Dave Dahl -- Illinois Radio Network

The bobcat could be a target for Illinois hunters. The state House has passed a bill regulating a hunt.

"These aren't your little kitty cats -- nice, furry animals," said State Rep. Pat Verschoore (D-Milan), the sponsor, as his colleagues made animal noises throughout the chamber. "In certain areas, they've virtually wiped out the pheasant and the quail populations."

Verschoore says as they do with deer, state biologists would tabulate which areas are overpopulated and issue permits accordingly. The bobcat was once endangered, Verschoore says, and there's no interest in returning it to that status.

A bill which passed the legislature in 2014 was vetoed by outgoing Gov. Pat Quinn in his final hours in office.

H.B. 352 has passed the House, 62-43.

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