Anyone with Knowledge of Animal Tracks?

[NJChileHead]

The bottom picture looks to me like the end of a tail. Some grizzled fur in there too. I'm leaning toward grey fox, coyote or raccoon. Raccoon seems to consistently have the banding. Using the leaves for scale, it's not a big piece of the tail. Not 100% sure it's a tail, but if it is, that's what I would go by.

Gray fox tails:

Coyote tail (will be quite variable):

Raccoon tail:

 

[manumuskin]

I never even thought of fox.I was thinking of something likely to fall prey to a predator and not a predator itself but bigger predators do eat smaller predators.I"ll send the pic to my taxidermist buddy and get his opinion.

 

[manumuskin]

My buddy says he thinks it's coon.He skins and salts hides all day long for his Dad who is the actual taxidermist so He has quite a bit of experience with different types of critter skins.

 

[manumuskin]

He said definitely not a skunk,possibly fox or coyote but he'd put money on a coon.

 

[JeepComanche]

Wow thanks for all the replys. So i guess its looking like a coon after all. I found nothing else nearby but I know its common for predators to drag the kill away from the open

 

[NJChileHead]

My buddy says he thinks it's coon.He skins and salts hides all day long for his Dad who is the actual taxidermist so He has quite a bit of experience with different types of critter skins.

Raccoon it is! Thank you and your friend for the info.

 

[NJChileHead]

Here's an interesting one from a few years ago that I thought I'd share. Note the human footprint on the right for scale:

 

[Gibby]

A few times I have come across tracks from a large dog that have left me amazed by their size. The distortion in the mud makes those tracks look larger than they are but a massive dog left those none the less.

The light snow fall we are having today has reminded me of something that has happened to me several times. One of those times, I was between Atsion and Carranza hiking in the early morning snow and back tracking on my tracks only to find coyote prints on my trail. I was more fascinated than spooked.

 

[RednekF350]

One of those times, I was between Atsion and Carranza hiking in the early morning snow and back tracking on my tracks only to find coyote prints on my trail. I was more fascinated than spooked.

Dogs of all kinds are prone to tracking interesting scents in a trail.
One of the tips I learned from a grizzled old trapper at a trapping field class I had was that after making a set, walk "through" your set after you completed it. This would mean that you would not walk down a trail, make a set and then turn around and leave the way you came in.
He would walk through his set at least another 30 yards down the trail and then turn around to leave. An animal tracking a human scent would be more apt to be absorbed in tracking a continuous track and hit the set. The animal would not halt at the end of the scent trail and spend a few seconds figuring out that something was amiss. This applies to blind sets where you are targeting trafficking animals.

 

[manumuskin]

I cannot see this track very well because of the contrasting light and shadows but it looks like a bear track to me. A back foot at that.Am I seeing a clear heel and pad with claw marks? The contrast is really hurting me here.

 

[Jon Holcombe]

I cannot see this track very well because of the contrasting light and shadows but it looks like a bear track to me. A back foot at that.Am I seeing a clear heel and pad with claw marks? The contrast is really hurting me here.

ChileHead, hopefully you won't mind that I took the liberty of adjusting the shadow on your jpg so MM can get a better look at the track.

 

[RednekF350]

I'd say bear, given the human footprint for scale.
If not for the footprint, I would say the rear foot of a big, fat, trash-can-raiding raccoon.
http://www.denniskalma.com/river/raccoontracks.png

 

[manumuskin]

My idea exactly Scott.Looks Coonish but as big as a man track....(BEAR)

 

[manumuskin]

ChileHead, hopefully you won't mind that I took the liberty of adjusting the shadow on your jpg so MM can get a better look at the track.
View attachment 7089

Thanks Jon,Good Job!

 

[Gibby]

Red and Manu, you may be right, but I see a canine heel pad in the left of the track as if it stepped on top of another track.

Please explain your reasoning so I can better understand.

Thanks in advance,

Robert

 

[manumuskin]

The toes look like they could be dog claws but I think I"m seeing a bears hind foot pad. maybe if the entire track were in the same light or even better if it were say evening with slanted light that would highlight the topography of the track.really not sure what I"m seeing here.maybe you could (Gibby} make a paint file of the track and outline what you see as a dog track.You may be right,I may be seeing something I That isn't there and missing something that is.

 

[manumuskin]

Nice set of tracks here.The first track in foreground is a hind foot.The next one is a front foot.

 

[Gibby]

This is Chile's image but I have outlined what I see as a canine print for discussion. The mark is from the heel pad sliding in the mud over top of the other track.

 

[RednekF350]

NJChile, where was the photo taken ?

 

[NJChileHead]

NJChile, where was the photo taken ?

The photo was taken in the Sourlands, Hunterdon County. Here is a second photo, which I believe illustrates the detail that Gibby outlined in post number 58 above: