Tracking Animal Footprints

Such thinks as the sex, the size and weight of the animal can throw a hunter a curve unless they know what they are looking at.  The best readings are when an animal walks through the mud or snow as dry dirt  tends to smear or blow away and distort things.  When looking at a set of footprints for a single animal, the upper one is for the front foot, the lower one is usually the hind foot.  Tracks vary from animal to animal even within the same type or breed. 

 Seldom are prints clear in the wild, but if you are tracking and find similarties than it is safe to assume that they were made by the same  animal. 

When an animal is running, especially fast their prints are usually larger and deeper than when they are just walking.  The read prints are often covering the front front prints. 

Prints fall into 3 main classes, which are as follows:

All the Plantigrade animals are not listed as it would take up a lot of space.  These are just samples for each category.

1.  Deliberate moving - badger, bear, beaver, porcupines, and  raccoon, +- they walk flat footed with their heels touching the ground
2. Swifter Digitigrade - cats, dogs, +- stand on their toes and their heels don't touch the ground
3. Unguligrades - deer, goats, horses,  + - They stand on the tips of their toenails.

DESCRIPTION OF PRINTS

The Black Bear paid is fat for the front paw and slender for the rear.  They show 5 distinctive toes and 5 seperate toenails.

The Pika, part of the rabbit family  both paws being equal in size.  the front has 4 nails and a dew claw while the back does not have the dew claw.

The Coyote has a slight tragle paw print with two toe at a slant (one on each side) and the two middle toes in an upright postion.  Their toe nails are distincitively away from their toes.

The Jaguar has a good size paw print , there is a scallop like edge to the bottom of the pad in the middle only and the top of the pad has a small indention.  The toes on the front paws are fairly spead apart while the toes on the back are closer set together.

The Badger  has selender "people" look back feet, while the front is more pronounced and thicker.  The toes are slender and seperated from the paw on both feet, but only the toe nails show on the front. 

The Beaver's front paw is like a mini hand spread out with knarled fingers.  Toe nails are distinctive on all but the inside toe.  Rear foot print reminds me of a bats wing.  Very distinctive.