Officials Confirm First Bobcat in Northwest Ohio Since 1800s

Ohio wildlife officials have confirmed the first verified report of a bobcat in northwest Ohio since the mid-1800s.

Here are the details from Steve Pollick’s story on toledoBlade.com:

The wild cat, a young male, was caught in a raccoon snare set by local fur trappers, according to Scott Butterworth, District 2 wildlife management supervisor. It later was taken from the trap by a county dog warden staffer and sedated by a local humane officer. Then it died.

“They’re very sensitive to being tranquilized,” noted Butterworth. He noted that young male bobcats, like young males of other species such as beavers and black bears and river otter, range widely afield in search of their own home territories. The specimen in question may have migrated from southern Michigan or northeast Indiana, Butterworth said.

Biologists will perform a necropsy on the bobcat to compare genetics with ‘cats from the southern part of the state. The Ohio Division of Wildlife estimates there are 1,000 bobcats in the state currently, with most of them living in Ohio’s more heavily wooded southern counties.

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5 thoughts on “Officials Confirm First Bobcat in Northwest Ohio Since 1800s

  1. A bobcat was photographed in a park in Adrian Michigan some 30-40 miles away from Toledo Ohio sometime in October or November. lenconnect.com (The Daily Telegram) reported and printed the picture.

  2. I have saw several bobcats in ohio never any mountain lions till last 6 years I have saw them on csx tracks along wood county in Ohio ! Question arent these cats protected in Ohio ? Also was the trapper given a violation for setting a snare and catching the endangered cat ? Eagles now are so numberous they are killing lots of ducks and waterfoul in Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge . But thats ok peoples dogs are running freely in there also , Including vistors dogs . Mike Tansey where are you at ! He was a real refuge manager

  3. I was born in Grand Rapids, Ohio, never saw anything that looked like that. Sure looks different than our Bobcats here in Arizona. He is sure heavy coated. All my trapping in Ohio was for Muskrats and Mink. John Harris, Tucson, Az.

  4. I’m not a trapper here in west Tennessee, but the bobcat article caught my eye. I took one this weekend with my S&W 357 mag while out white tail hunting. I could post an image here but for some reason not able. These are rather rare here, everyone “flipped” when they saw it. I have seen this little “kitty kitty” 3 times before. I wanted a mount and the S@W XVR 460 was a bit big. Wanted a mount not hash splattered all over the place.

  5. Being a trapper in western ky, due to the regulations on bobcat and otter, we have an abundance of them. Limited of 5 bobcats each season and 6 otter a season, this is due to strict management practices by Fish and Wildlife, I am able to fill my quota. Come to Ky if you want to catch bobcats and otter.

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