New Hampshire's Fish and Game Commission is scheduled to vote Wednesday on bringing back a bobcat hunting and trapping, a proposal that's generated more than 5,000 letters — most in opposition. That's the biggest response it's received during a public comment period in years.
The commission proposes to issue 50 bobcat permits through a lottery. The timing of the draft season would be December for trapping and January for hunting. If adopted, the proposal would take effect this December.
Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts and Quebec have bobcat seasons, though none has the limits New Hampshire is proposing.
Supporters of the proposal agree with Fish and Game Department officials that the bobcat population could sustain modest harvest and still accommodate slow growth. Opponents say it's inhumane and unnecessary.