Nick Phillips of Mandan can attest to what state officials have observed over the past several years regarding the presence of mountain lions in northwest North Dakota. He was able to snap photos of mountain lion kittens after coming across a litter while in the Killdeer Mountains on Oct. 7.

"I didn't actually think I'd see one," Phillips said. "I guess it was just pure luck."

A new state report released this month from the Game and Fish Department indicates that North Dakota's mountain lion population could be spreading from south of Williston through the Fort Berthold reservation.

Phillips said he was not out to shoot any big game on the recent elk hunting excursion with his father, who had a tag. However, the avid sportsman did have a camera in hand like usual to catch such few and far between sighting. Phillips came into an open area when he spotted the mountain lion kittens - first one, then another - in a matted bed.

"I tried not to stress them out," he said. "They were hissing at me." Phillips explained the chance encounter would probably never have happened had he been 10-feet in either direction as the brush is really thick. Fortunate for him, the mother was not within view. It was obvious the kittens were staying put, Phillips said.

"I didn't feel threatened," he said.

Phillips has captured many images of animals, even in the same area where the mountain lion kittens were discovered. Not only does he have bragging rights about the meeting but he is also able to share his experience with photographs.

"In about a month, I got pictures of a black wolf also, which is very rare," Phillips said.

Department furbearer biologist Dorothy Fecske estimated the kittens age at about six to eight weeks after viewing the photos that he provided to Game and Fish. Phillips said that she told him the American wild cats are breeding all year round, according to the data the state has gathered.

The badlands and Missouri River breaks, where mountain lions historically have appeared in this region of the North Dakota, contains sufficient suitable habitat to support a small population of 45 to 74 resident adult animals if there were no hunting mortality.

Hunters can take any mountain lion other than kittens (those with visible spots) or females accompanied by a litter. Since July, the department has continued to receive reports of lions and lion activity, including a road-killed male found in Hettinger County; a photo of a lion kitten estimated at six to nine months in Mercer County; and those Phillips saw in Dunn County.

A young male, fitted with a radio-collar last November after inadvertently getting caught in a trap in the badlands, has remained in the region. The lion has traveled over an area of 140 square miles in 11 months.

"We continue to document lion activity in North Dakota," said Fecske in a press release. "We don't have all the answers yet, but every passing month we are learning more about the state's lion population and how to properly manage it."