As a bonus, Nevada has the best quality western bobcats in the country and those little furballs fetch a hefty price at any fur markets. The bobcat has one of the most valued pelts of all our furbearer species. Occasionally deer are killed and eaten, but most of the deer meat found in bobcat stomachs has been carrion. In contrast with the 1970s, when 40 states had no bobcat protections and bounties were common, most now put strict limits on hunting and trapping bobcats. The Bobcat is found in each of the contiguous states except Delaware. State officials did not specify how many bobcats they believe are in Kentucky, but recent assessments place the bobcat population in the United States at 2.4 million to 3.6 million. These rankings are based on the 2016 United States Department of Agriculture Forest Inventory and Analysis Report, the … Forty-eight US states, seven Canadian provinces and Mexico were surveyed, with all locations except Florida reporting increased populations. Bobcats get their name from the short “bobbed” tail (5-6 inches), and can be recognized by the facial ruff and short ear tufts (image right - Bobcats have prominent spotting and can be distinguished from domestic cats by the distinctive facial ruff and ear tuffs) . Here, we’ve ranked the states from least to most woodsy, based on how much of each state's land is covered by forest. Its US population was estimated to be from 2,353,276 – … Population. Wisconsin DNR, whose area is ecologically similar to Michigan, has been conducting bobcat population estimates. The bobcat's food consists mainly of small mammals and birds. This is an increase since their initial population estimate of 1,600 in 1983. As Pennsylvania’s second growth forests matured and the number of prey animals decreased, the bobcat population fell, too. The IUCN report referred to various population estimates based on studies in different states, noting that Virginia had about one cat for every 4 square miles, while Arizona had about one per 1,000 acres. Fewer and fewer bobcats … Popescu has been examining several questions about the Ohio population, including how many bobcats die on Ohio roadways, which have the fifth largest traffic volume in the United States. The largest bobcat we have recorded in Iowa was 36 pounds. Among the mammals found in bobcat stomachs, wood rats, ground squirrels, mice and rabbits supply the bulk of the diet. But as swamps and lowlands were drained and forests cleared to make way for settlements and cropland, the bobcat population declined. Population is in many ways a factor of habitat; poor habitat means low population. The annual turnover or mortality rate in bobcats is estimated at 22%. A 1990 study showed Idaho has one bobcat per 2,700 acres. 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