Track ID

[WildWill]

Anyone know what made this track? Whatever it is its living around a beaver pond and is robbing my castor mounds. Pretty sure it's not coon, opossum, or skunk the usual suspects around here.

 

[Dunning Kruger]

Nobody else seems to have an idea, so ill throw in my two cents. Looks to me like bobcat tracks that are abnormally elongated by slippery mud. Ive seen a lot of bobcat tracks, but always clear straight depressions in snow. I think the more vertical, elongated nature of these may be due to the muddy terrain. Hard to tell if the heel pad is triple lobed in the pics. However, looks like oblong slippery bob tracks to me. And beaver castor is a hotshit bobcat lure. Also, notice the lack of claw marks, which is a feline (retractable claw) trait.

I could be wrong, looking at tracks in a pic vs in person is totally different, but thats my best guess looking at your pic on my phone.

 

[Pucky Freak]

What makes you think it’s not a coon? Not many species have toes that nearly connect with the pad in most mud prints.

 

[Dunning Kruger]

What makes you think it’s not a coon? Not many species have toes that nearly connect with the pad in most mud prints.

Coons have long toes like fingers. These look like small feline toe pads to me.

But coons are super rare where i live, so i could be full of shit.

 

[WildWill]

What makes you think it’s not a coon? Not many species have toes that nearly connect with the pad in most mud prints.

As already said the front foot on a coon is more hand like also whatever left the tracks backfoot is of a similar size and shape to its front unlike coon.

Nobody else seems to have an idea, so ill throw in my two cents. Looks to me like bobcat tracks that are abnormally elongated by slippery mud. Ive seen a lot of bobcat tracks, but always clear straight depressions in snow. I think the more vertical, elongated nature of these may be due to the muddy terrain. Hard to tell if the heel pad is triple lobed in the pics. However, looks like oblong slippery bob tracks to me. And beaver castor is a hotshit bobcat lure. Also, notice the lack of claw marks, which is a feline (retractable claw) trait.

I could be wrong, looking at ttacks in a pic vs in person is totally different, but thats my best guess looking at your pic on my phone.

I was thinking weasel or maybe mink possibly but no claw marks has me second guessing. Lots of Bobcats in the area but the track was found on a small island so whatever made it swam there. Whatever it was dug up a area possibly looking for prey.

 

[Dunning Kruger]

Weasels here in my area are small, tracks nowhere near that size, not even close. Cant speak to mink, never even seen one, though i hear theyre around

 

[WildWill]

Weasels here in my area are small, tracks nowhere near that size, not even close. Cant speak to mink, never even seen one, though i hear theyre around

Never seen a weasel or mink around here although I've heard they are around. I'll be taking a half dozen #1 longsprings with me tomorrow and see if I can solve the mystery.

 

[Dunning Kruger]

Never seen a weasel or mink around here although I've heard they are around. I'll be taking a half dozen #1 longsprings with me tomorrow and see if I can solve the mystery.

A trail camera could help solve the mystery too.

Man lotsa weasels around here. They keep me entertained while im sitting in a treestand for whitetail mid november - december. Theyre funny little shits. Wouldnt dream of killing one myself, but thats not to say you shouldnt. I just personally get a kick out of them. Like coons, i used to have pet coons when i lived a few hundred miles west. Love the little shits and would never hurt one, but i understand why people do trap and hunt them. Its just not for me.

 

[Hunting Wife]

Those are way too big for weasel.

Also wondering why not raccoon? That lower right one has that kind of “hand” look to it. I see longish toes and a couple of small nail indents. Not sure about mink. I think of them looking almost canine in shape with more obvious claws? Haven’t seen a ton of mink tracks though.

 

[Dunning Kruger]

Those are way too big for weasel.

Also wondering why not raccoon? That lower right one has that kind of “hand” look to it. I see longish toes and a couple of small nail indents. Not sure about mink. I think of them looking almost canine in shape with more obvious claws? Haven’t seen a ton of mink tracks though.

The lower right you pointed out, and lower left certainly do have the elongated canine style, but i have a hunch thats a slippery mud thing. Upper right looks 99% feline, and the size is right for a bob. Maybe im wrong. Point being in the proper conditions a cat could make tracks that look like dog tracks, like the lower tracks, but a dog could never make tracks that look like cat tracks like the upper right.

 

[WildWill]

Those are way too big for weasel.

Also wondering why not raccoon? That lower right one has that kind of “hand” look to it. I see longish toes and a couple of small nail indents. Not sure about mink. I think of them looking almost canine in shape with more obvious claws? Haven’t seen a ton of mink tracks though.

I reserve the right to be wrong but I dont think they are. There are coon tracks very close by and in the soft mud there front foot spreads out more like a hand and usually leave very noticeable claw marks. Also dont think one could've got across all that mud without leaving at least one good hind foot print. I'll take a photo tomorrow of the coon tracks to compare. Could be a little coon maybe.

The lower right you pointed out, and lower left certainly do have the elongated canine style, but i have a hunch thats a slippery mud thing. Upper right looks 99% feline, and the size is right for a bob. Maybe im wrong. Point being in the proper conditions a cat could make tracks that look like dog tracks, like the lower tracks, but a dog could never make tracks that look like cat tracks like the upper right.

What about house cat?

 

[Dunning Kruger]

Lot of overlap between big house cat and small bobcat in my experience. Entirely possible

 

[TheJason]

The front of the heel pad has two lobes like a cat would.

 

[TheJason]

Raccoon. Note the difference n heel pads.

 

[bullbugle307]

My first thought was coon based on that one print in the lower right, but I'm not very inexperienced in track IDs outside of big game animals.

 

[ccc23454]

Otter is my guess, gt any of them around?

 

[LuketheDog]

Otter is my guess, gt any of them around?

Otter tracks would show claws I believe...

 

[huronmtns]

Opossum?
Toe count of five needed. Kind of hard to tell what the count is in that picture.

 

[Pucky Freak]

This is fun. I’ll double down on coon - sometimes in really soft mud the toe imprints are wider. But that’s doesn’t account for the rear prints... Will be interesting to find out what it is.

 

[Hunting Wife]

I guess when he said swimming and digging it has me leaning away from cat, but that’s working off of mental pictures that might not reflect reality I guess! Plus fur bearers and small animals are admittedly not in my wheelhouse. Always hard to put together all the clues without seeing it first hand. If you figure it out, I’d be curious to see what you find!