Big Paws!

Those are some big paws! Sometimes it can be super hard to ID tracks. This is especially true when you’re sorting out domestic dogs vs coyotes vs wolf tracks. Take these for instance…

1. We found these tracks (Above & below.) on Devil’s Lake State Park’s south buff a couple of days ago. Because we found them on the quiet south bluff where there are no hiking trails, and there were no other tracks nearby (certainly no human tracks), it’s probably not a domestic dog.

2. Coyote tracks are generally much smaller and its tracks are oval in shape and the toenail marks tend to hook inwards.

3. Coyote tracks are 2.5 to 3.5 inches long. The tracks in the photo are 4.5 to 5 inches long.

4. Wolf tracks are about 5 inches long & 4 inches wide. That said, we’ve seen wolf tracks that look much bigger than these too.

5. Melting can make tracks look bigger. However, these tracks were on the north face of the south bluff which doesn’t get too much sun this time of year. We also found turkey, fox, and raccoon tracks at the bottom and north of the bluff in very sunny areas that were pretty much normal size.

In the end, the odds would be that these are the tracks of a very large coyote made even larger by melting…. But given the location, seeing them in person, and noting not only the length but the width of the paw and shape of the front toes we’re not so sure…What do you think?