Anyone with Knowledge of Animal Tracks?

[NJChileHead]

Hey Folks,

I was poking around the Pine Barrens yesterday and came across some canid tracks that looked more to me like a large dog than a coyote (track was rounder), however there were no human tracks around and the track width (straddle) was very narrow and the path was very deliberate, which I thought suggested coyote. I know that coydogs are seen once in a while but I wasn't sure if anyone had info on how the footpad or track straddle changes when domestic dogs interbreed with coyotes. In other words, could this have been a coydog with individual tracks like a domestic dog but a track pattern like a coyote?

BTW, in retrospect I realize that taking pictures of the tracks and pattern would have been much more helpful, thanks for bearing with my shortsightedness.

Chilehead

 

[woodjin]

Hey! you know, the possibility of a coydog is there but unlikely. I have seen some very large yote tracks...and ultimately I use the absence of human tracks and a deliberate path and the remoteness of the area as a determination of whether it is likely a dog or yote. I have found that most of the time picking out the differences between dog and yote by track imprint is less reliable than the other criteria. The timber wolf (eastern wolf)/coyote hybrids we have here are quite large.

That said, some people get their dogs out pretty far in the woods and they are not always with their dogs all the time. So, I would say you mostly likely came across a big yote, less likely a dog, and most unlikely a coydog.

 

[NJChileHead]

Thanks Woodjin!

 

[ecampbell]

Where was this? It might have been my Dane, they have unusual feet.

 

[Gibby]

Chile,

'yote tracks are very easy to identify. The print is symmetrical with toe pads that are oriented more forward and grouped tighter than a domestic dog.. The heel pad has a center lobe which will stand out. You will also notice that 'yotes don't have a lazy gait and won't drag their paws.

 

[manumuskin]

also if you have a trail and yotes often use man trails and roads but along the side of the trail usually every hundred yards or so you'll find white hair filled dog turds.these belong to yotes.Their always along side the trail never in it and are always bleached white from hair and bone and as Woodjin mentioned yotes travel like they have a place to be and a time to be there.Dogs wander and explore like everything is an adventure because it is.They have no worries about filling their bellies or a warm place to sleep,thats all taken care of.

 

[SuperChooch]

What do you think of these? Yotes? I saw these on the way in to Quarter Mile last weekend. The reason I noticed them was that there were no fresh human tracks nearby.

 

[RednekF350]

Coyote tracks Chooch.
Notice the claws making thin slices ? The few that I have killed had claws that looked like hooked razors.
Two claw marks in the track are also an indicator. Domestic dogs leave a track with all 4 claw marks showing. The other quick glance clue would be looking at their path. Coyote tracks generally look like someone snapped a chalk line for them to follow.

 

[manumuskin]

I never knew that about the two claws verses four Scott.Thanks for the tip.What you say about snapping a line is dead on.Coyotes are all business.None of the foolishness dogs engage in.

 

[RednekF350]

I've been to a few trapping seminars and the first thing I learned is that coyotes do not waste time or energy trying to look stupid.

 

[manumuskin]

I don't believe my Lab puppy is trying.I think she's totally oblivious to how stupid she looks.

 

[NJChileHead]

Thanks, folks, for the information so far! Does the two claw prints vs. 4 work for differentiating between fox and coyote (I usually look at the size and depth difference of the print)?

Al, how is Sophie taking to the new pup?

 

[smellinsage]

Thank you for all this helpful information. I have always wondered how to tell the difference.

 

[manumuskin]

Thanks, folks, for the information so far! Does the two claw prints vs. 4 work for differentiating between fox and coyote (I usually look at the size and depth difference of the print)?

Al, how is Sophie taking to the new pup?

Sophie is best friends with the new pup but Sophie is definitely Alpha dog.She is very jealous when the pup tries to get attention from my wife.She will actually growl and snap at the puppy sometimes.Sophie is not a morning dog but the puppy wakes up at 100 mph.Sophie will snatch her by the ear and hold her down to chill her out sometimes.As Sophie wakes up she then becomes playful.The Puppy has made Sophie younger but not so young that a pecking order is not evident.
In regards to fox they walk like cats.Their prints register which means their hind tracks generally fall in their front tracks.They have a very narrow track path and like coyotes have a definite schedule to keep but they seem to tend to use man trails and roads less.I have followed yote tracks for over a mile down a sand road.Fox tend to I think have smaller territories which means they won't follow a trail near as far before their off it and back into the woods.Red fox will usually be found more around human settlement though can pop up anywhere.Grey fox love the deep woods and swamps moreso and are quite adept at climbing trees.Also fox tracks are about the size of a cat track only with claws showing.Coyotes have a much bigger track and a longer stride and the back tracks will fall either inside or outside of the front tracks which can also be a sex indicator with male having a broader chest their front tracks often fall outside of their rear tracks,Then again I have never tracked a coyote to it's feet to verify this so Scott may be able to verify or squash this theory.

 

[RednekF350]

I think you are spot on Al.
Another thing to look at when in sandy areas is the fox track will leave a lighter impression because of the animal's lighter weight. As Al said, the fox track is usually always smaller than the typical coyote.

NJChile, the two claw mark indicator applies to the coyote in my experience. Both fox and coyote have four claws per foot but the coyotes have two leading claws that are more pronounced. Unless they are walking in really soft, wet soil, you generally only notice the two fronts.
See image below. Do not view if you don't want to see a dead animal's foot.

http://s108.photobucket.com/user/possum-skinner/media/tracks and foot id/coyotefrontfoot.jpg.html

 

[NJChileHead]

Apologies for the delay. Thanks for the info folks!

 

[NJChileHead]

I'm back with more! I went back to the location in question today, and found the track pictured below. Can I get a confirmation of coyote?

Also, can I get a confirmation that this is a buck scrape? It was in a dense patch of cedars.

Thank you for your help!

 

[manumuskin]

Yes to the buck rub (a scrape is a scratched out mark on the ground done by the antlers) a rub is where the buck is rubbing off velvet while mock fighting with a tree.Also they scent mark the branch overhanging the scrap with an eye gland and then piss down their hocks to scent the dirt with urine and hock gland. The print is canine but I"ll let Scott or someone else tell if it's dog or coyote.Not sure on that one.

 

[RednekF350]

I would bet 100% on coyote track. You will not see a domestic dog leave just two leading claw prints around the paw.

 

[bobpbx]

I was in the pine plains last Saturday, bushwhacking through one area near the Warren Grove recreation area. It had rained the night before, and when I finally stepped out onto that wide road I realized I had flushed out a few coyotes. Since the sand was still wet, I got a good print of claws, and something related to what Scott said about walking in line. The lower photo shows one track imposed upon the other, and this was the only set of tracks in this section of the road.