Cougar tracks spotted in eastern Franklin County

[ivarhusa]

Guys,  I am not necessarily the most reliable witness (lacking some experience), but I came across a set of tracks that I concluded had to be cougar tracks, and in an unlikely location. 

I was heading up a shallow draw (coulees, we call them on this side) up a farm road when I spotted tracks that I measured (used the scale on my compass) exactly 4" across. The track was deeply formed in soft mud (now dry), and I would have said BIG DOG (really big dog), but there were no claw marks.  I believe that is the give-away.

These tracks were within 500 yards of a farm house in wheat country. This place is in a drainage (coulee system) that has much un-tilled land- CRP or whatever- extending across the county. I believe this is "wild enough" for cougar, though I certainly didn't expect it.  I also spotted one set of really large deer tracks.

What do you make of my find?  Plausible? Another hunting partner, one of significant experience, spotted cougar track in NW Franklin County, some 30 miles or so from my location.  I think the pieces fit together.

(Didn't hear or see any coyotes at this location, though there was old scat.)   

[270Shooter]

I think its possible, I heard about 2 cougars out at silver dollar a few years ago.

[runniNgunnin]

ive coyote hunting 15 miles east of yakima on high way 24 on some familys land when i found a set of cougar tracks. i told my grandma(shes really "rugged") about it and said that she had a band of sheep out there and it was probably one of the herders dogs... about a week later she called me and told me a guy with a farm house about a mile from where i had seen the tracks shot a cougar in his barn.... 15 miles EAST of yakima.... so i would say it is very likely they were coug tracks

[saylean]

4 inches..no claw marks..sounds like a coug to me...take pics next time. 

[rainshadow1]

There have been sightings and kills out your way lately..... they're adapting to farm country.

[runniNgunnin]

i imagen in the future there is going to be alot more sightings closer to urban areas since they have put a stop to hound hunting and what not.....

[MeatGETTER24]

Only a matter of time before they "RELEASE THE HOUNDS" again.

[ivarhusa]

This has been a learning experience.  And sorry I am that I didn't have the energy yesterday to go back to the car to get the camera to document my find. In keeping with my initial reservation about how positive I was, I have done a bit more study (on the web) about cougar tracks.

It was pointed out on the web page I consulted that the central (rear) pad of the cougar track is significantly larger than the "toe" pads, whereas a dog's tend to be more equal. I recall them being more "equal" (dog-like). Further, a cougar track will have one "toe" more prominent than another, so one could identify a left-print from a right-print.  I don't recall seeing that either.

Please put my sighting in the 'suspicious' category.

[Big10gauge]

Ivar, If it looked like this, then you've need to start watching your back 

[Red Dawg]

O dont know where you are hunting but last week i found some fresh cougar tracks walking right through tidewater in burbank. So ya they are out there.

[270Shooter]

Well I guess you just need to carry a bigger gun . I have heard that they have really started to adapt to the open/sage country. Every one in a while one comes in to west yakima. About 4 years ago someone saw one about 400 yards from my house .

[atomicjoe23]

In the southwest (where I just moved from). . .they are everywhere. . .CA is gonna HAVE to allow hunting again VERY soon. . .I think Cali has a VERY high number of cougar attacks right now. . .mostly hikers and mountian bikers (especially mountian bikers) out minding their business. . .

. . .also in the southwest the cats are already out in the sage and cactus. . .two of my sister's live in Pheonix and if you're lucky you will catch a glimpse of one sitting on top of the saugaro cactus out therer just looking around. . .

. . .someone had a good picture of one sitting on top of one of those saugaro's once, but I couldn't find it just now. .

[deaddog]

O dont know where you are hunting but last week i found some fresh cougar tracks walking right through tidewater in burbank. So ya they are out there.

Heard from a pal of mine, he found coug tracks at wallula juction a few weeks ago and I have been seeing elk way down low on the snake river breaks, seems every body is coming out of the hills. Sage brush cougs , got to love that.

[Gobble Gobble]

That's what I love about the Tri-Cities we have everything you could possibly want to hunt (except bear  ) and the pronghorn are just a short drive down to the Umatilla Chemical Debot.

[FrankDown]

Atomic Joe wehred you live in Cali?  I lived in Pasadena withthe Angeles Crest Forest about 10 mins away so Id go hunti quail after work living int he big city.  Not many others out there hunting either.  For some reason the cougars LOVE mountain bikers and hikers lol...  The ones that protected them are getting eaten lol.  Theres lot of places for them to jump down from in much of the high desert.  I was always wary of them while I was trout fishing in the high desert.  It seems the black bears there like tortillas too...