Predator Hunting

[red rick]

What track would you say this is ?As a reference , it is a little smaller than my 20 pound 8 month old beagle puppies track . I was thinking fox or bobcat .

 

[Highland Lofts]

I think fox.

 

[Barbaroja]

I can’t see any claw marks. I’d guess cat.

 

[troy fairweather]

Fat house cat.

 

[WrongHanded]

It's a cat track. What kind of cat, I couldn't say without a size reference. But if it's not a house cat, a Bobcat seems the only other possibility.

Cat tracks have three lobes at the bottom of the main pad, whereas dogs have two. And cats have two lobes at the top of the main pad, where dogs have only one.

 

[FL-NC]

feline

 

[Thomasss]

I would tend to say Bobcat. They will breed with large, fat house or barn cats.

 

[buck460XVR]

It's a cat track. What kind of cat, I couldn't say without a size reference. But if it's not a house cat, a Bobcat seems the only other possibility.

^^^ Yep, I agree.

 

[red rick]

My Wicked Lights are suppose to arrive Tuesday . If I get it mounted on my rifle I am going to try and call it in Tuesday night . I have a friend that is a big time predator hunter . He has got 20 bobcats , 4 so far this year . I tried getting him over here , because I hate sitting out there at night , but he has better places a little closer to him . The only time that he has hunted here was last year when I saw one walk across my field that looked as tall as a Walker hound . My nephew and his friend got one 2 years ago within about 30 minutes of calling . I have got 1 fox while deer hunting 2 years ago . I am a rabbit hunter , so I am doing it for the rabbits .

 

[red rick]

My buddy got another one tonight , a tom. That’s 5 so far this year .

 

[PonyKiller]

That's cool, I love running across fresh tracks in the woods

 

[Ru4real]

Holy moly rocky! Not a cat!

It’s a fox or small coyote. If the series of tracks is in a line, it’s a fox, not a coyote.

Cats have 5 toes. Some mutant cats have six.

 

[ericuda]

Are you joking.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Holy moly rocky! Not a cat!

It’s a fox or small coyote. If the series of tracks is in a line, it’s a fox, not a coyote.

Cats have 5 toes. Some mutant cats have six.

Cats DO have 5 toes on their front legs, but only 4 on the back. Their thumbs are vestigial and we call them "dew claws." However, cat prints only show 4 toes unless they have supernumerary (abnormal additional) toes. This condition is called polydactyly or sometimes called hyperdactyly. The most common place for a cat to have extra claws is with the dew claws.

Your method for identification of the prints posted above (number of toes showing in the snow) is erroneous.

 

[red rick]

My lights didn’t get here until Wednesday . I mounted it today and went out tonight . Call it beginners luck but I got her .

 

[Sour Kraut]

 

[red rick]

I will say that you don’t always see toenail marks on a dog . My dogs were rarely leaving toenail mark in their tracks in the snow . Hard to tell from a bobcat .

 

[JFrank]

True that toe nails are not always noticeable on dog track however’ a tell tale sign is that dogs wander down a trail or on a road whereas coyotes and wolves move with a purpose, cat tracks are rounder and also more deliberate when they move.

No expert just what I see when I’m out tracking.

 

[Patocazador]

I will say that you don’t always see toenail marks on a dog . My dogs were rarely leaving toenail mark in their tracks in the snow . Hard to tell from a bobcat .

I suppose that either you or your vet trims your dogs' nails. Wild critters aren't treated so well.

 

[red rick]

The front toenails need trimming now and they were not leaving many toenail marks in the snow last week . Hardly left any .

 

[HowieG]

It's a gray fox. Gray fox don't show claws. Bobcat would have the leading toe forward. That's the second toe from the left. Note in the pic that the second toe from the left is not leading.

 

[red rick]

I would say it looks more like a bobcat and since I killed a cat 5 days later and the track is her size , I would say bobcat . We got another snow Friday night into Saturday morning and I walked the property today and only saw rabbit , bird and deer tracks . Here is one of my dogs toenails , the front ones need trimming .

 

[HowieG]

Are we using references, or just guessing? My standard is SCATS AND TRACKS OF THE DESERT SOUTHWEST 2nd edition. I keep a copy in all my vehicles, so I don't have to rely on memory.