Wolf tracks (I believe) and hiking pics

Walkabout

Walkabout

Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Messages
637
Hi,

Just returned from a few days of hiking in Whiteshell and Nopiming Provincial Parks in Manitoba.

I'm pretty sure these are wolf tracks. The size is about right according to the links below, and a local contractor who drives truck in the backroads said that there is an increasing population of timber wolves locally; he saw one sauntering across the road recently:

track2.jpg


I estimated the size by measuring my sunglasses when I got home, and counting the number of grid squares in Photoshop.

This site describes the difference between feline and canine tracks (we also have mountain lion here):

Here is more of a description of the features of wolf tracks


Some scenery pics from the hikes:

lake1.jpg


lake2.jpg


trailtrees.jpg


lake3.jpg



more to come...
 
Here are some more pics...

butterflies.jpg



There was an odd collection of old bone-filled scat in one place. I suspect that one or more animals used the same spot through the winter, and this is the post-thaw collection. All of the white material extending up the centre of the photo is scat:

scat1.jpg


scat2.jpg
 
Some awesome pics. The print looks pretty big, too, although I am not sure how big wolf prints get.
 
Thanks for the kind comments everyone.

Those tracks had my wife and me a bit nervous, as dusk was approaching and the trail was an old ATV track with marsh on each side... it was pretty much the only choice for people and animals. We ended up turning around early :o

Not sure what we could have done if there was a wolf or bear on the trail ahead of us on the way back! :)
 
Its definitely wolf. Its within the size-range of wolf tracks with coyote tracks being much smaller, and the nails are registred pretty clearly so that rules out any felines.

Nice pictures!
 
Beautiful scenery shots! That area just looks outstanding...also very good job for the track measurements.:thumbup:

ROCK6
 
You've got wolf tracks.

Don't ever go by size: wolves come in all sizes, from pups to females to males. You could be very wrong.

Instead, take note of the much larger middle toe pad. Dogs tend to have toe pads that are basically the same size; wolves still retail a slightly larger pad. It's equivalent to your middle finger being longer than the other fingers.

What you have is his right front paw and right rear paw, indirectly registered because he was walking kind of oddly. The upper print is the front paw, by the way. There's already accumulated water and debris in the print, so that print is only about 1-2 days old.

And remember: I tend to be the spoil sport who always proves its a dog. But you've got wolf there.
 
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