Illinois House Bill 1827 would make it unlawful to hunt or trap bobcats. The bill has a hearing Monday, March 15, at 10 a.m. in the House Agriculture and Conservation Committee. The hearing can be streamed in Virtual Hearing Room 2 at: www.ilga.gov
Take Action Today! Illinois members should contact the committee members below and urge them to vote no on House Bill 1827. The contacts for the committee members can be found below:
- Chair Sonya Harper (repsonyaharper@gmail.com; 217-558-6370)
- Vice Chair Lance Yednock (StateRepYednock@gmail.com; 217-782-0140)
- Rep. Andrew Chesney (217-782-8186)
- Rep. Latova Greenwood (staterepgreenwood@gmail.com; 217-782-5951)
- Rep. Michael Haplin (RepHalpin@gmail.com; 217-782-0416)
- Rep. Joyce Mason (217-782-8151)
- Rep. Charles E. Meier (repcmeier@gmail.com; 217-782-6401)
- Rep. Daniel Swanson (swanson@ilhousegop.org; 217-782-8032)
Currently, bobcat hunting and trapping is allowed in Illinois in specified counties. This bill would put an end to all bobcat hunting and trapping with no scientific evidence to support the effort. An Illinois bobcat hunting and trapping season was opened in 2016-17. During the bobcat season’s first year, 500 permits were issued with hunters and trappers harvesting 141 bobcats, a 28% success rate. This data indicates there is no need to close bobcat seasons as the harvest quotas are highly regulated and set by professional wildlife biologists at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
“The discharge of wildlife public policy must be based on the best available science,” said Jacob Hupp associate director of state services at the Sportsmen’s Alliance. “This legislative effort is not supported by scientific evidence and will do nothing but undermine the tenets of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.”
About the Sportsmen’s Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and research. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
