A homeowner in Owen County recently watched a bobcat walk across their yard in broad daylight, posted the video on Reddit, and it blew up. Over 400 upvotes, dozens of Hoosiers sharing their own sightings, and a heated debate about what Indiana should do with its growing bobcat population.
It's a snapshot of a bigger story. Bobcats are Indiana's only native wild cat, and after 36 years on the endangered species list, they're back.
How They Disappeared and Came Back
Bobcats were once common across Indiana. By the mid-1900s, unregulated hunting, trapping, and habitat loss wiped them out. In 1969, they were placed on the endangered species list.
The recovery was slow and quiet. Legal protection and habitat regrowth, particularly in southern Indiana's forested hills and reclaimed coal mines, gave them room to rebuild. In the early 2000s, the DNR received about 15 to 20 bobcat mortality reports per year. By the early 2010s, that number had jumped to over 70. In 2005, bobcats were officially removed from the endangered list.
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A DNR study found bobcats can disperse up to 100 miles from where they're born, which explains how they've expanded from southern Indiana into central and northern counties. They've now been reported in nearly every Indiana county, from Owen County to Porter County to Warsaw to Montgomery County.
What to Know About Indiana Bobcats
They're smaller than most people expect: 15 to 30 pounds, about two feet tall, with a short stubby tail (less than six inches) that's black-striped on top and white underneath. That tail is the easiest way to distinguish them from a large house cat.
They're primarily nocturnal, solitary, and excellent at avoiding humans. Their diet focuses on rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, and other small mammals. They don't commonly prey on wild turkeys despite what some assume.
Their vocalizations are rare but unforgettable. Multiple Hoosiers in the Reddit thread described the sound as somewhere between a woman screaming and a baby crying. If you hear that at night in rural Indiana, it's likely a bobcat.