Cougar or Bobcat? I'm no cat pro.

[Biggerhammer]

I was up on the property roughing in some electrical, I decided to go put batteries in one of the Perminent game camera set-ups on the place. I noticed these tracks which were very fresh due to the rain shower 4 hours earlier. I can't tell if they are a young Cougar or a large Bobcat. I'm thinking Cougar, due to the fact I haven't been seeing deer as often this spring as I have in the past.

The tracks were all around the game camera set, maybe I'll get a pic of the cat in question now that the camera is up and going.

Camera set-up.



A quick pic from last evening.




The tracks in question.

[Timberstalker]

I am not certain that is a feline track.  It doesn't appear to be that round. 
The hard dirt won't allow for the dog's nails to hit the soil.  That's my opinion.
They may look different in person.

[jkononen]

look like canine to me

[KopperBuck]

http://www.bear-tracker.com/caninevsfeline.html

[MtnMuley]

Canine 100%

[Skyvalhunter]

Since it's a $50 I say dog

[jkononen]

Probably Wolf Since Decline In deer

[jackelope]

Must be eastern washington since you had to put a rock on the 50 spot to keep it from blowing away.
 
I agree that's a dog track.

[Old Man Yager]

you still got 50$...? you must not have donated to the WA State special permits

[TommyH]

agreed, canine tracks.

[Evil_EdwardO]

Cougars always dropping fifties to pick up the young dogs. 

Actually, looks like a canine track.

[sirfunkeybut]

looks like you can see three claw marks in the second pic, I say dog as well.

[BOWHUNTER45]

  I just woke from a nap ...my eyes maybe blurry but looks man made to me  The back pad is just to far from the toes 

[Biggerhammer]

It just threw me off, due to the fact the dirt is way softer than it looks in the pic. Way powdery, just that thin crust from a passing rain burst. I would have bet if it was canine there would have been at least one nail print? I followed the track for a 100 yards or so and not one nail print? Even on a slight hill, I'm still scratching my head. The 50 spot is all I had for size reference, tried to take the pic three times and the bill blew away. Stuffed a rock on it and called it good.

[mountainman]

Definetly dog