I can't believe it, just saw a Bobcat in Garland, absolutely 100% no shadow of a doubt

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SeriouslyTooOld4This@reddit

Bobcats are common. Could you be thinking Mountain Lion instead? Those are rare but have been spotted within city limits.

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ClippyWouldntDoThat@reddit (OP)

Absolutely not, bobcat.

I guess other people don't think it's remarkable or whatever but this was a close viewing and my first time. I moved to Dallas 7yrs ago, never seen one, always wanted to.

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Top-Rule170@reddit

They’re ubiquitous in DFW. I’ve seen them on my front and backyard cameras chasing rabbits. They’re very cool to see in person. Beautiful predators.

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Relative_Specific217@reddit

They are beautiful. I always have to snap a photo when one is lounging in my backyard

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CeleryKale@reddit

I was on a run through Garland/Sachse last year and I saw a young mountain lion laying in a field sunning itself. My ass turned around and ran back the way I came lol.

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I had a mom and cubs in Flower Mound a few years back that i saw every few days. Saw several in Denton 10ish years ago. They are not super rare in north texas, just elusive. Cougars (mountain lions) are much more special to see in the wild here, that is something to be bragging about.

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SeriouslyTooOld4This@reddit

I've seen deer along the Flower Mound/Lewisville border. I could believe a mountain lion sighting in that area, especially near the lake.

We also have bobcats living in a nearby storm drain in our neighborhood. I welcome them as they help keep down the rat and bunny population.

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NoKarmaForYou2@reddit

There was a video of a bobcat and a coyote on a trail that went viral about 10 years ago. I think this was in Arlington.

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CycloneCowboy87@reddit

They’re all over the place. A mountain lion sighting in DFW would be remarkable. A bobcat sighting in DFW is nothing unusual, but I’m glad you enjoyed it. I have no evidence to support this theory, but it seems like their populations have really exploded in areas where coyotes have finally disappeared after years of development.

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Blaz3dnconfuz3d@reddit

I’ve seen about 10 bobcats over the last few years. Saw an entire family walking through a neighborhood in Plano lol

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lost_in_trepidation@reddit

I used to see bobcats pretty frequently in my area in Plano. It's been a minute since I've seen one though.

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9bikes@reddit

>A mountain lion sighting in DFW would be remarkable.

I have seen mountain lions twice inside the Dallas city limits! It may have been the same one twice; may have been a second one. My sighting were several miles and a couple years apart. However I was spending a lot of time exploring urban creeks and pockets of nature. They are rare in the area and, even with the time I was spending outdoors, I was lucky to make those sightings.

Bobcats are not rare in town. They are just very good at being stealthy. I have seen a bobcat in my alley in Richardson and another at White Rock Park. Our office is on White Rock Creek and we see bobcats something like once every couple of weeks. There are at least two we see (one's quite a bit larger than the other). I'm sure bobcats have seen us more often than we see them!

I'm sure coyote populations are smaller now, but they're still here.

Another one that's more common than it seems, due to their stealth, is fox. I've only seen one once, but I have met people in quieter neighborhoods (also on the creek) who see them daily.

There is more urban wildlife than it seems. Animals who survive here are good at avoiding humans.

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SeriouslyTooOld4This@reddit

Fascinating. Where did you see the mountain lions?

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9bikes@reddit

My first mountain lion sighting was in Bert Fields Park in North Dallas. He was very close to the creek. I only caught a quick glimpse of him, but my friend who was with me insists she got a very good look and was certain. What I was immediately sure of was the animal's size, coloration and the way it moved.

A couple of years after that, I was driving up Harry Hines at dusk. I was heading North from Regal Row. You're down in the river bottom for that short section of road. The cat crossed directly in front of my car. At first, I thought "that's the biggest bobcat I've ever seen" but as I got closer and closer it was certainly a mountain lion. I got a good, long look.

Having seen the one on Harry Hines so clearly is what convinced me that my friend was correct about the animal we had seen in Burt Fields Park being a mountain lion.

My sightings were about 12 miles apart, but it may have been the same cat. They are an apex predator and would need a big range. Since they're limited to the creeks and the parks and golf courses that line them, the range would have to be pretty long.

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jamesdukeiv@reddit

There’s been confirmed sighting in Frisco, Plano, and Lake Dallas relatively recently. No known breeding population though.

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External-Signal-7473@reddit

My friend and I saw one in allen probably 8-10 years ago. We were skateboarding down a sidewalk in a neighborhood and it pounced out of a treeline, grabbed a squirrel, and jumped back in the trees. It was huge, and fast, and terrifying. And I've seen many, many bob cats. This thing was way bigger, and no pattern. No one has ever believed us

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jamesdukeiv@reddit

There’s a lot of skepticism about mountain lions around here but enough documented evidence to show they’re probably migrating back and forth across Texas

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Randusnuder@reddit

I’m surprised to hear about the coyote population.

Friends who live in Richardson see them regularly on morning jogs, and many people have seen them in the evenings running the alleys or through dark yards.

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9bikes@reddit

Coyotes have certainly not disappeared, but we have to have fewer than we had before there was so much development.

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MagicWishMonkey@reddit

Last year there was a bobcat mom living in the drain out in front of my house, she had kittens and we caught them on camera once with the mom walking across our walkway followed by 2-3 kittens. It was awesome.

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lost_in_trepidation@reddit

I miss the foxes in Frisco. Used to see them all the time when there were more fields.

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Relative_Specific217@reddit

I live in Celina and they are freaking everywhere. Probably explains why the high school mascot is a bobcat ha. We’ve had several that have just decided to camp out in our yard for few weeks every year. I actually feel bad for them with all the development but it’s also stressful when you have kids that want to go outside and play.

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Ashamed-Leather-2814@reddit

I’ve seen them all over the place, north Dallas residential neighborhoods, lots of rabbits for them to eat.

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arlenroy@reddit

Man, I live a blocks away from Preston and Beltline, every morning leaving for work around 3:30am its rabbit town. There's actually a little wooded area with a creek that runs parallel to Preston in that part of Dallas, my condominium complex backs up right to it. It's crazy there's like a little nature reserve in Dallas like that.

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CoyoteTheFatal@reddit

Yup I live in the same area, have a bunch of rabbit around my complex. Saw a coyote crossing Knoll Trail Dr by the QuikTrip about 6 months ago

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Dismal-Resident-8784@reddit

We've seen them here in North Dallas, along with coyotes.

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FamousChallenge3469@reddit

A newborn pair were visitors in my Plano backyard a couple of years ago. They stayed until they could climb the fence. Whenever the rabbit population gets high, a bobcat comes by to weed them out (though some crows often dine on rabbits as well).

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Grand-Zebra3218@reddit

I ride the trail at River Legacy in Arlington and I’ve seen bobcats and coyotes. The bobcats will sit on the trail and watch you ride by. So far I’ve resisted stopping to pet but it’s just a matter of time before I cave in.

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Onuus@reddit

They’re getting kicked out of their homes by all the damn developing, you’ll be seeing more and more.

I remember seeing a spotted big cat run across the road in high park a few years ago.

I thought I went absolutely insane. Came to find out it was a huge bobcat living by the Katy trail and eating squirrels.

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ALaccountant@reddit

I guess so, but make no mistake, Bobcats absolutely love and thrive in developed areas.

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Onuus@reddit

I think they thrive near developed areas because the areas push their prey to them easily.

But when you start developing all those woodland/grassland areas you’re destroying their homes

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ALaccountant@reddit

They live in the sewers and developed areas of Plano, quite well. In fact, they thrive here.

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Farwalker08@reddit

It happens here, have you seen the vultures yet? Also it is good to let people know so they can watch their pets.

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GravitationalEddie@reddit

One night(in Garland) I went on a 1½ mile drive to the store and saw a coyote, an armadillo, and a large box turtle.

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Snobolski@reddit

Sounds like a normal day anywhere east of I-35.

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Twisted_lurker@reddit

That sounds like the beginning of a joke or parable.

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MephistoHamProducts@reddit

My neighborhood is right near the Duck Creek greenbelt and we've got at least one coyote that I see regularly just walking down the street.

First time I saw an armadillo it was 5am and pitch black while I was taking a walk. Little bugger charged me.

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SimpleVegetable5715@reddit

Vultures eat road kill, we should encourage them to be around.

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Farwalker08@reddit

They are really interesting birds too.

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Weary_Persimmon6415@reddit

facts about pets

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NintendogsWithGuns@reddit

Bobcats and coyotes are extremely common. I see them pretty often where I live. Even seen a fox once or twice.

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StrLord_Who@reddit

Oh WOW I didn't know we had them here! You're so lucky!

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PsEggsRice@reddit

I’m in Garland. Last year I walked out yo my car and tripped on something that grumbled at me. It was an otter. Called animal control, they picked it up and put a video of them releasing it later in the day.

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StrLord_Who@reddit

I SAW AN OTTER in lake ray hubbard years ago and nobody believed me!

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BCMBCG@reddit

Might be surprising, but development often supports MORE of these animals than untouched grasslands. Their food (rodents, rabbits, etc) often thrives in suburban sprawl.

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StrLord_Who@reddit

Same with coyotes

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F-14cobra@reddit

I saw a monkey in South Dallas one time. It was later in the night and it was pretty small. Maybe a capuchin type? Very odd experience.

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DallasGuy99@reddit

That's not unusual to see around here

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Silver_Cheetah_7063@reddit

They're all over Plano and Richardson

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Maryk67@reddit

7+ years ago I spoke to a cat sitting on a walkway in front of a house as I was going for a walk in the Trails neighborhood in south Garland. I realized later that it was a young bobcat.😳

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ZolaBear23@reddit

Bobcats are very common in the Dallas suburbs. We see them weekly here in Plano. No problem unless you are a small unattended pet.

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M33s4@reddit

Haven't seen a bobcat, but I'm almost positive I saw an alpaca running from UTD campus into the neighborhood across the street in night. 😂

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Friendly_Archer_4463@reddit

I'm happy this made you so happy. Joy is wealth in this economy. I had a bobcat family that used to visit me at my old house. After I moved into the city, I doubted I would ever see them. One day to my surprise, a little bobcat kitten poked its head out directly in front of my home and hung out for a while. It felt very special and I've never forgotten it. I've been all over the world and I've seen many things. Something doesn't need to be rare to bring you joy. Kudos to you.

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Wojtkie@reddit

I saw 2 of them during the freeze we had this winter in Addison!

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Express_Brilliant378@reddit

I stayed with my parents in Carrollton during the freeze. Their dogs like to bark at literally anything (a car driving by for ex). One of those days, they were barking at a bobcat in the lawn, and I was like…wow yall barked at something real for once lol.

I feel like the suburb bobcats thrive during our winter storms when everyone is inside. They can keep plenty warm and get actually get some quiet haha

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Express_Brilliant378@reddit

I saw a lady walking her doberman, which was having a completely still, silent face off with a bobcat on the sidewalk. She let her dog’s leash go and the bobcat scaled a brick in wall in like 2 seconds.

I’ve seen a bobcat probably 5 times in the area, but I had never seen one really show off how good they are climbing. It was wild, but I think they’re beautiful.

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pana_colada@reddit

Tons in my area in Plano. They really like my neighborhood.

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mental-Racoon@reddit

Are you new to NT? That’s normal

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hgilbert2020@reddit

My folks have seem them regularly in their part of Preston Hollow over the past 30 years (they bought their home there in 1995).

They spotted one most recently in February, in their backyard, due to the cameras they have installed.

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ToddtheRugerKid@reddit

Bobcats and mountain lions have been around the burbs for over a decade.

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noncongruent@reddit

They predate suburbs, and almost certainly predate humans in this area if not the continent.

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ToddtheRugerKid@reddit

Ok, you know what I mean though.

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Spock_Nipples@reddit

It's pretty common to see them in east Dallas. we have quite a few here.

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NTPC4@reddit

We live on the Garland/Richardson line and see them several times a week, and at certain times of year, with several kits following along. They've been in our trees, walked along the top of our fence, and down our alley, always looking healthy and beautiful.

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bengtc@reddit

Bucket list? Really?

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tadblong@reddit

You realize Bobcats are in no way rare or endangered, right? They’re just nocturnal and also incredibly stealthy. They’re a menace in our area because they maintain their territories through limiting the food supply for competing cats. This means they will go into an animal yard or chicken coop and kill everything but not eat anything just to minimize food sources for other cats. We shoot them as often as we can.

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Accomplished-Bug4327@reddit

I saw a bobcat once (but it was when I lived in Montana). It was a a really special experience- they’re really amazing animals- so cool that you got to see one in Garland!

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flapJ4cks@reddit

They arent very rare and are somewhat of a nuisance. We have several patrolling our neighborhood in Plano I capture on our driveway camera at least twice a week.

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GrillMarks0@reddit

Bobcats are around but I saw the mountain in Rowlett and that shook me. I thought, “ That’s a really big well fed coyote at 4 am, but why is he walking like a cat ?”

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GrillMonkey187@reddit

Live in Plano in an older development (early 70s construction) not too far from Chisholm Trail Park/Greenbelt. We have a regular bobcat visitor sniffing around the yard for bunnies. Found some rabbit’s feet and bits of fur in the front yard this winter. I’m always entertained when our (strictly indoor) cats spot Bob/Bobbie and act all tough with their tail-twitching and chasing it around the house from window to window.

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StatisticianEven6354@reddit

I see at least a couple bobcats every time I walk River Legacy Park trail. They are pretty chill and you can walk right next to them without it bothering them.

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IntotheBroadwayWoods@reddit

That's where I saw one. We just walked past each other and locked eyes. No big deal.

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KarmaLeon_8787@reddit

They are common in my part of town near the lake (where we have a lot of construction now). Not so much in the daytime, but nighttime cameras catch the sight of them walking along fences and the occasional roofline.

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Unforseen-Oedipus@reddit

Normal sight to see, they’re pretty common out here. Always cool to see them though.

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Sad_Towel_5953@reddit

Yeah they have nowhere to go, it’s sad af.

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LoveSaidNo@reddit

I’m in Richardson. A few years ago we had a mom and her kittens living in the sewer drain in front of our house. The kittens would climb up on our roof to wrestle and take naps on our porch. We live next to a creek and have lots of rabbits so it was a good place for the kittens to practice hunting.

They were very cute but it drove my cat nuts.

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mattgoldey@reddit

My brother lives in Allen, adjacent to Watters Creek, and sees them regularly.

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TravelingChick@reddit

Always a joy to see the urban wildlife! DFW area quite a bit. They follow along the creeks and use what open space is left - parks, golf courses, yards.

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outofurelement@reddit

We see them a lot in the suburbs up north

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Legitimate_Bite4770@reddit

I use to see them at the golf course late at night at my mother in law’s old house.

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wgardenhire@reddit

Absolutely gorgeous pelt!

So you killed the creature and skinned it.

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raucus_one@reddit

I saw one in Carrollton. It makes sense though, there are lots of bunnies around here for them to eat.

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Unusual_Frosting_889@reddit

Bobcats sit outside my dining room windows & harass my indoor only cats. Yes, the Dallas sprawl has forced them to become acclimated to humans. Lavon’s explosive growth has brought out more bobcat sightings.

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punkerjim@reddit

Why is this something you "can't believe"? Pretty common to see a bobcat in dfw.

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HairAccomplished66@reddit

I used to be an overnight medical courier during Covid and saw several. The biggest shock was seeing one just stroll through a strip mall around 15th Street in Plano, just a little west of 75. It took it's time, giving me a great opportunity to observe.

Another was on 635/Luna. I had to pick up from a hotel and parked under a tree in the parking to catch a little nap. I reclined my seat and laid back. About 10 minutes later I look up and see movement, and there is a huge bobcat laying on a branch. He casually starts coming down the tree and we literally make eye contact when he gets to my level. It was insane.

Next sighting, I am working in Southlake and one just strolls through our work parking lot during the day. It was a young one.

While I love these sightings, I can't help but feel sad that I am only seeing them because of urban sprawl.

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SimpleVegetable5715@reddit

This was their home first.

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_gneat@reddit

That means there’s probably tons of rodents in your area. That’s what they feed on.

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Mervis_Earl@reddit

TP&W video about bobcats in DFW. Shots from around south Euless along Route 10.

https://youtu.be/0mbGhS9ZNhQ?si=mIKU3aVdYn-szeyf

Saw a momma and 4 kits at the north end of Cowboys golf course, along the Denton Creek out flow from Lake Grapevine. She held her ground and watched us, while the little ones ran off toward the creek.

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