Misidentification of sex among harvested bobcats

Sex and age data are fundamental vital statistics used to characterize wildlife populations, often integral to models used to assess population responses to harvest or make other management decisions. Misidentification errors could ultimately result in poor management decisions by misrepresenting harvest or population structure. We compared field examination and genetic identification of sex of bobcats (Lynx rufus; n = 248) collected during the 2009–2010 harvest season in Oregon, USA. Furtaker-reported sex assignment and genetics analysis mismatched for 51 (20.6%) cases. In 31 (12.5%) cases, bobcats reported as females were classified as males by genetic analysis, and vice versa for the remaining 20 individuals. Quantification of errors in sex assignment allows for acknowledgment of technique and data limitations and may allow for adjustments to be considered during decision-making processes. State agencies may consider providing formal training in field identification techniques and subsampling harvested bobcats for genetic sex assignment in an effort to more accurately reflect sex ratios in the harvest. © 2014 The Wildlife Society.