Whitetails Unlimited awarded a $3,000 grant to the Western Illinois University for their study on bobcat abundance in Western Illinois. Typically, bobcats prefer prairie woodland complexes as habitat. Since Western Illinois is an agriculturally dominated landscape, this study will help determine how bobcats adapt to this environment. With the help of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Western Illinois University will trap bobcats between November and March and fit them with GPS radio collars. The collars will also help track other key statistics such population size, survival, and density.
Managing white-tailed deer populations requires an understanding of fawn survival and cause-specific mortality. In certain regions, bobcats and coyotes can be major sources of fawn mortality and may limit some white-tailed deer populations.
“Bobcat populations have been very up and down in Illinois over the course of the last 20-30 years,” said Whitetails Unlimited Program Services Director Russ Austad. “It is important to understand the characteristics and traits of these predators the best we can.”
State Grant to Fund Bobcat Research at Western Link: http://www.wiu.edu/news/newsrelease.php?release_id=14779
About Whitetails Unlimited: Since our beginning in 1982, Whitetails Unlimited has remained true to its mission and has made great strides in the field of conservation. Thanks to more than 450 chapters, 107,000-plus members, chapter volunteers, and corporate sponsors, Whitetails Unlimited has earned the reputation of being the nation’s premier organization dedicating its resources to the betterment of the white-tailed deer and its environment. Our mission is to raise funds in support of educational programs, wildlife habitat enhancement and acquisition, and preservation of the shooting sports and hunting tradition for future generations. To date, Whitetails Unlimited has expended more than $85.7 million on program services and activities that continue to enhance, and ultimately foster, our mission.