Our Developing Project

In the past 10-15 years, increased sightings and captures suggest that bobcats are becoming more abundant in New Hampshire. The extent of this population increase is not known, but it does seem likely that bobcats have responded to 20 years of protection. With an apparent increase in abundance there is also renewed interest among many outdoor and wildlife enthusiasts. As a result, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department has teamed up with faculty at UNH to conduct a 4-year study that will examine the abundance of bobcats and how their abundance may compare to adjacent states.

Our study plan is pretty straightforward. We will equip a group of bobcats with transmitters to obtain information on density and important habitat features. The marked sample will also provide an opportunity to develop methods for estimating bobcat abundance that can be applied statewide. Information on habitat use and movements of a wide-ranging animal like bobcats, can also help to identify important movement corridors. As a result, the information we obtain on bobcats may help us maintain important habitat linkages and enhance land protection efforts, like the Quabbin-to-Cardigan Conservation Collaborative.

So what are we doing right now? In the past few months, we have been trying to identify an area that supports an abundance of bobcats. Our efforts included reviewing historical harvest records and speaking with trappers, regional biologists, and other people that have spend a great deal of time outdoors. Based on that information, we will focus on the southwestern portion of the state for our initial effort.

Although we thought that we would be able to get into the field this winter, several issues have caused us to delay our plans to capture bobcats until next autumn. At that time, we hope to enlist the help of several trappers in the study area that probably have a good idea where bobcats are spending their time. We’ll be in touch!

Project Personnel

Patrick Tate: is employed by the New Hampshire Fish & Game Department as a wildlife biologist and is the furbearer project leader. His undergraduate (1999) and graduate work (2007) occurred with the University of New Hampshire, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment. He is a life long resident of New Hampshire and an avid outdoors person. Patrick can answer many of your questions regarding NH bobcats. You can reach him at Patrick.Tate@wildlife.nh.gov

	John Litvaitis: has been a professor of Wildlife Ecology at UNH since 1985. He has conducted research on a variety of animals (moose, bear, coyotes, flying squirrels, turtles, snakes, cottontails, and bobcats). Much of this research has examined how animals respond to habitat changes. John will be involved in all aspects of this project. The picture shows him with one of the bobcats he captured during his graduate project in downeast Maine way back in 1982!
	Marian Litvaitis: is a professor of Zoology at UNH and has a long-standing collaboration with John on cottontail rabbits. She will be assisting with estimating bobcat abundance within our study area and is maintaining this web site. The picture shows her helping out on the Bear Project on Cherry Mountain.
	Derek Broman: is a MS graduate student in Wildlife Ecology. He comes to UNH from Iowa where he earned his BS degree in Biology from Luther College in 2007. After graduation, Derek worked as the crew leader on a bobcat project led by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Iowa State University.
	Jaclyn Comeau: is originally from northern New Hampshire and earned her BS degree in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Maine. She has worked on a variety of wildlife research projects all over North America, including pine marten, black bears, bobcats, lynx, and mountain lions (here, she's holding a mountain lion kitten). As the project's field technician, she will be responsible for collaring bobcats and initiating the collection of information for our estimate of the local bobcat population.