Although not the intended catch, one Indiana landowner recently captured a young bobcat before freeing the animal and releasing it back into the wild.

Bobcat in Warrick County

A Warrick County, Indiana man recently shared photos on social media of his unintended catch. Mike Gootee tells us that he found the young bobcat in one of his traps intended for capturing coyotes. Gootee was able to release the bobcat which he describes in his posts on social media as a "tom." He says that once released, the bobcat took up residency on his four-wheeler tire for about 20 minutes before eventually taking off.

...caught a nice Tom this afternoon. After I released him he made himself at home on my wheeler tire. After 15-20 minutes he decided to take off.

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Mike Gootee
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Coyote Trapping

The bobcat was not Gootee's intended target with the traps. He tells us he was trapping coyotes because they are becoming problematic in the Southern Indiana area. He says that trappers often get a bad reputation, but that most are "conservationists that love nature."

I have a friend and neighbor that is a cattle farmer and I’m trying to get the population of coyotes in check around our homes.
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Indiana Coyote Trapping Laws

In the state of Indiana, coyotes can be trapped year-round on your own personal property or if you have written permission from another landowner. According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources,

Landowners may take coyotes year-round on their private property by trapping or shooting without possessing a wild animal control permit from the DNR and without having a hunting or trapping license. Additionally, a landowner does not need to possess a wild animal control permit from DNR to give another individual written permission to shoot or trap coyotes on the landowner’s property. However, any person taking coyotes on someone else’s property must have a valid hunting or trapping license and, if the take happens outside the regulated coyote season, have written permission from the landowner.

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Indiana Bobcat Laws

Despite being territorial and rather solitary creatures, bobcats are prevalent in the central and southern parts of the Hoosier State. Indiana Department of Natural Resources advises that bobcats should be "respected if spotted." They say that while not common, bobcats can become a nuisance when they begin to prey on chickens or other livestock. In Indiana, a nuisance wildlife control permit is required to remove a bobcat. Indiana DNR does offer a Wildlife Complaint Form, as well as an option to report sightings of bobcats, as well as black bears, mountain lions, gray foxes, and gray wolves, just to name a few.

To learn more about living and coexisting with area wildlife, visit the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

[Source: Indiana Department of Natural Resources; Mike Gootee via Facebook]

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