Indiana’s first bobcat season in decades has wrapped up early, but state wildlife officials say the work to understand the state’s bobcat population is just beginning.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources closed the season after trappers reached the quota of 250 bobcats. The season, which began in early November, was scheduled to run through late January or until the quota was met.

While the early closure may suggest bobcats are doing well in Indiana, Geriann Albers with the DNR says the agency needs more information before drawing any conclusions. “We need to know things like how many traps were set out and for how many days before we can really understand what the harvest numbers mean,” she said.

Albers noted that most bobcats taken this season were trapped by Indiana residents on private land.

The DNR plans to survey licensed trappers in the coming weeks to gather more detailed data about effort, location, and conditions. Findings from the season are expected to be released in the spring or summer.