ID'ing tracks

PropThePolecat

PropThePolecat

Joined
Jan 31, 2009
Messages
3,292
Hey all

Went out to a small patch of woods to test my Spydersaw today. Judging from the tracks the little forest is teeming with animal life, i saw deer, fox and what looked like badger (wasnt sure about that one), and a ton of other tracks i couldnt identify.

Found these, the snow isnt fresh so it was hard seeing what it was, but the tracks were like the picture, and thats how they went on. I know that the tracks themselves are not distinct, but maybe you can tell what it is by the way they are grouped?

I know alot of you guys are experienced hunters, so hope you can help.

Sorry for the bad quality but this is as good as it gets with my phone. I might take my DSLR tomorrow and see if i can get better pics.

4254148026_1db5ed81ce_b.jpg


Thanks for looking.
 
cp2u said:
Or in your part of the world maybe a hare.
Click to expand...

We dont have rabbits were i live, theyre only found in the south of the country and on some islands, so it must be a hare.

Thanks for your help guys :thumbup:!

I need to get me a book on a tracking, something with pictures. Something that describes the fauna in my part of the world.
 
Definitely a hare. I've got some very similar tracks near my house and not too far off, some bobcat tracks that follow the hare.

Personally, I consider Tom Brown Jr. to be a fraud and it's my opinion that there are many other sources of tracking information than his books, written by people with factual experiences. Mammal Tracks and Sign: A Guide to North American Species by Mark Elbroch is a great one. The Field Guide to Tracking Animals in Snow by Louise Richardson Forrest is a good read too.

Note: I'm not trying to start a debate on the veracity of Tom Brown Jr.'s classes or books and if anyone would like to, let's start a new thread rather than hijack this one.
;)
 
Allright, this thread has served its purpose, the tracks pictured are hare-tracks. Im gonna make a new thread to hear what tracking books people recommend.

Thanks for your replies all.
 
Blais said:
Note: I'm not trying to start a debate on the veracity of Tom Brown Jr.'s classes or books and if anyone would like to, let's start a new thread rather than hijack this one.
;)
Click to expand...

:confused:I guess that's a free pass to say anything you want and not be challanged, right?.... hmmmmm. If you truly didn't want to highjack this thread you could have referenced your books without bad-mouthing TBJ.


Rick
 
What I learned from the books and Tracker School students WORK.

That's enough for me.
 
Saw hundreds of turkey tracks today along with some squirrel tracks.

Couch13.jpg


Couch14.jpg


Don't know what kind of bird this was though...

Couch15.jpg
 
As a beginner i think its fun trying to ID tracks, so im heading out to the woods again today. Gonna try to look for squirrel now that ive seen your pics of the tracks.
 
I recommend buying a book from your home country as it will be related to tracks and animals you will likely encounter. I have several foreign books but seldom use them as most tracks in those books are of animals I most likely never will encounter anyway.
There are many books about animal tracks and signs in norwegian, probably also in swedish and finnish.

Tor
 
Wotan said:
I recommend buying a book from your home country as it will be related to tracks and animals you will likely encounter. I have several foreign books but seldom use them as most tracks in those books are of animals I most likely never will encounter anyway.
There are many books about animal tracks and signs in norwegian, probably also in swedish and finnish.

Tor
Click to expand...

Your'e right, a book on Scandinavian animals would be preferred, but there are many more books to choose from in english. Bear in mind that it will be read at home and not in the field. Small field guides that i plan to take along in my rucksack will probably be on Scandinavian animals.

Almost all animals here in Scandinavia are also present in North America. Wolverines, bear, moose, weasels, foxes, lynx, wolves, squirrel, deer, boar and many more are present on both continents, the difference lies in the subspecies.
 
Guyon said:
Don't know what kind of bird this was though...

Couch15.jpg
Click to expand...
Sparrow or finch. You can see the two-foot hop-hop-hop-hop motion, and the piece sticking off the back is the leg lightly touching the snow after each tiny impact. The thin lines between the tracks are where he or she dragged the foot through the snow because they don't jump very high...and that's deep snow for a little bird.

Regarding the OP, that's a hare. A rabbit's back feet make a larger track because they rest between casual hops, whereas a hare tends to stay up on his feet for faster speed.
 
Hey KMM...

Just a beginner tip for distinguishing squirrel from rabbit. I know you don't have rabbit so this may be of little use to you aside from small hare.

Rabbit/Hare tracks predominantly make a "1-1-2" arrow formation pointing in the opposite direction of travel.
PUSH-----tap-tap-PUSH-----tap-tap-PUSH----tap-tap......
Even though it's a domestic, here's a good slow-mo vid of a rabbit running... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-L8MlALPWQs

.. While squirrel are more symetrical "2-2" in their grouping pattern.
PUSH-----tap--PUSH-----tap--PUSH-----tap--PUSH.....
Slow-mo vid of squirrel bounding... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocK_WRUqbFI




Mind you, tracks change depending on what the animal is doing... this is just a typical example.



Have fun.
Rick
 
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