What animal made these tracks?

Tracks found near the beginning of the northern Imp trail. 2-1/2 to 3" long.

http://www.seekingthepeakforkenya.com/cart2.jpg

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Hard to see those tracks very clearly, and I'm a novice tracker. They don't look feline. Toe pads are too long. I'd guess canine--dog, fox, coyote? Were there other tracks nearby? Hare, rodents, etc? Was it brushy along the trail? Open? Hard wood, soft wood, etc? I don't remember the beginning of n. Imp.

Waumbek said:

. They don't look feline. Toe pads are too long. I'd guess canine--dog, fox, coyote?

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That was my thought, too. Canine if claws are visible. I can't see it clear enough, but fisher, martin and mink look like that but have 5 toes.

I'm gonna agree with Chip.
It's a little hard to see, but it looks like 5 longer toes. I'd say fisher or marten as well.

Fishers and Martens have 5 toes, but many times only 4 are visible in the snow.

Five toes = mustelid (weasel family), not canine.

Size and location of these particular tracks = fisher among the mustelids (not marten, otter, or skunk, and there are no small wolverines hereabouts ...)

Here is another picture if it helps at all:
Tracks here

The trail was pretty open... not much brush (visible in the snow at least) in that area at all. The tracks went up the trail a bit then wandered over into the woods, later recrossing the trail and heading toward the brook. There were shrew tracks also in that general vicinity.

- Ivy

From PI's photo I'd say they're too large to be fox, too large and not quite the right shape for coyote, I'm gonna stick with fisher.

It is a canine track, and it is from a Coyote. I see them all the time.

poison ivy said:

Here is another picture if it helps at all:
Tracks here

The trail was pretty open... not much brush (visible in the snow at least) in that area at all. The tracks went up the trail a bit then wandered over into the woods, later recrossing the trail and heading toward the brook. There were shrew tracks also in that general vicinity.

- Ivy

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I still think it's a fisher, or something in that family. I think this is an example of what NH Mtn Hiker referred to with not being able to see the 5th pinky toe.
Canine toes are rounder, these look elongated. Also the tracks next to each other and "wandering" is not how a coyote walks. A lot of feet look similar, especially if there's been any melting. You need to know the size and the walking pattern as well.

poison ivy said:

Here is another picture if it helps at all:
Tracks here - Ivy

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Those toe pads are looking longer and longer, almost like fingers of a hand. If there were 5 of them, I'd say front foot of a raccoon. It went to the brook to wash up for dinner .

I kinda think it is a fisher as well. Of course it is much easier when you have a linear pattern of prints to look at. I also agree with Chip that coyotes don't waste their time or energy wandering left and right, checking everything out- such as a dog does.



Here is a Fisher track that I could find on the net that gives a good perspective of not only the elongation, but also the arched footpad which looks prominent in PI's left track print (nearest the hiking pole)

This is a Princeton pdf on track patterns.

It doesn't print well, though. I don't know how to adjust the thing so it will.

Waumbek, I like that bear-tracker.com site, thanks for the link.

If that is a Fisher track, then it would an extremely large Fisher, and yes Coyotes wander (ever watch them hunt mice in a field). Like people, All animals wander at one time or another and this can be proven by time spent in the wood observing them (not by "on-line" research). Fishers also climb trees. The foot print shown does not look like that of a tree climber.

C.Tracy said:

Like people, All animals wander at one time or another and this can be proven by time spent in the wood observing them (not by "on-line" research). Fishers also climb trees. The foot print shown does not look like that of a tree climber.

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I have always enjoyed following tracks of animals in our local woods and along hedgerows, fencelines and the like - especially early mornings after light snowfalls. I like to try to figure out what they are doing.
I came across a fox den early one spring day that I watched weekly until the snow was gone - However, I am not an expert on tracks and I will surely turn to the internet if it helps to illustrate a point with a picture. Most coyote & fox tracks I have encountered along woodlines are going from point A to B, whereas my dogs zigzag and usually stop at every little thing to sniff or mark.


As for Fishers climbing trees, I sat at the junction of Wright and Algonquin trails one fine February day either '95 or '96 eating a midmorning snack and had this weird feeling come over me - of being watched. It was a beautiful day but there were few others on the trail. I can't recall if I heard something behind me, but I stood up quickly and turned around and there was a huge fisher about 20 feet from me in a tree about 12 feet off the ground. It took me a minute to realize what it was - having had a few winter Pine Marten experiences in the 'daks, I quickly ruled that out - It was about 4 times larger than any Pine Marten I had ever seen (I used to keep ferrets too).

That thing moved out of that tree and took off extremely quickly. all the hairs on my back were still standing on end for a couple of minutes. I had always wondered after that as to whether it had designs on attacking me, keeping me from it's den, or just climbed the tree for a better look at me.

Fishers unquestionably climb trees. That's where trappers put their traps. No, I don't trap them, but I followed a trapper around once and watched him place the traps. It's a short season, December only if I remember correctly.

Thanks for the responses so far. PI's picture is much better. These tracks ran side by side for a long way not one foot in front of the other which is what I'd expect for a fox, dog or coyote. So far it appears it was a weasel and a big one like the Fisher.

My apologies if I ruffled anyones feathers.........yes, I thought about it, and realized that with what information was given it would be just a guess on anyones part what animal left this track. Upon reading the latest response about the tracks being side by side, I would have to agree on the Fisher being the animal belonging to these tracks. I have a Fisher that lives on my residential property along with a family of Foxes. Last summer there was a litter of 8 that I would watch occasionally not too far from their Fox hole. One day I found one of the pups dead on my running trail not far from my house which I believe was killed by the Fisher. I do not know how many have survived so far as the local farmer shoots them upon site (they raid his henhouse). I have been seeing one sunning itself on one of the large rock ledges next to my driveway recently (hopefully it will stay away from the farmer). Yes, I trapped when I was a young teenager (most did where I live). I still have some of my trapps, but they just sit and rust. I own 430 acres of woodland and lease another 500 acres where I live. Roaming around the High Peaks area is a nice change of scenery and I must admit you meet some really nice people.

C.Tracy said:

I own 430 acres of woodland and lease another 500 acres where I live. Roaming around the High Peaks area is a nice change of scenery and I must admit you meet some really nice people.

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Nice ! Care to host a VFTT gathering ?
You'll see this "identify this track" is a bit of a sidebar interest for some of us here.
No one was arguing, you know, it's not like there's a prize for the right guess, we're just interested in learning more about the animals and tracks we see when in the woods. My background in tracking has been 80% actual woods supplemented by the net and conversations like this, since you don't see everything everywhere.
I had an interesting observation recently - bright blue scat that was so saturated it stained the snow blue around the scat as well.
Anyway, C., welcome to the board.

Yes Chip, I certainly have enough room for a gathering The only trouble would be finding a big enough screen tent for everyone to gather in (think of the worst black fly, mosquito, or deer fly situation you have been in and I can assure you that it would be duplicated on my property ). The black flies are first (May,June)and merge into the worst Deer fly location I have ever experienced during July/August. I havn't quite figured out why they love that area so , but I usually visit this property much less during these months. I practically live there on weekends during hunting season, winter is real nice also. Yes, these forums are quite educational (and would make great converstion over a couple/few 12oz bottles of cheer ). Not sure what animal made the bright blue scat, but my guess would be something that found some grapes or something like that. Hard to say what animal did it during this time of year as food certainly is harder for them to find. You could do a "Cheech and Chong" analysis of it (just don't step in it)