HELENA – Residents that plan on hunting or trapping bobcats or nonresidents that plan on trapping bobcats must purchase the appropriate license by Nov. 30.
If hunting bobcats, residents that hold a conservation license and are 12 years of age or older can purchase their bobcat hunting license for $20. Nonresidents may not hunt or chase bobcats.
Residents who are qualified to purchase a trapping license can do so for the cost is $20. Resident trapping license holders do not need to purchase a bobcat hunting license to hunt bobcats. Nonresidents who are qualified can purchase a $250 nonresident trapping license to trap bobcats.
Bobcat hunters or trappers should be aware of the quota and per-person limit for their region. Seasons will close in 48 hours when the quota is reached. Please refer to the regulations for season dates and quotas. Current harvest status information may be obtained by calling 800-711-8727 or 406-444-9557, or the FWP website. The toll-free line and website are updated by 1 p.m. every day.
When checking in your harvested bobcat, hunters or trappers must provide a cleaned and air-dried complete lower jaw for aging before a pelt tag will be issued and are required to personally present the pelts for tagging to an FWP employee within 10 days of the calendar close of the season.
Please consult the current 2025 wolf, furbearer, and trapping regulations for more information.
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Photo credit: Jillian Cooper | Getty Images
