What is this track from?

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Fallguy
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What is this track from?

Post by Fallguy »

My uncle took this cast of a track a few years ago on a prairie road by his farm. Sorry if the pictures aren't the best. And I don't have the exact measurements of the print.

Image

Image

The "L" made by my hand has the following dimensions:

From the crook in the "L" it is 5 inches to to top of my index finger. From the same point it is 3 inches to the end of my thumb.
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Post by Prairie Ghost »

Could be a long tail but it is tough to tell with the pics
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Post by Coyotehunter »

I tell you what, it looks like a bear track to me, front pad maybe. What part of the state?
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Post by Fallguy »

It was found between Heaton and Cathay, ND. If you don't know where that is it is in the Central part of ND, about 20 miles west of Carrington.

I know it isn't the best picture. When I was back there for deer hunting I quick snapped a photo of it on the way out.
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Post by Prairie Ghost »

Is there claws visible infront of the toes?
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Post by Fallguy »

I looked at that. I know that if it's a cat there will be no claw marks seen. I couldn't make any out from what I saw. I am not sure what he used to make the cast or if it is the right stuff to use. I am however going back there over Christmas and I will look at it again, get some measurements, take some better pictures, and look at the claw situation.
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Post by Coyotehunter »

I see Bear tracks all the time around my place. You do not always see claw marks with bear tracks. It just depends on how soft of mud you have. I have bears right behind the house and I can find tracks almost any day of the week. The more I look at the casting it looks like a bear track. Across the front pad anything over 5" would be considered a big bear. 3.5" - 4.5" would be a typical size bear maybe 150lb to about 250 lb. When I lived in Buxton North Dakota there was a bear spotted several times just East of town. I have a friend who lived up by Bottineu, ND and he had pics of a couple of bears that the locals farmers had given him.
Last edited by Coyotehunter on Thu Dec 14, 2006 6:54 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Fallguy
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Post by Fallguy »

I will have to give my uncle a call one of these nights and see if he has heard of any bear sightings around the time he made the cast. I never expected someone to say it could belong to a bear!
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Post by Fallguy »

I talked to my uncle last night. The track was found in soft mud a few years ago. The reason he took the cast of it was he was suprised as there were NO claw marks to be found at all.
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Post by Coyotehunter »

Well, I sent your pictures off to a biologist, Sue Mansfield that I know that is suppose to be an expert on tracks and sign. I will let you know what I find out.
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Post by Fallguy »

I will pretty dumb if it turns out to be a big dog or something.
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Post by Coyotehunter »

Hi Jamie -

This looks like a cougar track to me. A bear's palm pad is large in comparison to its toe pads, and the toes form a nice arc over the palm pad. A bear's palm pad is also asymmetrical -- with the wider part being towards the outside. The slightly tear-drop shape of the toe pads in your track picture is also cat-like.

Below is a set of bear tracks frozen in ice -- the front left is the top one, rear left is the lower one. Notice the kidney-shaped palm pad on the front foot -- with the narrow part towards the inside. The small inner toe did not register so it appears to have only 4 toes -- same for the rear track. Notice the gentle arc formed by the toes over the pad.


Hope this helps.

Sue


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Fallguy
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Post by Fallguy »

That's pretty sweet. Thanks for looking into that Jamie.
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Post by Coyotehunter »

you bet, it is cool figuring that stuff out.
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