Phil from Maine

Ok guys.. I have to ask a question around track identification again.. I post a short video from my trail cam last fall on the trail cam forum of what looks to be a wolf.. Now I took a picture of a track near an old road heading down that way. This is located roughly 20 miles outside of town and about a mile and a half from the mainly traveled dirt road. It is a track that is around 3 1/2 inches long.. Here is the picture of it with my cell phone beside of it. I am guessing from our weather up here that this track was made around sun set last night.. We do not have wolves here yet according to our wildlife experts..

Terasec

at 3 1/2" long i'd say coyote

Phil from Maine

I just finished reading an article on wolf tracks and most likely you are right.. Although coyote tracks are normally smaller averaging 2 1/2" long while the wolf it stated averages 4 1/2 inches long.. So my guess now has become a coyote hybrid.. A higher cross with the wolf.. Perhaps one of those rarer kind in that can run up to a close eighty pounds.. Or it simply could be some one"s bear hound that has turned feral??

Psylocide

Not sure if this would make sense, but since the track is in snow... it could have started off smaller and the snow on the inside perimeter of the track melted, making it appear larger.

May not be the case, just something to consider.

Phil from Maine

I did in fact consider that point and have my doubts.. But still could be the case no doubt.. However when you look at the track, the snow in it would also have melted.. The snow was already in it as with a couple of other pics I took. when it walked it drag it's toes in the snow just like deer do sometimes. I am guessing that these were made around sunset yesterday. It also looks as though perhaps 2 of these went threw that area.. I am not sure though as it could be the same one had circled around and walked back down that area.

vliberatore

Canines also tend to spread their toes apart when walking on snow to keep from sinking in. My guess is coyote.

Phil from Maine

I have seen alot of average coyote tracks in the snow up here,, This one just appears to be out of place.. So I am trying to justify it as being a very large coyote.. I know a couple of butchers around the area here and will be trying to get some cattle bones to set out with my trail cam.. I am not sure if it will work but I am hopefull. This should show me what I am looking at after a few weeks of not bother it..

Mickey Finn

Looks like a coyote to me Phil.

ATB

Phil from Maine

Most likely Mickey.. I am still planning on setting a trailcam up with some bones from a butcher. I talked with him today and he will see what he can do for me. He is interested in this as well. Regardless it will still be a coyote to me anyways..

There was a yearling moose down in that area last year. It most likely became sick with brainworm first I am thinking..

Phil from Maine

Just a short update that I did today..

I had showed the pics from the tracks to 2 different guides up here yesterday and both were somewhat surprised at the size of the tracks. So today I went in around 2and 1/2 miles by foot dragging a plastic ice fishing sled with some beef bones, my trail cam, and a telescoping ladder. I used the ladder to set my trail cam up off the ground level and point it down towards where I set the bones out. I set my cam on video mode so I hope to have some nice videos of it when I go back in there in 2 to 3 weeks time. I had walked in because I got myself stuck on the main dirt road when I drove into a part where the frost had let go. I did not want to get stuck down in there. Still a good foot of snow in there that was quite hard walking in. I did see where that dog had been hanging around and took a tape rule with me.. His track is actually 3 and 3/4 inches.. The moose had been staying in that area this past winter by the looks of things. I did notice where a cow and a calf had been laying down earlier. Anyways if I get anything of interest I will let you all know..