The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is pleased to present the California Bobcat Population Monitoring Project’s Report of Findings, the most extensive and comprehensive bobcat population survey ever conducted in California, and possibly anywhere in the United States, and one that leveraged the best available scientific tools and techniques in the process.

The 140-page report was developed over five years and found bobcat populations distributed throughout the entire state with the exception of major urban areas and portions of the Central Valley subject to intense agricultural production.

The report estimates a stable, statewide population of 62,000 bobcats. Two previous statewide estimates from the 1970s and 1980s, which relied on less rigorous techniques, estimated 61,000 and 74,000 bobcats, respectively.

CDFW’s latest findings incorporated modern scientific tools such as GPS satellite collars, fecal DNA analysis, camera traps and necropsies of bobcat carcasses from across the state to determine population size and health.

“What we’ve learned is that these charismatic wild felines are incredibly adaptable and can live in just about any part of the state,” said Rachel Roberts, a Senior Environmental Scientist and CDFW’s Statewide Bobcat Coordinator. “They can live in almost any type of terrestrial habitat. They’re strictly carnivores but will eat almost any kind of meat. And while the statewide population seems stable, various factors can cause local growth and decline.”

The California Bobcat Population Monitoring Project was born in 2020 after the enactment of California Assembly Bill 1254, which made it illegal to hunt, trap or otherwise take a bobcat, except under specified circumstances, including under a depredation permit. The legislation directed CDFW to develop a bobcat conservation and management plan before bobcat hunting could again be considered.

The California Bobcat Population Monitoring Project’s Report of Findings is the first step in complying with the legislative mandate. CDFW expects to publish a draft Bobcat Conservation and Management Plan within the next 30 days. The draft plan, which will include bobcat biology, ecology, historical management information, Tribal perspectives and future management recommendations, will be available for a 30-day public and Tribal review period.

Other noteworthy findings within the Bobcat Population Monitoring Project Report include:

• Lower densities of bobcats were recorded in areas of major wildfire scars. While some species are well adapted to fire-scarred areas, catastrophic wildfires create large swaths of land with little to no suitable bobcat habitat.
• More bobcats were found in higher elevation areas than expected.
• Most human-bobcat conflicts involve chickens that are either unprotected or housed in poorly secured coops.