim rule”) have continued moving ahead separately.
The result is a situation that is understandably hard for the public to follow: Indiana’s permanent 400-bobcat rule is still pending, but the 2026–27 season is already set to allow both hunting and trapping with a statewide quota of 400 bobcats due to the passage of the interim rule. No wonder Hoosiers are confused.
While the public debate has primarily focused on the permanent rule, the expanded 2026–27 season was actually put in place through a separate interim rule. That rule received a 30-day written comment period this spring, but no public hearing. The final filing confirms that comments were received, but does not disclose how many people participated. By contrast, the permanent rule has gone through two public comment periods and two public hearings.
In other words, while Hoosiers were participating in the much more visible permanent rule process, a separate temporary rule was moving forward that would actually put the expanded 400-bobcat hunting and trapping season into effect this fall.
And this process has unfolded during an extraordinary period of upheaval at the Natural Resources Commission. (NRC)
What is the NRC?
The Natural Resources Commission (NRC) is an autonomous board that oversees rulemaking and other matters involving DNR, so although DNR develops and administers wildlife policy, the NRC is the body that ultimately adopts the permanent rules governing issues such as Indiana’s bobcat season.
A changing Natural Resources Commission
In June, four longtime citizen members of the 12-member NRC resigned within a matter of weeks: Bart Herriman, then-Chair Bryan Poynter, Jane Ann Stautz and Phil French. Together, they represented decades of experience on the commission. Several publicly expressed concerns about changes in the relationship between DNR and the NRC, the role of public input and whether natural resource decisions were continuing to be driven by science.
In his resignation letter to Governor Braun, Poynter stated “the role of the Commission is no longer valued by your administration in the manner intended by statute. The Commission was established to provide oversight, guidance, and accountability on behalf of the citizens of Indiana. Instead, the current Department (of Natural Resources) leadership has seen fit to destroy public trust, push forward resource management decisions based on whims and not science, eliminate transparency, and terminate all communication or engagement with the Commission.”
The bobcat proposal became one of the most visible examples of the disagreement. Poynter specifically questioned the scientific basis for increasing the bobcat quota to 400 and expanding the season to hunting. DNR defended the proposal, pointing to the “success” of the 2025 season and said the changes are intended to reduce negative interactions with bobcats while maintaining a strong population.
By July, Braun appointed several new members, including Kevin Mahan, who is now serving as NRC chair.
So the proposed bobcat rules have been moving through the DNR’s rulemaking process at the same time the NRC has undergone significant changes, adding another layer to an already complicated story.
What is the permanent rule?
The “permanent rule,” LSA #26-98, would make some major changes to Indiana’s bobcat regulations permanent, including allowing hunting in addition to trapping, and increasing the statewide season quota from 250 to 400 bobcats killed per season.
Indiana just held its first modern bobcat trapping season in 2025 after years of efforts to replenish the bobcat population statewide. The season had a statewide quota of 250, and DNR reports that 253 bobcats were ultimately harvested within one month of the season opening.
The Hoosier Environmental Council, Humane World for Animals, the Sierra Club, and other wildlife advocates and citizens urged the state to slow down before making such a significant expansion permanent. Among HEC’s concerns are whether Indiana has enough current population information and post-season data to justify increasing the quota so quickly, whether the state has adequate safeguards and monitoring in place, and the DNR’s predominant justification of the increase in economic reasoning rather than from an environmental view.
A pause in the permanent rule
The permanent bobcat rule (LSA #26-98) was not on the agenda for the NRC’s September 15 meeting. During the meeting, newly appointed NRC Chair Kevin Mahan explained that the omission was intentional. Mahan said he had attended the August 27 public hearing, where he listened to testimony both in person and online, and said he had asked staff not to bring the permanent rule forward for final action in September.
Mahan said he wanted to make sure the testimony from the hearing was fully captured to give commissioners time to absorb the information, and ensure that the NRC had a complete record before acting. He also emphasized the importance of the public feeling that its comments had been heard and taken seriously, among so many accusations from previous members that this was no longer the status quo. HEC sincerely hopes that Mahan corrects the public perception that their input and concerns are no longer relevant to the NRC and DNR.
Perhaps most significantly, Mahan indicated that the Commission would not take the rule up again at its next meeting in November. Instead, he said he wanted to get through the upcoming 2026–27 bobcat season first and expected the permanent rule to return sometime after the first of the year.
So no vote on the permanent bobcat rule occurred September 15. For now, it remains pending, while the separate interim rule allowing this winter’s expanded hunting and trapping season with a 400-bobcat quota is now in effect.
The 2026–27 season is still happening
Although the permanent rule remains pending, DNR’s current 2026–27 hunting guidance says the upcoming bobcat season will include both hunting and trapping.
The season is scheduled for November 8, 2026 through January 31, 2027, unless the statewide quota of 400 bobcats is reached first. Each license holder may take one bobcat.
Hunters and trappers must report a bobcat through DNR’s CheckIN Game system within 24 hours of killing the animal. The pelt must later be physically registered and receive a CITES tag, but DNR does not require the bobcat carcass to be submitted, which is often required when collecting scientific data.
DNR says it will provide updates on progress toward the statewide quota through its online Fish, Wildlife & Nature Preserves Activity Hub. HEC and other groups will be watching closely.
Stay engaged with HEC
The upcoming season could provide important information before the permanent rule returns for consideration, but we must urge the DNR to actually use it to make future decisions.
DNR’s analysis estimated that approximately 10,800 hunters and 1,500 trappers could participate. By comparison, DNR sold 1,642 bobcat licenses during the trapping-only 2025 season.
Last year also demonstrated why monitoring the quota closely is important. The statewide quota was 250, but DNR ultimately reported 253 bobcats harvested. With hunters now added to the season and the quota increased to 400, the speed of harvest and reporting will be especially important for the DNR to watch, so that many more than 400 bobcats aren’t killed before the monitoring plan catches up.
The season could also provide new information about where bobcats are being taken, the sex of harvested animals, the relative contribution of hunting versus trapping, and how quickly the statewide quota is reached.
What happens next?
For now, the permanent rule remains pending.
The NRC’s next scheduled meeting is November 17, but unless something changes, the bobcat rule likely won’t be on the agenda.
HEC and other wildlife groups will continue monitoring this issue. We will be watching for the harvest data and seeking information about how DNR evaluates the results before any permanent expansion is approved.
Indiana’s bobcats have made a remarkable recovery after disappearing from much of the state. Before a larger recreational harvest becomes permanent, Indiana should have the strongest possible science that is actually utilized by our DNR, and monitoring and safeguards in place to ensure that recovery continues.
Categories: Water & Wilderness Protection