# Footprint ID needed



## Jim_MI (Jul 9, 2012)

Saw these tracks out on an ice covered lake I was fishing in Antrim County 2 days ago. Today I went back and took these pics. Weather today was warmer and lake surface was slushy, but nearby angler boot prints were not enlarged due to melting. Also, the tracks looked as large 2 days ago when they were fresher and weather colder.

To my naive eye, these look like deer, but way too big! Not supposed to be any elk around here and the shape seems wrong. Any ideas?























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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Looks like deer. What's weird is the boot shaped "silhouette " around the one next to the dollar


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## Blaze (Oct 13, 2005)

I agree looks like deer to me. Track look/is larger from melting snow. Deer must have walked in someone elses moccasins!


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Oh, yeah it looks like a really big deer... melted out though. elk would be possible but not likely.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Does anyone make creepers in the shape of a hoof?!


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## Blaze (Oct 13, 2005)

Could be a Squatch! Just say'n.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Blaze said:


> Could be a Squatch! Just say'n.


I think i saw the sasquatch the other day on the way to work, along the Detroit river in a fenced area where I normally see deer. It was a dark animal (sun rising behind it and 100 yards away). Immediate reaction was "holy crap a big bobcat!" It picked up its head and it looked round, like a cat. Couldnt see a tail. But, common sense hit... Are there Bobcats in Wayne county? Was pretty good size for a cat, too. Eating something. Maybe a fluffy coyote with tail down and then when it picked its head up it was looking my direction, causing it to look rounded? Was driving and couldn't look closer. Still not 100% sure what I saw. Could have been a dog I suppose.


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## wpmisport (Feb 9, 2010)

To melted for me to tell. Some of them look like an alien. Spooky.


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## Blaze (Oct 13, 2005)

I


sureshot006 said:


> I think i saw the sasquatch the other day on the way to work, along the Detroit river in a fenced area where I normally see deer. It was a dark animal (sun rising behind it and 100 yards away). Immediate reaction was "holy crap a big bobcat!" It picked up its head and it looked round, like a cat. Couldnt see a tail. But, common sense hit... Are there Bobcats in Wayne county? Was pretty good size for a cat, too. Eating something. Maybe a fluffy coyote with tail down and then when it picked its head up it was looking my direction, causing it to look rounded? Was driving and couldn't look closer. Still not 100% sure what I saw. Could have been a dog I suppose.


I don't know exactly where you are talking about, but my son who lives in SCS has pointed out an area in Wayne Co. where he has seen coyote, and pheasants it's off of Jefferson I think.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Blaze said:


> I
> 
> 
> I don't know exactly where you are talking about, but my son who lives in SCS has pointed out an area in Wayne Co. where he has seen coyote, and pheasants it's off of Jefferson I think.


This was on jefferson, just south but adjacent to the wyandotte golf course. Lots of coyote there so thats what has me leaning that direction. Its just that my first instinct was big bobcat by the silhouette. I know my MI animals at a glance so it bugs me to wonder what it really was. I think the fluffy coat and looking my direction with head to me and apparently tail down made it look odd for a coyote.

As for pheasant, yes I've seen them around there. Last one I saw was actually at the corner of Allen road and northline in southgate. Not all that surprising and I'm not 100% convinced they're naturally around. Fighting island on the Detroit river has lots of pheasants, penned up for hunts. I see them on the island all the time and its not really out of the question for them to fly to mainland, though probably rare.


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## Jim_MI (Jul 9, 2012)

sureshot006 said:


> Looks like deer. What's weird is the boot shaped "silhouette " around the one next to the dollar


Back on topic, I think that the oval silhouette around some of the prints was just water puddling in the hoof depressions and wetting the surrounding ice and snow. When fresh, the hoof marks were pretty distinct lacked that surrounding halo. 

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## FullQuiver (May 2, 2006)

Looks more like pig tracks than deer...


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## Jim_MI (Jul 9, 2012)

FullQuiver said:


> Looks more like pig tracks than deer...


I thought about that, but the dew claw of feral hog tracks is supposed to be situated behind and lateral to the front hooves (whereas these appear directly behind them). Also, the dew claws are supposed to be angled outward and these aren't. 

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## FullQuiver (May 2, 2006)

Jim_MI said:


> I thought about that, but the dew claw of feral hog tracks is supposed to be situated behind and lateral to the front hooves (whereas these appear directly behind them). Also, the dew claws are supposed to be angled outward and these aren't.


I raised hogs for close to 20 years and have to say that these tracks look more like hog tracks than deer but without seeing more of the pattern of how they walked I really couldn't say... Deer also though shouldn't show there dew claws normally just walking and pigs will so there are some questions that without more information we can't answer from a keyboard...


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Big pig but yea that's possible.


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## DecoySlayer (Mar 12, 2016)

sureshot006 said:


> I think i saw the sasquatch the other day on the way to work, along the Detroit river in a fenced area where I normally see deer. It was a dark animal (sun rising behind it and 100 yards away). Immediate reaction was "holy crap a big bobcat!" It picked up its head and it looked round, like a cat. Couldnt see a tail. But, common sense hit... Are there Bobcats in Wayne county? Was pretty good size for a cat, too. Eating something. Maybe a fluffy coyote with tail down and then when it picked its head up it was looking my direction, causing it to look rounded? Was driving and couldn't look closer. Still not 100% sure what I saw. Could have been a dog I suppose.



There used to be bobcats in Wayne County. The last one I saw there was back in the mid 1960's, in the general area where the golf course and trash dump is in Riverview. I don't know about now.

I saw one, near Monroe, about 3 years ago.


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## TriggerDiscipline (Sep 25, 2017)

Could be an elk, I saw 2 cows once turkey hunting about 10 miles east of Mancelona.


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## junkman (Jan 14, 2010)

sureshot006 said:


> This was on jefferson, just south but adjacent to the wyandotte golf course. Lots of coyote there so thats what has me leaning that direction. Its just that my first instinct was big bobcat by the silhouette. I know my MI animals at a glance so it bugs me to wonder what it really was. I think the fluffy coat and looking my direction with head to me and apparently tail down made it look odd for a coyote.
> 
> As for pheasant, yes I've seen them around there. Last one I saw was actually at the corner of Allen road and northline in southgate. Not all that surprising and I'm not 100% convinced they're naturally around. Fighting island on the Detroit river has lots of pheasants, penned up for hunts. I see them on the island all the time and its not really out of the question for them to fly to mainland, though probably rare.


I know that area well and I would not be surprised at all if it were a bobcat.The R&R tracks in that area are a perfect travel corridor for wildlife to travel.


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