Bobcats Are Back in Indiana. Here's What You Need to Know.

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.

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.

The Hunting Debate

In 2024, the Indiana legislature passed a law requiring the DNR to establish a bobcat trapping season, the first since 1969. The season was limited to 40 southern Indiana counties with a quota of 250. It opened November 8, 2025 and closed December 6 after reaching 253 harvested bobcats in just four weeks.

Now the DNR is proposing an expanded 2026 season: a quota of 400, expanded harvest methods including bows, rifles, and shotguns, and potentially more counties. Conservation groups are pushing back hard, citing a 2025 poll showing 71% of Indiana voters oppose recreational bobcat trapping and arguing the state still lacks a comprehensive population survey.

If You See One

Stay calm, don't approach, and report the sighting to the DNR. Trail camera photos and roadkill observations help track population trends. Keep pets leashed at night in rural areas. There have been no verified reports of a bobcat injuring a pet in Indiana, but smaller outdoor cats could be at risk.

Indiana's bobcat comeback is one of the state's most remarkable wildlife stories. Whether you think the hunting season is responsible management or premature, the fact that an animal most Hoosiers had never seen is now showing up in backyards across the state is worth paying attention to.

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