# Name That Track



## Wizard3686 (Aug 30, 2005)

that is a business card next to it


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## Yoopertrapper (Jan 24, 2006)

Canine.
Big male yote'.Be my guess.


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## Wizard3686 (Aug 30, 2005)

i wasnt sure if it was a yote or a wolf


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## David G Duncan (Mar 26, 2000)

It appears to me that the track is too large to be a coyote, since it is as wide as the business card's length.

Definitely a canine, because you can see the claws marks.

The animal apparently was standing at this location and not walking, because the two tracks are so close together. By seeing the whole series of tracks it would also tell a lot about the animal. Dogs tend to mill around a lot and coyotes or wolves will normally be traveling more on a beeline, with the tracks pretty much in a straight line.

Based on the depth of the track in the firm sand it is apparent that the animal is fairly heavy.

Since that track is more oblong than round it does make me lend away from a dog and toward a wolf. 

The length of the track appears to 4 1/2 inches long, which could definitely qualify it as wolf sized track.

So, if the track was found in a location where wolves might reside, then I would have to guess it could be a wolf. Otherwise it must be a very very large dog.


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## Liv4Trappin (Feb 22, 2006)

Looks like a large domestic or wild Dog to me.
Definately canine though.

Mike


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## Yoopertrapper (Jan 24, 2006)

Yeah,could be young wolf !
Although ,most wolf tracks i've seen are considerably larger than the one Wizards pic.


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## soggybtmboys (Feb 24, 2007)

Domestic dog, very clearly canine. A business card is only about 3.5 " long, if that were a yote, I would guess male and heavy and very large. Leaning towards domestic dog.


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## Wizard3686 (Aug 30, 2005)

Hey sorry it took me so long to get back here got busy and forgot about this post.

This pic was taken in Baraga county some where out in the Baraga Plains for ppl who know the area

I would have to think the only type of Domestic dog that would be in the aera would be bear dogs. 
I doubt that it would be bird dogs as there was no human tracks around and the fact that it was in the middle of a field.

Here is another pic from a lil higher up looking at it.


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## Rustyaxecamp (Mar 1, 2005)

Probably wolf then. They are out there for sure.


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## uptracker (Jul 27, 2004)

Looks like an ermine to me!:lol:

I say young wolf or big yote.


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## yoter (Jun 9, 2007)

Ok, from my experience that would with out a doubt in my mind be a large coyote. 

Ive trapped coyoye and had to study theyre tracks in college. 

The distinguishing characteristic in this impression is the two pointed nails at the the very tip of the track... very indicitive of a coyote. 

Here in the yoop I get to see wolf tracks almost as much as coyote and they are typically much wider and all nails are typically visible in the impression. 

depending on the time of the year the impression was photographed as even a young of the year wolf would have a wider track than that by now. 

Also, here is a good pointer to anyone who sees tracks like this, are the tracks "staggered" as is one track ahead of the other but significantly out of line with the other, this is probably a domestic dog. 

coyote tracks are very linear as one track will litterally be directly in front of the other or just slightly of to the side. 

coyotes will step directly in each others tracks when following each other.


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## David G Duncan (Mar 26, 2000)

yoter,

I also see a lot of similarities to a coyote track, based on the two leading toes being side by side.

But taking into account that the fact that business card is 3.5 inches long and using this to calculate the length of this track, you come up with the track being at least 4 1/4 inches in length.

Coyotes paws are very small in camparison to their size. In fact a lot of Red Fox tracks are larger than a normal coyote track. Red Fox have big paws in comparison to their size.

On page 37 of the 2007 Michigan Hunting and Trapping Guide issued by the DNR it shows both Gray Wolf and Coyote tracks and their length in inches. A Gray Wolf track should measure approximately 4.5 inches in length and a Coyote track is only 2.5 inches.

Therefore, at least in my opinion and my 50 years of trapping experience, I am confident that track could not have been made by a coyote.

A young wolf is probably the most likely animal that left these tracks, based on the location it was found in the U. P..

Your point that tracks that are layed out in a straight line is a good indicator of a fox, coyote or wolf is a very good point. I use this characteristice a lot to rule out a domestic dog, which works in most cases.

Reading sign is one of the special pleasures that we trappers enjoy every time we go to the field.


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## yoter (Jun 9, 2007)

David Duncan, 

Thank you for your input. 

However I would also say this, the track was made in sand and sand is not a great surface to determine track length as it allows for the foot to slide forward as it decends in to the sand... just physics the point that the foot makes contact with the sand can be as much as a 1/2 from where the foot actually comes to rest ... not sure if you follow.. thats why Im not a teacher  Basically the harder the surface the better for determining true "track" lenght. 

I have a taxidermist friend here in the EUP that just trapped a 58 pound coyote... one of the largest I have ever seen or heard about .. I did not measure its track but I will tell you that it is longer than 3.5 inches. 

I dont have the Michigan Hunting and trapping guide here with me at the moment but I definetly dont trust or belive alot of information that is given to me by someone sitting in an office plugging in numbers and stats. 

I believe they say that the max weight range of a coyote is 40 or 45pounds ... I personally have trapped several over that weight range and know of several others that have also. 

I have had several oportunities to view wolf tracks while out on my line... and there is typically all four nails visible.. typically. 

But I will agree with you ... a wolf will at some point be the same size as a coyote as it is growing ... so small wolf, large coyote... I will concede to that


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## David G Duncan (Mar 26, 2000)

yoter,

Like you, I love to study tracks and all other sign that I find in the woods.

Got a chance last winter to spend three weeks in the U. P. trapping, where I got to study quite a few fresh wolf tracks. So I am familiar with the first hand differences between coyote and wolf tracks.

The largest coyote I have caught weighed 43#. An old male with his teeth pretty much worn down. But size of his paws were not much different than any of the other coyotes I have caught over the years. The fact is that coyote paws are way, way smaller than any wolf paw.

Even a 58# coyote, I am willing to bet, did not have over sized paws. A coyote that weighs in at that weight, most likely had just recently filled up his belly on a deer carcass. 

Also, when I look really close at the track photo, I can make out the marks of all to toe claws, especially in the close up photo.

The friendly debate go on. 

Thanks for sharing your insight into this interesting discussion on interpreting tracks.


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## David G Duncan (Mar 26, 2000)

OK, I just got back from scouting the short Coyote trapline that I will be setting out next week.

Here is a photo of a coyote track that was unfortunately rained on yesterday. But you can see how small the track is in comparison to the business card.











Here is a photo of a series of coyotes tracks headed down a sandy trail. You can see that they are basically in straight line with maybe a couple of inches of offset.










There are different aged coyote tracks in this photo, with at least one set coming toward the camera.

Hopefully, I can show some photos of the coyotes that made these tracks in the near future.


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## yoter (Jun 9, 2007)

Ok, I will see if I can get a pic of this coyote and a measurement of its foot and post it... I need to post a few more times before I can post photos however. 

It is nice to see someone out there with some knowledge of tracking and trapping. 

If you have 50+ years trapping and tracking then you have a leg up on my mear 14 as I am only 32 yrs old. 

Thank you for your insight.. it is unfourtunate that the truth will never be known .


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## 22 Chuck (Feb 2, 2006)

I have been told/read that if the animal is walking and the nails are showing it is a dog. Coyote nails only show when running. This discussion was before wolves were a possibility.


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## David G Duncan (Mar 26, 2000)

> [Coyote nails only show when running. /QUOTE]
> 
> Typically in soft soil I do believe that you will see the toe nail marks in a coyote track, especially those of the front two toes.
> 
> ...


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