2017 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Forecast: Furbearers

Photos by Michael R. Jeffords

Numbers of raccoons observed during the 2017 Spring Spotlight Survey matched a record set in 1996. A mild winter and a record low harvest during the 2016-2017 season probably contributed to their abundance. Opossum neared record levels, probably for the same reasons.

Numbers of coyotes observed by archery deer hunters who kept official records during 2016 were about the same as the year before. For hunters, good snow cover would be a welcome change from the past two seasons.

Trappers who target mink, beaver and river otters won’t be disappointed by their numbers.

Muskrat will be spotty. Many of the state’s major rivers flooded one or more times this spring and summer. Floodwaters affect the muskrat’s food supply and, depending on timing, can be hard on survival of kits. Ponds and shallow wetlands would be the best bet.

The odds of getting a Bobcat Hunting and Trapping Permit in this year’s lottery will be better because more permits are available. People who draw permits will have a good chance of taking bobcats in forested parts of the state.

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Bob Bluett is the Wildlife Diversity Coordinator with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife Resources.