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ID the track?

2K views 15 replies 13 participants last post by  Cascade Jinx 
#1 ·
Was scouting for mule deer today, miles and miles from any residences here in Central Washington, about 4,000' ASL in the Cascades. Came across just a few of these. These two photos are of the best print I could find. The orange knife is 4.25" folded as shown. I was about two hours walk from my truck when I found the prints in the trail. Hiked about six hours total today. This was pretty remote country.





Both photos are of the same track. I got rid of the small pine cone and put my knife next to the print for a better size comparison. What do you think? Coyote? There is a confirmed wolf pack about 50 miles north of here, with nothing but National Forest land between...

I really, truly, don't want wolves in my mule deer area... Big coyote maybe with a 4.5" paw print?
 
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#7 ·
My forester buddy who used to trap for a living and now traps just for fun is 100% convinced that the track is from a cougar.

Beats me, so I'll go along with his call - the man knows more about critters, tracks and the boondocks than I'll ever know... Does go along with those tracks just appearing for a few yards on the miles of trail I covered that day, and also goes along with the deer hair filled cougar scat I'd found up higher that day. I'll swear those tracks weren't there when I hiked in that morning...
 
#9 ·
M700 - - At first glance, I thought it might be a canine (wolf) print, but absent definitive claw prints to go along with it, it is tough to say for sure. If the track would have been as wide as it was long, then I would agree with your buddy's call on it being for ol' long tail.

Given the length to width ratio, my best guess would be wolf (or possibly huge, huge dog). But I am still wondering about the lack of claw prints on the front of the toe pads. Must be really loose, sandy soil for them to fade out or perhaps a frost/thaw cycle or two could obliterate them as well.
 
#11 ·
I too would say wolf (living in Alaska their tracks are common), but the lack of claw marks is strange. Another (unlikely) possibility is a large domestic dog like a McKenzie river husky with clipped nails, but there should have been owner tracks around too.
Cougar tracks are as already stated much more rounded.
 
#14 ·
It appears in the top photo as there may be a pointed mark at the top of one of the toe prints (like a claw would make). The soil also appears to be very loose and may have crumbled obscuring the claw marks.

My guess (and I stress guess) is a wolf. We are getting reports of wolfes entering Northeastern corner of Oregon also.

CJ
 
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