Help ID this track

tonym

tonym

Joined
Mar 18, 2008
Messages
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Marcelo and I found this track yesterday in Northern CT, Any clue?

Is it a huge dog?


NewEnglandgathering022.jpg
 
EDIT First I thought bear, but a quick search and that's definitely not it. Looks a lot like a dog track. Didn't know a dog track could be quite that big, but with the low quality of the picture I can't tell if the track has melted some or not.
 
Pretty sure its not a bear.

Sorry about the pic quality.

I should have taken anothere one.
 
Looks like a brown bear track.... probably a rear paw.

whoops! Meant black bear, not brown.
 
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Now if Spooky's hand was there and being used for scale, we'd know that footprint was huge :D :D

Could be a great dane. They are the size of a pony.
 
I don't think they have brown bears in Connecticut, but I could be wrong.
 
That is Marcelo's hand. We have the same size hand I think. That would make his hand about 7 1/2" from tip of middle finger to wrist on thumb side.
 
the track is petty disfigured as result of the snow... but the gnarled claw coming off the side might indicate the front paw of a black bear... It looks a little to long and curly for a dog.
 
It is a canine track.... no doubt..... classic egg shape with nail marks... big... front/right if I'm not mistaken... can't tell if it is domestic or ferral from the pic quality.... those middle toes are prominent (could be a wolf)... if its a domestic, it has spent alot of time in outside. Would be great to get a picture of the whole set to get a stride, gait, straddle... etc.

Its been a while since I was out tracking, though... I'm probably rusty.

Rick
 
http://www.rockymountainfront.com/John-1 016.jpg

the second track for the far right is a gizzly track in snow.. it has a similar pattern including the raised area where the snow ridges up in the middle..there are no grizzlies in your area,, but a black bear track is similar and would explain the shorter claws... but I'm no expert... I just know that as now melts and refreezes i can distor tracks something fierce.
 
Tony, there are no brown bears in the NE, black bears yes. Coyotes yes, foxes, yes, Timber Wolf possibly. By the size of the print it's no fox, a large coy-dog mutt maybe. If that track was fresh and that big I'd go with it being a Timber Wolf. That should make your sleep a bit better tonight.....now that you're out of those woods! LOL!
 
there haven't officially been any wild wolves in connecticut for over a century.. a large coy-dog or feral pet maybe..
 
There is no possibility that its a bear track..... not even with distortion.... canine, for sure..... timberwolf is a good possibility if they are in your neck of the woods.... if not, its a well experienced dog.... not ferral.... big dogs like that tend not to stay ferral long... kappow!!!
 
despite what I've read on the Conn dep site this is an interesting article that might support the wolf theory

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10977126&BRD=1380&PAG=461&dept_id=157533&rfi=6

my only experince with tracking comes from books I'd love to find a place close to home where I could learn some solid fundamentals from from someone with experience. seems like at least in regards to "mainstream surivivalism" if there is such a thing that it is a bit of a lost art.
 
Riley, just like there are not 'supposed to be' any LARGE cats in CT:rolleyes:, CT DEP leaves much to be desired as most govt agencies these days when it comes to keeping the correct info out there for the public. I've spent considerable time learning tracking over the years, and unless I examine a track(s) in person it's an educated guess. I have no reservations suggesting that it could be a Timber Wolf having seen them in New England over the years. They are making a comeback and as their population grows in New England they expand their range. I argued with USFW for years that there were BIG cats returning to New England, yet they summarily dismissed my sightings and track ID's and 'uncertain'. Today it's widely known that the Eastern Mountain Lion is growing in numbers all the way South to NJ.

Anyway, the older a track gets the less definitive/distinct it becomes, and the harder the ID. A track in snow is tricky to start with depending upon the type of snow it's in, and for how long. Freeze, melt, freeze and the track can become illegible. I consider myself educated not expert in tracking as it's a lifelong pursuit.

RescueRiley said:
despite what I've read on the Conn dep site this is an interesting article that might support the wolf theory

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10977126&BRD=1380&PAG=461&dept_id=157533&rfi=6

my only experince with tracking comes from books I'd love to find a place close to home where I could learn some solid fundamentals from from someone with experience. seems like at least in regards to "mainstream surivivalism" if there is such a thing that it is a bit of a lost art.
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