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03/01/09, 01:04 PM
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Join Date: May 2002
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Went out to feed livestock this morning and found...
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Joy at Secretplace Farm
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03/01/09, 01:24 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Wisconsin
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Cats dont leave claw marks. They are wider in width than length too. The claws are retracted when walking. Thats canine or something else. Very big dog?
Here is info on tracks from the DNR, including cougar tracks. LINK
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03/01/09, 01:52 PM
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Appalachian American
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: SW VA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RiverPines
Cats dont leave claw marks. They are wider in width than length too. The claws are retracted when walking. Thats canine or something else. Very big dog?
Here is info on tracks from the DNR, including cougar tracks. LINK |
The link you posted says "typically" cougars don't leave claw marks, which means sometimes they might. Looking at the rest of the print, the rear of the heel pad in some of the tracks does appear to have 3 lobes, while in others it's not so clear. This may well be a cougar. I would be very careful about following the tracks, you might find the end of them.
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03/01/09, 01:55 PM
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Just howling at the moon
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Wyoming
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Yep. RiverPines is right. That's either a good sized dog or wolf. Which eastern Washington would make tha a possiblity.
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03/01/09, 02:17 PM
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Big Sky Country
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Animal tracks
Look under the dog family section. SRM
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03/01/09, 02:18 PM
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Join Date: May 2002
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I've never seen wolves around here, but this is cougar country and where it bedded down, it was very much cougar colors in the snow. The tracks appeared from way out in the wheat fields and continued on through them after it past our house. Never seen a dog that big for miles around here, plus do they step inside their own prints?
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Joy at Secretplace Farm
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03/01/09, 02:27 PM
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Retired farmer-rancher
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Location: north-central Kansas
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Probably someones labrador retriever or other big dog. Definately not cat.
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03/01/09, 02:38 PM
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Join Date: May 2002
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I may not know what it is exactly, but it is an animal with a huge print and step, one that's nearly 3 feet! Also, we live in the middle of nowhere, and those that have dogs are obviously miles away.
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Joy at Secretplace Farm
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03/01/09, 03:00 PM
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Moderator
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Location: Michigan
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When my friend had a cougar on her property last year, the tracks had distinct claw marks.
It was definately a cougar too, they got pics and video of it.
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03/01/09, 03:04 PM
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Appalachian American
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: SW VA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tiempo
When my friend had a cougar on her property last year, the tracks had distinct claw marks.
It was definately a cougar too, they got pics and video of it.
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Cougars can extend or retract their claws as needed. These tracks were made in snow, so the cougar may have felt the need for some extra traction.
While it is entirely possible for the cat to walk around with it's claws extended, it is not possible for a canine to change it's heel pad from two to three lobes.
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03/01/09, 03:17 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Massachusetts
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Quote:
Originally Posted by deaconjim
Cougars can extend or retract their claws as needed. These tracks were made in snow, so the cougar may have felt the need for some extra traction.
While it is entirely possible for the cat to walk around with it's claws extended, it is not possible for a canine to change it's heel pad from two to three lobes.
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those paw prints have a single lobe on the front of the heel pad, ala canids. the heel pad of a cat is usually much wider than that, with a pronounced middle lobe on the bottom of the heel pad and an even more pronounced indent in the middle of the top of the heel pad.
Last edited by mldrenen; 03/01/09 at 03:23 PM.
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03/01/09, 03:51 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Northern Idaho
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It looks like a lost golden retriever if you ask me. Definitely not a cat.
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03/01/09, 04:24 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Idaho
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I can't read tracks - BUT - we have plenty of big cats here in North Idaho and E. Washington. And I mean BIG.
My GF saw one several months ago near a well traveled paved road at about 10 AM. Pretty spooky when they get bold enough to be seen in broad daylight. She passed a guy out jogging about 1/2 a mile later....
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03/01/09, 04:36 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2003
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The shape of the track (width to length & toe locations), the rear pad shape, and the orientation of the claws all say canine.
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03/01/09, 04:48 PM
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Join Date: May 2002
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When I look at the tracking pattern of these prints, it doesn't appear to have the same pattern as a dog. A dog steps differently than that of a cat, right? And the distance and size of them is something hard to imagine for a dog the size of a retriever, just too large a print and space between steps.
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Joy at Secretplace Farm
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03/01/09, 04:53 PM
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Well according to the link, it does look like canine. But anything big enough to leave a print that size spells d-a-n-g-e-r-o-u-s to me!
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03/01/09, 05:03 PM
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Incubator Addict
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Greensburg, PA
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Out of curiosity, for the people who say it is a dog (I can't tell one way or another) how big would that dog be to have paws that large? I've seen plenty of golden retrievers in my day, and I have yet to see one with paws as big as my hand.
Kayleigh
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03/01/09, 05:08 PM
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Working toward the dream
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Northwest PA
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The tracks appear to be a large canine of some kind.
Here is a link that shows the differences between canine and cat tracks.
http://www.bear-tracker.com/caninevsfeline.html
Large critter, for sure.
Kitty
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Last edited by HomesteadBaker; 03/01/09 at 05:15 PM.
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03/01/09, 05:09 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Michigan's thumb
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St Bernard's have very big feet. Also, did it kill anything? Unless it couldn't get to any livestock (perhaps due to electric fencing or very sound buildings), it would have been attracted to your place looking for food. A dog, however, will take himself for a walk just for the fun of it.
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03/01/09, 05:17 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Oxford, Ark
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Beaners, I have a large golden. In mud or soft snow, his tracks are huge. Bigger then the size of my palm. I am 5'2 and the top of his head is at my hip and he's not quite done growing. The first thing I thought when I saw those above is, those look like Marley's. Also, it seems that when the snow is just barely cold enough to stay frozen, his tracks are bigger then when the snow is really cold and firm.
Don't know why, I am not a tracker, but those are my own observations with a big dog.
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