4 North Dakota Counties Most Likely To See A Mountain Lion

Here, kitty, kitty, kitty. North Dakota isn't known as a hot spot for Mountain Lions, but they can and occasionally do make their presence known in just about all corners of the Peace Garden State.

The Four Most Likely Counties to See a Mountain Lion 🐱

4. Slope

3. Golden Valley

2. Dunn

1. McKenzie

According to the Mountain Lion Foundation, of those four, the two most likely counties to run into a Mountain Lion are McKenzie and Dunn counties in western North Dakota. The Theodore Roosevelt National Park north unit is a spot where cats are not only known to roam, but to breed as well. This rugged area of the Badlands is known for its stock cover that big cats like.

Although most sightings come from the western part of the state, Mountain Lions have been known to travel great distances. Because of this, individual cats have been documented statewide, including urban areas. We even had a Mountain Lion in my development where I live south of Lincoln, a few years back, and several other sightings in Bismarck-Mandan over the years. You can read more about that in the link below.

(SEE ALSO: We Have An Active Cougar Situation in Bismarck Right Now)

Fringe Counties to See a Mountain Lion 🐈

2. Morton

1. Burleigh

The Missouri River corridor, with both Burleigh and Morton counties, is mentioned in the article. I had an incident hunting ducks south of the University of Mary in some backwaters of the Missouri, where I was growled at in some thick cattails. The hair on the back of my Yellow Lab stood up, and she literally bounced back several feet. I grabbed her, and we got the hell out of there. Later, when I was talking to the landowner, and I asked him if he had seen a Mountain Lion on his land before, he told me of three separate instances where he had Mountain Lion encounters on his land.

Lesser Areas You Could See a Mountain Lion 😲

The Red River corridor in eastern North Dakota, with Cass, Richland, and Grand Forks being the most likely counties. Sightings in these areas are generally rare, brief, and involve a cat passing through.

After my Mountain Lion incident, I know why I will never walk in the country without a gun. You just never know when a critter like a Mountain Lion might be passing through, and I sure as heck don't want to be his dinner.