# help identify signs



## sneakygroundbuzzard (Nov 1, 2012)

well i went out yesterday for my first ever day of bobcat hunting

only called in a few other hunters that wanted to see what the noise was

they were all out for our muzzle loader season

we dont have any snow on the ground to speak of so finding and good sign was near impossible

the trails and forest floor is coverd in leafs and the dirt is frozen solid

as we all know critters wont leave tracks in leaves and on frozen ground

the area i was hunting has lots of little ponds/swamps that were frozen over and had a light dusting of snow on the ice

so inspected these for signs and found some tracks,and one pile of scat on a trail

not sure what the tracks or scat was from so i am asking for some help from ya'll to help identify what i found

here are some pics


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## prairiewolf (Feb 19, 2012)

looks like bobcat to me.


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## JTKillough (May 4, 2010)

I'd say it's a....


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## catcapper (Feb 11, 2010)

Cant see the scat well enough to be sure. Folks need to put something in pics of known size for ID ing tracks/scat.

Tracks look like rabbit.

awprint:


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## sneakygroundbuzzard (Nov 1, 2012)

i didnt think of putting anything in the pic for size reference

as i thought the white oak leaves were sufficiant


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## Dang Dawg (Jan 14, 2013)

I've never see a whit oak tree let alone a fallen white oak leaf??

Bob cat will use a cubby to poop. like a cat !


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## prairiewolf (Feb 19, 2012)

here you go :http://www.bear-tracker.com/bobcatscat.html


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## dwtrees (Mar 5, 2012)

Prairewolf, That is a great site for learning about tracks. Thanks for the link. definitely saved that one in the favorites.


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## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

I agree with catcapper, top picture upper left corner you can see where the rabbit set on it's hind legs, also tracks are small in relationship to the small oak leaves. There may be a set of domestic cat tracks in there.


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## Rick Howard (Feb 25, 2012)

Fox....


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## sneakygroundbuzzard (Nov 1, 2012)

well if they are rabbit they dont like any rabbit tracks i have ever seen

not like any rabbit track when i googeled rabbit tracks either.

wouldnt fox tracks have a claw imprint with them?

well weather permitting i may go back here this weekend and try calling again

hopefully what ever left the tracks will come to the call

if its a fox i will shoot it,if its a rabbit i will shoot it and eat it,if its a bobcat well then WOOO HOOO i will shoot it too

hopefully it will be cold enough to keep some of the muzzle loader hunters out of the woods


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## sneakygroundbuzzard (Nov 1, 2012)

thanks for the input guys


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## Rick Howard (Feb 25, 2012)

Sometimes the claw does not show up. The area you described... The size of the track... make me think red fox. Tracks could be domestic cat. Maybe one turned feral. I have come across many of those while calling. Sometimes in some pretty remote places. The scat strikes me as fox.


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## catcapper (Feb 11, 2010)

The sign in the red square (see pic) is the area Mike mentioned where an animal sat in the snow. The rear feet imprints are easy to see. Theres at least 3 fairly clear tracks in front of the rears that indicate the animals direction it was sitting. The amount of front tracks suggest that that animal sat there for quite a few minutes.

There is no sign at the sides of the rear feet. That would lead me to believe it was a short furred animal. A longer furred animal such as a fox, coyote or a well primed bobcat would have most likely disturbed the snow in that area.

The area to the rear of the hind feet is also undisturbed. A fox would have certainly have left some kind of tail mark in the light snow. Even a bobcat or feral would have left some sign of a tail mark there--- but the snow is completely "undisturbed."

The sign in the blue square is a "set" of tracks. Most folks have seen a rabbit hop/walk (call it what ya want.lol.) The black squares are the front feet and the yellow squares are the rear feet. As we all know--- when a rabbit walks slow--- it puts its front feet out fairly close together, then brings its rear feet up close to the fronts and spread to the side of the front foot location. That set of tracks tells me that the animal was most probably in motion.

Theres really no good set of motion tracks to lead me to believe the tracks were made by a predator. Predators tend to leave a double imprint as they normally (not all the time) place the rear foot in the spot the front foot was.

I'm stick'in with rabbit.

awprint:


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## dwtrees (Mar 5, 2012)

excellent explanation Cat. I have to agree the tracks are rabbit as they look the same as the bunny that came through my yard today.


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