Meeting Gets Feedback On Bobcat Hunting

State officials on Wednesday attempted to explain the benefits and feasibility of bobcat hunting in Dubuque County. About 50 people attended a public information meeting, at the Mines of Spain State Recreation Area in Dubuque. Several attendees came with questions to pose during the event. In 2021, the DNR removed Dubuque County from a list of counties in which a bobcat hunting season was to be added, after receiving 20 letters opposing the season from county residents and other feedback. Delaware and Jones counties were added at that time, and bobcat hunting already was allowed in Jackson County. Bobcats are native to Iowa, but they were mostly wiped out by human settlement by the early 1900s. They were protected as an endangered species in the state by 1977. But officials saw the cats return in the 1990s, and their populations continue to climb. Wednesday’s meeting was for informational purposes only and will have no immediate impact on whether bobcat hunting is allowed in the county.