Rahul Somvanshi
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is accepting public comments on its draft Bobcat Conservation and Management Plan through November 1, 2026. The agency says comments and inquiries can be emailed to wildlifemgt@wildlife.ca.gov with “bobcat” in the subject line.
What the draft process does — and does not — change
CDFW’s notice describes the document as a draft plan open to public input. It does not announce a change to California’s current restrictions on taking bobcats.
The policy context dates to Assembly Bill 1254, passed in October 2019. CDFW says the law made it illegal to hunt, trap or otherwise take a bobcat except in specified circumstances, including under a depredation permit. The law also directed the department to develop a conservation and management plan before bobcat hunting could again be considered. CDFW says the hunting ban took effect on January 1, 2020.
Monitoring is part of the plan’s context
The agency has also published a California Bobcat Population Monitoring Project Report of Findings, which it calls a sister document to the draft plan. CDFW says its long-term monitoring is intended to address population trends, survival and reproduction, as well as threats associated with climate change, including wildfire and drought.
That makes the public-comment period a chance to respond to a draft conservation and management document, rather than evidence that hunting has resumed or that a final decision has been made. Any reader seeking the underlying material can consult the agency’s plan page and the two documents it links.
How to comment
CDFW says comments will be accepted through November 1, 2026. The agency directs commenters to email wildlifemgt@wildlife.ca.gov and include “bobcat” in the subject line.
