[IMG][url="http://www.hunt101.com/?p=243759&c=500&z=1"] [/url][/IMG]

I hope that picture comes works. Compared the the track to the lighter with a ruler and it is 2" wide.

I followed these tracks for a piece along a 4-wheeler trail. Then the tracks cut down over the hill, so when i followed them, they went right across where three deer had been bedded down, melted places in snow. The reason the track is so clear there is it stepped in the deer bed where the snow was soft and melted. I'm thinking that's no accident it left the trail it, went down there and chased the deer up, you could see the deer tripped over logs getting out of there.

Plinker

I know that sort of looks like a cat track, but 2" is too big for that.

Anyway, i went back to the house and got two steel traps and a dead cat I had found. I dragged the cat for a long ways along the trail, then nailed it to a tree about 4' up. Set the steel traps at the bottom and wired the chains to some smaller trees. I hope the traps are big enough, they are muskrat traps.

Plinker

I think that Coyote tracks are ususally longer than they are wide. I would guess it is a dog track.

Plinker--Be very careful when tracking. One WV woman found a strange set of tracks and when she bent over for a closer look,a train ran over her.

Best I can tell, I would call it a coyote. Always look for the claws, if you can see them, its a dog or a coyote. If you can't, its a cat since cats have retractable claws.

SOME Texans know about coyote tracks and some only know about train tracks

I like NorthTexan's answer, because i want it to be a coyote. More likely Hughjass is right and it is a dog, it's sure round like a dog. But on the other hand, there's no visible claw marks and the track is detailed enough to show them if they were there. NorthTexan said claws should show on a dog or coyote. If it is a cat, then it'd have to be a bobcat to have 2" wide tracks.

Plinker

Not an expert but I would say coyote. What was the stride, width(l-r) track placement, overlay?

[IMG][url="http://www.hunt101.com/?p=244072&c=500&z=1"] [/url][/IMG]

About 10 inches between each stride. Didn't notice the width.... They were offset but i couldn't even guess.

This picture is from yesterday. Today it was supposed to snow, but it's raining/snowing and the snow is turning slushy. I got up at 4 a.m., waited till it got light, then checked trap and nothing in it. Bummer. But i think it's a bobcat and they probably hate to get wet. Maybe tomorrow.

Plinker

My first thought was cat,large one at that.
Redfield(the scope people) put out a dandy little booklet called the "Tracking Guide". Maybe send them an email and see if it is still available. derf

I'll vote with Carpetman except it still looks like coyote tracks. Dogs don't always show nails. The surest way to know is to watch for it in a M-8 4X32 Leo.

It's fairly easy to tell a cat from a dog when you know what to look for. The best characters, to my experience is the protruding inner toe pad and the shape of the heel pad. Claws don't always leave tracks.
http://www.bear-tracker.com/caninevsfeline.html

Thanks for the replies and help with this. And, Olli, that is the best site i ever saw detailing how to distinguish tracks. I'm convinced it is a bobcat. Maybe because that's what i want it to be. But also because i found some hair on a barb wire fence where it had went under. It looked like cat hair, sort of fine with some reddish/yellow hairs. Whatever it is, no luck catching it yet. Five degrees out there this morning, sort of cold to be checking traps. Most warm blooded things seemed to have enough sense to sleep in today.

Plinker

Plinker--When I first saw the pic I thought the bic was placed there by you for size reference. Then I remembered you don't smoke. Coyotes,dogs etc don't smoke either. Only humans. So this was made by a human. I knew in the metamorphosis of adapting to West Virginia terrain that people grew one leg longer from always walking on a hill. Do they grow padded feet for someother adaptation?

Carpetman, you would make a good detective. But you were right the first time, the lighter was for reference. I don't smoke, but that's the only thing i had in my pocket. The lighter is for lighting firecrackers to scare away canada geese.

Padded feet? No i don't have any padded feet.

Plinker

with a stride like that and the size of the print it's definantly a yellow lab 3 to 5 years old , one owner dog possibly in heat , IMHO

That track is not feline. It is a coyote and a good one. I have never seen a domestic dog that didn't show claws in snow like that or soft dirt. I have trapped for 37 years now, and I would bet the farm on it.

RBRN

It ain't no Cat, for sure and true! I've been trapping cats for nearly 40 years and this track ain't no cat, the pad is Canine. Might be somebodys Shithound but it looks like the hind foot of a big coyote. The hind feet on Coyotes (especially an older one) make a rounder track than the front feet do. Godsdog.

Well, thanks to you all for your opinions on the tracks. I've got steel traps set but not catching anything in them...using some dead starlings for bait. One day one of the starlings was gone, but nothing in trap. Have to wait for another snowfall now.

Plinker

I don't see claws like you would expect on a dog or Coyote .... but I also don't see the clover shaped rear pad like you'd expect on a Bobcat or other cat.

So I don't know. If I was forced to make a guess...... I'd say Bobcat. Track isn't oval like canine.

Cat vs. Dog

DaMan

Plinker,

I'm about sure that the local library will have Fur, Fish and Game in the periodicals section. If the young boys haven't cut them up for photos of the traps and guns you should be able to find an article on making a good set for coyote.

Boil the traps, don't touch them with bare hands (get rubber gloves). There is a "wax" used to lube and protect the traps (maybe the local farm co-op can help). You can also make up a small sift box from a small wood frame and old window screen. This can be immensely helpful in creating a dry set. You should also approach the set in rubber boots (likewise to minimize scent). Lots of details that you'll do well with.

I also recommend that you set the bait so that the animal MUST go over the trap.

BTW, not just for Airgungirl, trapping is usually a licensed activity...

Keep this topic going. It is right interesting.

Dog!

i sure wouldn't want to catch a dog... I hope you're wrong, Cougarbait.

Hobie, i saw some of that wax at the pawnshop, i might go back and pick some up and start over. The cat and starlings aren't very good bait, maybe some raw liver.

That magazine, Fur Fish and Game; haven't thought of that in years. When i was a kid i sent a dollar and received a 3-month trial subscription. My stepdad liked it so much he subscribed (he had more money than me). I mostly remember the covers. They always had nice pictures and i used to practice drawing the animals.

Plinker

quote:

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Originally posted by Olli:
http://www.bear-tracker.com/caninevsfeline.html

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www.bear-tracker.com

great website. really shows the difference between various animal tracks and what to look for in a general sense. they are definetly from a dog. probably from a coyote or fox.

thanks for the website

I just saw this thread, I don't get in here very often anymore.

Here is a picture of fresh cougar tracks. You can see the obvious lobes to the pad and the circular arrangement of the toes. Also, no claws as has been mentioned.

Coyotes have a very tight, diamond shaped track compared to dogs. Sometimes it is hard to tell a small dog from a coyote, but the coyotes usually have a very long front-two toes and an overall tight formation. Domestic dogs are not as tight and at least out west, the coyotes are pretty small. I spose eastern coyotes can be as large.

Dog I spend most weekends now chaseing yotes with hounds, Most yote tracks are a bit more pointed.