Bobcat hunting season began on Thursday, Dec. 1, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife is asking bobcat hunters who harvest a bobcat with a GPS collar on it to return the collar to a seal check station.

“Hunters looking to harvest a bobcat in GMUs 10 and 22 or surrounding GMUs may see bobcats with GPS collars affixed to their neck,” said Shane Frank, wildlife research scientist, in a statement. “Please harvest bobcats as you normally would, regardless if they have GPS collars or not. If you harvest a bobcat with a collar, we’re asking that you do not cut it off the animal. Instead, remove the hex bolts (5.5mm) to loosen the collar and remove it from the animal.” 

According to CPW, researchers have begun a pilot bobcat study in GMU 10, which is in Moffat County, and GMU 22, which is in Rio Blanco County. The bobcat hunting season begins this week and runs through the end of February.

CPW officials say the agency’s goal is to capture bobcats, and using GPS collars and game cameras, track their movements. According to CPW, this is the first step in a long-term study to better understand bobcat population dynamics and improve the age classification of bobcats in Colorado.