Huge Wild cat in Indiana

The Hoosier state has never been known for its bobcat population. However in recent years more and more sightings and accidental trappings are happening every year. Still however very little video footage of a clear image of a bobcat exists. Here Maj. Dan Bell and passenger Donnie Mullis record a bobcat taking a stroll down the middle of a road inside Camp Atterbury.

Bobcats were once found in abundance prior to the settlement of our great state. According to Marion T. Jackson's The Natural Heritage of Indiana, bobcats have roamed our lands for more than 125,000 years. However, man soon became the bobcat's worst enemy. The habitats bobcats needed to survive were lost due to forest clearing for land development and agricultural use. More were lost as traders eagerly trapped bobcats for their valuable fur. They were also hunted regularly by farmers who feared for their livestock. Unbeknown to the early settlers, bobcats are, in fact, a beneficial predator as they prey on rats and other small rodents. By the time the Endangered Species Act passed, the bobcat population had declined so considerably that it was included in Indiana's original endangered species list.

Indiana's Division of Fish & Wildlife began a population study of the bobcat in December 1998. Their Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program were asked to determine the abundance and distribution of bobcats in the state. By tracking, trapping and the fitting bobcats with radio collars, the agency was able gather information that would be used to create future management guidelines. With the help from hunters, outdoor enthusiasts and other concerned Hoosiers, the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program was able to provide more habitats for bobcats to live and flourish. In 2002, bobcats were taken off Indiana's endangered species list and reclassified as protected as non-game species. Under this standing, bobcat populations have reached more stable numbers, but can not be hunted or trapped.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• Indiana
• Bobcat
• Hunting
• Trapping
• Predator Calling
• Rare video

[PoSsUmownage]

Nice how far south was this?Colombus area or farther?

[ChasingTailOutdoors]

@PoSsUmownage It was on Camp atterbury the military base.

[sondlar]

I saw a HUGE panther-like creature or a extremely large dog running through a fresh cut cornfield a few years back near Fort Wayne with my friend. We were at a stop sign facing the field and all of a sudden saw this huge black thing racing through the field and both turned to each other and said "What the FUCK was that!?" Wish I could've gotten a closer look, it was at least 200 yards off and still was a giant thing.

[MrLicensetochill]

now see this is a legit video. i'd say its a bobcat?

[slaneybanner]

It's a large bobcat, stupid.

[jago76]

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and Bobcats are quite common in the surrounding open space areas. I've seen over a dozen while out hiking.

[stavrosteve]

I have a bobcat living in my backyard woods in southern MN. The noises it makes at night stand the hair up on the back of your neck. First time I heard it I thought a child was being tortured, went in to investigate and got real close before it just went silent. Saw it a few weeks later on the roof of my shed.

[downeyb]

I have been seeing a baby one every night when I go to work at 11pm. I thought it was a house cat but I put my maglight on it last night and its huge ears gave it away... Camp Atterbury is only about 5 miles from where I have seen the cub

[dredge64]

i live in Indiana

[KentuckyLake1]

Cool Video, I used to live in Franklin, Indiana, I also seen a Bobcat in Camp Atterbury.

I saw one over in area 2.

The Military has trapped 2 Bobcats in Atterbury.

It's cool to know that Bobcats are makeing a comeback in Indiana.

Bobcats are pretty common down here on Kentucky Lake, and here along the Kentucky/ Tennessee border, we can actually hunt Bobcats here in Kentucky, and in Tennessee.

[ohiocanalgirl]

I have seen bobcats in the suburbs of Cleveland Ohio