The Iowa Department of Natural Resources just expanded Bobcat hunting and trapping. Wait a minute. What’s going on? Now we have another reason to buy more guns. Awesome. I’m not sure what the preferred weapon is for Bobcat, but I might need to find out. One of the new counties added to the legal Bobcat hunting list was my childhood county of Poweshiek. When I grew up there, it was rare to see a Bobcat. I don’t think I ever saw one, for sure.
We occasionally saw them as teenagers driving the endless miles of gravel roads. What else did we have to do? You might get a fleeting glimpse of one darting into the ditch. Usually, no one else saw it, leaving you defending your sobriety or your eyesight. The Bobcat population has grown with no natural predators. Apparently, the best way to hunt or see one is to spend lots of hours alone in the woods. I can imagine many bow hunters’ eyes lighting up. “Honey, I have to go Bobcat hunting … see you in a few days.”
How can this be? Why would the state increase hunting at a time like this? I thought shooting little kitties like Bobcats would be terrible for America. Aren’t they protected or something? I mean you don’t eat Bobcat, do you? So why kill it? Well, for the sheer thrill of the hunt, or for the trophy on your wall, or maybe greed? That’s right. I might shoot a Bobcat just for the money. The pelts bring a pretty penny. Times are tough in the Obama economy. An old red-neck needs to do whatever he can to bring in the bacon. Shooting or trapping a few Bobcats could really help out. The kids need braces, you know.
