Unusual Hoof Tracks- Franklin County

[ivarhusa]

I came across some tracks that are probably deer tracks, but they had some unusual properties, so I thought I would share them.  First, I was in eastern Franklin County, which is deer country, so why would I think they could be something else?  Take a look at my sketch.


I have never taken notice of deer tracks where the rear hoof reliably landed almost exactly on top of the front hoof mark, on every stride. The tracks were deeply impressed in mud (dry, when observed). There was a striking difference in the shape of the front hoof print (mostly obliterated by the rear print), being rather sharp or 'dainty'.  The rear hoof print, over all, looked almost round.  I have never observed that in a deer track before. The imprint was perhaps 3/8" deep, with no evidence of a dew claw in any of the 30 or 40 print-pairs I observed. 

If they were deer, they were of a large animal. When I first saw the track, they looked round enough that I thought they were cow tracks, until I saw the pointed front-hoof marks. This was wheat country with no cow flop in sight.  None.

The track was strikingly uniform, as if the animal was in a very steady gait. Every rear print was nearly coincident with a front-hoof print.  I've never seen that before.

Any speculation? Probably deer, but have you ever seen such attributes? (I admit to rookie-tracker status.)

[bucklucky]

The "round" track would be the front hoof and the pointy narrow track the rear. Are you sure they arent elk tracks??

[blindpig]

Sounds elky to me.

[DOUBLELUNG]

Any llamas in that area?

[boneaddict]

Does sound LLamaish

[ICEMAN]

Ivar, I thought you were going to start carrying that camera and stop leaving it at the car?   

What gives? 

[rasbo]

I think its a new breed that has evolved..deelk

[singleshot12]

Or Hurn the Hunter 

[ivarhusa]

Truth is, guys, that I observed these tracks on the same hunt, last Friday, where I didn't have the camera for the (possibly) cougar tracks.

So you think the front tracks are the bigger, rounder, ones.  Well, that sure is possible. The habit of putting a hind foot in exactly the same spot as the front is what has me going.  I just don't recall ever seeing that pattern before.

I found a pattern in an image on the web that shows this, for moose:



You can see the pairing of hoof strikes here. Is this the only likely animal to have this pattern?  I don't know.  I do know that an office worker saw, with her own eyes, a female moose last year about 25 miles from where I saw these tracks.  Others have reported the moose as well. So moose are at least "in play".  You think?

Ivar

[WVT]

very common in my experience with deer and expecially elk when walking for the rear hoof to land on the front track.

[croix]

I have read that female deer (and similar animals) will have tracks that lie on top of each other. It is less common in mature male deer because of the difference in chest width and rear hip width. 3 1/2" track would be a pretty big doe or cow elk - that's my guess. 

[Gobble]

I've seen this many times as well.

[BLUEBULLS]

there have been a couple different moose spotted out there but you'll know if it's a moose track. there are also a couple small herds of elk out there. My guess is elk.

[dbllunger]

Deer!

[Dmanmastertracker]

 Friends of ours own 2,000 acres in Whitman County and there have been more moose moving through there the last couple years, could very well be moose.