Tracking ID please?

What made this print in the snow? The paw print was about 2.5" round. I also included the gait although it isn't very clear what the track is compared to the holes in the snow.

I found this on my way out of the catskillls Blackhead area of Big Hollow Road just by the second bridge...

Looks like a coyote to me....if it isn't a dog.

paw prints

We saw those on Friday. We guessed coyote.
There was another set but the pads were less distinctive.
Then there were others on the approach to T Cole that were bigger with claws sticking out.

I must have spooked it because the prints were very fresh Sat about 4pm on my way back to the lean-to.

I guess you're right either dog or cyote. I did notice hints of claw tips in the print but wasn't sure.

BTW are there any Mtn lions in the catskills yet?

coyote or dog

I do think it's possible that the tracks on the yellow trail could have been a dog because there were plenty of human footprints nearby.

But, we saw a lot of tracks on Friday, higher up, crossing back and forth over the red trail, that was definately an animal travelling solo. There were 3 different kinds of large prints. One looked like a women's dress shoe. One looked like a bear but with only 2 claws, not 5. One looked canine or large feline. We saw no one but the prints were definately fresh.

I have misplaced my track ID guide.

The tracks I saw were heading off trail into the woods. I'll bet on the cyote as pointed out. I heard a pack yaping n howeling Fri night not far form the lean-to where we were based till Sun.

Just out of curiosity, are there mtn lions in the catskills? I have been hearing rumors n stories for the past several years.

One way to make an educated guess of coyote vs. dog is to look at a series of tracks - dogs tend to wander a bit - coyotes don't. They're very purposeful, going in rather straight lines, not wasting energy casting about like a dog often does. So, if the size of a canine print is in the coyote range, look for the overall nature of the tracks.

If you look closely at the track you will see that you can draw an "X" through the print without touching the large pad in the back. This supposedly cannot be done on a cat track. So this would most likely be canine. The straight line walking pattern is an indicator of wild vs domestic as previously stated.

Don't know about mtn lions but I saw cat tracks approx. 1.25-1.50" in diameter with an approx 3' space between sets of prints. Saw them between Slide and Cornell 2/5

Likely bobcat.

Bigfoot said:

If you look closely at the track you will see that you can draw an "X" through the print without touching the large pad in the back. This supposedly cannot be done on a cat track. So this would most likely be canine. The straight line walking pattern is an indicator of wild vs domestic as previously stated.

Click to expand...

Its likely coyote. Dogs don't walk in straight lines. Dead giveaway. Coyotes/wolves walk with purpose and very little wasted motion. It also looks like there are nail marks, another definite canine trait.

Keith