Tracks

[hunter399]

Here's some tracks you always love to see out elk hunting.
 
Well what say you guys what type of track?
The bottom pic is my size 12 boot.
Of course tracks always look bigger in mud and wet snow.

[OutHouse]

Hard to tell and I am no expert. However, I did see confirmed wolf tracks once and I recall them being a lot bigger than those but not sure. Perhaps someone else can chime in. Thanks for sharing.

[WSU]

Looks too small to me but I'm far from an expert.

[KFhunter]

Could be, I see nothing that would rule out wolf or domestic K9

The area would say something, as would the stride and method of travel.

I don't have that info, so its a smallish wolf (female or sub-adult male) or a largish domestic breed of dog.

2c

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[boneaddict]

 

[hunter399]

The only clues I can give.
Pics where taken 2 mile behind gate ,so that would put it little over two miles to nearest house.

Next clue
A bic lighter is 3 inches long.

It could be a domestic dog I suppose anything is possible.
WDFW says a wolf track is 5 in longx4in wide so they might be on the small side.

[KFhunter]

Wolf pups look like a wide yote track

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[Loup Loup]

Looks like a cougar track from here.

[KFhunter]

Looks like a cougar track from here.

You need to get closer to the screen lol

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[MAVsled]

Twisp, unit 231 Gardner
10/24/2020

snow brought the big dogs out of the high country. next day, they were gone out of my hunt area.

[JL]

117

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[HUNTINCOUPLE]

Squatch pups.

[Buckhunter24]

On the smaller side for wolf, looks like two different sets of tracks near the boot. I don't think it's coyote based on the width of the track and if its that far from residence I would say a couple smaller wolves probably.

They're everywhere..

[KFhunter]

117

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Cat

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[Skyvalhunter]

Can't eat tracks

[hunter399]

Can't eat tracks

Didn't plan on eating a coyote or wolf anyway
Not sure about you though
Sometimes it's fun to post up tracks ,you get to see what other hunters are seeing in different area.my tracks are from 121.

[JL]

KF, There was a pair of two on that trail and they were howling the morning before.   

[idaho guy]

117

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Cat

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  100 percent lion

[idaho guy]

Original tracks look small for wolf but agree it could be pup or small female Looks more domestic dog

[JL]

lol.

[JL]

There are (2) tracks here.

[KFhunter]

Yup

Both lion

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[JL]

Thank you both. Wouldn't have guessed that. Good thread OP.

[KFhunter]

Thank you both. Wouldn't have guessed that. Good thread OP.

NP

The track on the right appears to be a large female, big, mature, been around a while.

The left appears to be a smaller tom, might be her near adult kit

The tom crosses over the females track at the top part of the pic




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[JL]

Thanks again. Forget the time stamp but possible I crossed track in dark and took pic walking out (daylight). First one,  I
jumped.

[Wanttohuntmore]

These are wolf for comparison.   I watched the wolf make the faint track and found the other track nearby.

[Wanttohuntmore]

The non faint track.

[JL]

Claw marks are very distinct. Still thinking cat?

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[highcountry_hunter]

These are wolf for comparison.   I watched the wolf make the faint track and found the other track nearby.

If you watched him make those tracks, I sure hope you made sure he’s no longer out there making more tracks

[predatorpro]

Claw marks are very distinct. Still thinking cat?

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That is without a doubt a cat track. The rear pad has 3 lobes, you cant make an x through the pad and toes are in an arch.  Cats have claws to and are allowed to use them when walking if needed. Unless im just missing something here which has been known to happen...lol

[Fl0und3rz]

117

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Cat

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  100 percent lion

What's the tell?  Lack of claws? Tail dip? Gate?

[eliandsky]

[eliandsky]

Get closer prints its to hard to say 4” away.
Look at the main pad   Dogs make almost a perfect clover leaf. Cats retract claws but now always. Cats make almost an M on the main pad and tend to be longer L to R

[carpsniperg2]

I am no expert but I believe those to be cat tracks. A lot of the time cats will walk with the claws retracted. If things are a little slick or they need traction they can use them to get traction. I have seen cat tracks with claw marks more then a couple times.

[Okanagan]

Cat.

 The three lobed heel on the close up second set of pics says cat, with length of toes, front back step pattern and overall shape agreeing. 

The pattern of tracks in the first set of pics hints at fisher, but the prints aren't right for fisher IME and the full fisher pattern isn't there.




 

[Onewhohikes]

Bobby

[KFhunter]

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Cat

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  100 percent lion

What's the tell?  Lack of claws? Tail dip? Gate?

I had to think about this, how to describe exactly, to me I just see it instantly.    I guess the tell would be the size of the main pad in relation to the toes, and how the toes are arraigned in that arc across the front of the foot.  The almond looking toes, large main heel pad, 3 lobes on the heel pad which aren't always visible in the snow...and of course no prominent nails always helps too.

I've seen tracks just like these tracks perhaps 100's of times going off the road and disappearing in the brush below. 

A tail drag can help reaffirm tracks, but you have to be careful it's not a toe drag too, in this pic I think it's the right front toe drug just a tad on the 2nd cat.  I've seen cougar tracks where they were chasing a deer and the tail slap into the ground, but generally they hold them up high enough not to just limply hang and drag snow, but a lot of times you can see a gentle brushing through the snow, more as the snow gets deeper. 

[JL]

Thanks for such informative posts and sorry to turn this into a cat thread. Can see it clearly, now. I'd be calling in the hounds if I were a little further East.

[idaho guy]

117

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Cat

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  100 percent lion

What's the tell?  Lack of claws? Tail dip? Gate?

I had to think about this, how to describe exactly, to me I just see it instantly.    I guess the tell would be the size of the main pad in relation to the toes, and how the toes are arraigned in that arc across the front of the foot.  The almond looking toes, large main heel pad, 3 lobes on the heel pad which aren't always visible in the snow...and of course no prominent nails always helps too.

I've seen tracks just like these tracks perhaps 100's of times going off the road and disappearing in the brush below. 

A tail drag can help reaffirm tracks, but you have to be careful it's not a toe drag too, in this pic I think it's the right front toe drug just a tad on the 2nd cat.  I've seen cougar tracks where they were chasing a deer and the tail slap into the ground, but generally they hold them up high enough not to just limply hang and drag snow, but a lot of times you can see a gentle brushing through the snow, more as the snow gets deeper.

   

I agree with what kf said. I am a long time hound hunter and after a while tracks like that just scream lion. When you look at enough cat tracks and see a track like that you know 100% its lion. Thats a dream track for a houndsman. If its a questionable track because of age or bad snow conditions the 3 lobes on back pad( if evident) are a guarantee its a cat. Many times you cant make out the 3 lobes in bad conditions  so you cant always rely on that. The almond shape of the toes is a good way to describe the toes and the round shape of the overall track. Many times I can spot a snowed in track of a cat just because of the pattern of the track and the actual shape. My pet peeve is people dismissing a cat track as soon as they see claws. Most of the time cats are moving with their claws in but I have found hundreds of lion tracks with their claws completeley out and very obvious in the track. No claws is only 1 piece of the puzzle and should never be used to completely eliminate a track as a lion. The only way I have ever reliably determined female vs a male track is by length of stride. Even that only confirms a mature tom shorter strides only tell you female or younger male.   40 inches or more is what i have used to tell me mature tom and less is younger male or female. I cant tell stride or size from that picture but that looks exactly like a set of tracks I ran last year and we ended up treeing both cats one was 120lb roughly male and the female was probably 110. They were probably mating. lions are definitely territorial and hang solo but they will hang out together as adults while breeding. I dont know how long they do this maybe few days to a week? Just know they do hang together for a while due to experience. The only way to reliably determine sex in the tree is a round black spot on toms down where there junk should be so there is now way I have found outside of stride to determine male vs female without actually looking between their legs. One thing I have not relied on for track identification is a trail drag but I would guess that could be usefull. Also unless its extremely deep and soft snow cats almost never make  drag marks with their feet through the snow but it happens in the deep sugary snow.       

[KFhunter]

I'll also add I look at the width of the legs pressed in the snow on snowed in tracks.   

Deer have long skinny legs, and leave a narrow trench in the snow down to the track from their shins or forearms.   

Wolves also have a narrow forearm and skinny leg, they also leave a pretty narrow trough or impression from their legs leading down into the track itself.

Lions leave a wider trough into the snow with their thicker legs.   


see pic, this area of the leg is pretty wide on a cat

[Fl0und3rz]

Thanks, guys.  Couldn't really make out any noticeable main pad differences.

[HighlandLofts]

There are no wolves in that area so they must be coyote tracks. Harvest them coyotes.