According to a study by University of New Hampshire professor of wildlife ecology John A. Litvaitis, the population of bobcats, especially in the southeastern part of the state is recovering tremendously..................Between 1990 and 2004, Litvaitis mapped out 91 bobcat sightings almost entirely in the central and western regions of the state.......... But from 2010 to 2012, he's found 411 such reports, including a healthy smattering throughout the southeast........There has been no Bobcat hunting and trapping in the state since 1989 and Litvaitis feels that the "Bobs" have taken advantage of these protections and have begun to build back their numbers after 200 years of persecution(bounties on Bobcats were instituted on Bobcats in 1809 and ran continually through 1973) ..................Above and beyond hunting and trapping, land use patterns in New England also contributed to spikes and falls of Bobcats------ Until the late 1800s more than 50% of the state was cleared for agricultural fields........... At that time, transportation systems enabled farmers in the Midwest to get their goods to eastern markets................ As a result, New England farmers could no longer compete and many farms were abandoned.......... As these cleared fields grew into shrublands and young forests, a number of wildlife species became more abundant............ Ruffed grouse, woodcock, and New England cottontails reached their greatest densities ever in the early 1900s and bobcats likely benefited from the abundance of prey............ In time, these forests matured and game populations thinned, once again knocking down Bobcat populations to very low levels..........

Bobcat sightings on the rise in

SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE 

UNH professor says wildcat population has grown over the years

A bobcat was recently spotted outside a Hampton Falls home.

HAMPTON FALLS — If you're dressing up as Peter Cottontail
 for Halloween, you might want to think about another costume,
because a number of bobcat sightings have been reported recently.

Deborah Regan of River Road said her husband spotted one of
the typically 15- to 35-pound wildcats this summer. Then about
a month later, another resident of the small neighborhood of about
 12 houses saw one.

"I've lived all around New Hampshire and I've lived way out in
the country and I've camped and I've hiked and I've never seen
 a bobcat (in those locations)," Regan said. "So to see one six feet
 from my house kind of floored me."

That encounter happened just last Friday around 4 p.m., when
Regan and her husband observed the animal moving around their yard.

"We were like little kids we were so excited," she said, noting that
 she's something of a nature enthusiast.

She expected that the cat "would have seemed more wary or cautious
 or crouching, but it wasn't," she said. Instead, it strolled around in a
 "very casual manner" and "made us wonder maybe it's walked
through our yard many times before."

Regan isn't too concerned about the safety of her family — that is,
 except for the feline member.

"On the one hand, I find it very exciting. On the other hand, I have
a cat that goes out and we haven't let her out since then, which she's
 not too happy about," she said, adding that she advised her neighbors
 who own outdoor cats to err on the side of caution as well.

according to a study by University of New Hampshire professor
of wildlife ecology John A. Litvaitis, the population of bobcats,
 especially in the Seacoast area, is recovering tremendously.

On a UNH Web site, Litvaitis compiles information about bobcat
sightings and asks people to send in their own information. Between
 1990 and 2004, he has mapped out 91 bobcat sightings almost
 entirely in the central and western regions of the state. But from
 2010 to 2012, he's found 411 such reports, including a healthy
smattering throughout the Seacoast.

"Recent observations suggest that they are becoming more
 abundant in the southeastern portion of the state, where they
 were scarce," the site states.

Between 1809 and 1973, there was a bounty on bobcats that was
 occasionally repealed and reinstated. By 1989, bobcats populations
were at low levels, harvesting closed and has stayed that way since.
 "Now, after 20 years of protection, have their populations rebounded?

 Numerous observations by hunters, trappers and naturalists seem to
indicate that this is the case," Litvaitis said on his Web site, which
endeavors to determine exactly how well bobcats have responded
to protection measures.

Bobcats typically eat cottontail rabbits, deer, snowshoe hares,

 gray squirrels and other small mammals. Regan said she'd seen
 an abundance of rabbits in and around her yard earlier this
summer; however, they seem to have mostly disappeared,
she said, perhaps because of the bobcats.
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New Hampshire Bobcat Management History

The table below provides an overview of our efforts to manage bobcats in New Hampshire for the past 200 years. Clearly, our historical relationship with bobcats was based on incomplete knowledge and a sense that these animals limited game and livestock populations. Bounties were used to encourage hunters and trappers to kill bobcats and other predators, including wolves.

Management of Bobcats in New Hampshire, 1809 - Present.

Period	Management Activity
1809 –1828	No closed season, $3 bounty per bobcat, repealed in 1829.
1829 – 1831	No closed season, no bounty.
1832 – 1895	No closed season, $1 bounty per bobcat, repealed in 1895.
1896 – 1914	No closed season, no bounty.
1915 – 1918	No closed season, $2 bounty per bobcat.
1919 – 1921	No closed season, $5 bounty per bobcat.
1922	No closed season, $10 bounty per bobcat.
1923 – 1926	No closed season, $20 bounty per bobcat.
1927 – 1928	No closed season, $10 bounty per bobcat.
1929 – 1960	No closed season, $20 bounty per bobcat.
1961 – 1965	No closed season, bounty varied from $10 - $20. End of township-based bounty program.
1966 – 1967	No closed season, no funds appropriated for state-based bounty program.
1968 – 1973	No closed season, state-based bounty program varied from $10 to $20 per bobcat. Bounty program terminated in 1973.
1974 – 1976	Regulated hunting and trapping seasons.
1977 – 1979	Hunting and trapping seasons closed.
1980 – 1988	Hunting and trapping seasons re-established. Periodic closure of both seasons in portions of southeastern New Hampshire.
1989 – Present	Hunting and trapping seasons closed.

Although it was occasionally repealed and then reinstated, the bounty on bobcats existed from 1809 to 1973.

Two hunters that probably killed four bobcats in one week. This picture provides an impression of how abundant bobcats once were in New Hampshire. We don't know exactly when or where the picture was taken - we're guessing about 1950. Does anyone recognize these two gentlemen?

Annual harvests submitted for payment varied tremendously, especially during the early 1900s. However, there was an abrupt increase from 1915 to 1930 when harvests rose from 93 to 358. They remained relatively high and eventually peaked at 421 in 1959.

But even more surprising than the rapid increase in abundance was the rapid decline. Only 25 bobcats were submitted for bounty payment in 1966. By 1970, payment was made on only 10 bobcats and the program was terminated in 1973.

A 200-year summary of bobcat harvest in New Hampshire. Such information is quite rare, and it gives us a better understanding about the animal today.

So, what might have been responsible for the apparent rise and subsequent fall among bobcat populations in New Hampshire? There are several possible explanations. First, trapper harvests can be influenced by commercial demand for fur. However, the value of bobcat pelts in New Hampshire and elsewhere was consistently low until the mid 1970s – usually less than $10. Prices increased rapidly until the mid 1980s when some pelts sold for more than $100. However, this rise in commercial value happened after the sharp decline in harvests and pelt value does not explain why populations increased in the early 1900s.

There is some speculation that expanding populations of coyotes had a detrimental effect on bobcats within the state. Bobcats and coyotes are known to consume similar prey. so the potential for competition is there. But again, much of the decline in bobcat numbers occurred in the early 1960s before coyotes were abundant.

The final explanation may be the most revealing. Using simple models of forest succession, we have found that the abundance of young forests in New Hampshire followed a pattern similar to the abundance of bobcats. Until the late 1800s, more than 50% of the state was cleared for agricultural fields. At that time, transportation systems enabled farmers in the Midwest to get their goods to eastern markets. As a result, New England farmers could no longer compete and many farms were abandoned. As these cleared fields grew into shrublands and young forests, a number of wildlife species became more abundant. Ruffed grouse, woodcock, and New England cottontails reached their greatest densities ever in the early 1900s and bobcats likely benefited from the abundance of prey. In time, these forests matured and game populations thinned. Our models indicated that much of the productive game habitat was declining rapidly by 1960. Because the abundance of young forests explains both the rapid rise and rapid decline of bobcat populations, it seems to be the most logical factor responsible for the patterns we have observed.

So, what happened next to bobcats. The bounty program was terminated in 1973 and in response to high prices, the hunting and trapping seasons were closed from 1977 through 1979. Seasons were re-opened in 1980, but portions of the state were periodically closed to any harvests. By 1989, it seemed that bobcats were still at a fairly low level of abundance and all harvests were stopped. Now, after 20 years of protection, have their populations rebounded? Numerous observations by hunters, trappers, and naturalists seem to indicate that this is the case. With our project, we plan to determine how well they have responded to protection.