Bobcats Are Active In These North Dakota Counties

Breeding Season for Bobcats in North Dakota

Did you know that February and March are the breeding season for Bobcats? According to the North Dakota Game and Fish, the gestation period is usually 60 days, and the average litter size is two to four.

The Chances of Seeing a Bobcat in our State?

The Bobcat is very solitary, except when breeding or rearing their young. This means you are very unlikely to see a Bobcat just strolling down the Bismarck Expressway, even though Bobcats are found along the Missouri River right here in Bismarck. More on that in a moment.

I have maybe witnessed one Bobcat in my entire life, and that was in a slough in southeast North Dakota while hunting pheasants (not their primary range). I only saw the animal for a brief second, but I do believe it was a Bobcat.

Bobcats are about twice the size of a domestic house cat. They are carnivorous but mainly feed on rodents and other small mammals; they are opportunistic and will even feed on larger animals like a deer's fawn if given the chance.

Best Counties in North Dakota to see a Bobcat?

According to the North Dakota Game and Fish, Bobcats are most abundant in the western Badlands, like Bowman, Slope, Golden Valley, and McKenzie. They are also found along the counties along the Little Missouri, Heart, Cannonball, and Missouri rivers, such as Billings, Dunn, Hettinger, Grant, Sioux, Morton, Oliver, Emmons, Burliegh, McLean, Mountrail, and Williams.

They are also found in the Pembina Gorge area in northeast North Dakota, including the counties of Pembina and Cavalier. They can also be present in the counties along the Red River, and to a lesser extent, the central and southeast part of the state.

There you have it, the most likely counties to have a chance encounter with the very regal Bobcat in North Dakota.