Everything leaves traces of itself in its path; you just have to know how to see them. Mammals, birds, reptiles, and even insects can be tracked. Animal tracking takes practice, but the better one becomes at it, the more exciting, and challenging it becomes. Everyone can learn to track and kids gravitate to it with ease. A good way for kids to practice is to track the family dog or cat at home.
Bring along a book specializing in tracking to help with other specifics such as size of tracks, and the length of the animal’s ‘stride’. It will also be a guide for the size and shape of scat.
Three Basic Things to Look For
Dog and cat prints can be confusing because they look very similar - unless you know what to look for. ‘Dog’ refers to any member of the canine species such as domestic dogs, foxes, wolves, and coyotes. ‘Cat’ is in reference any felines such as domestic cats, mountain lions (cougars), and bobcats.
Tracks or Prints
Certain situations can make it easier to read the tracks of wild animals. Snow and mud hold tracks well, as does the soft soil around ponds and creeks. Plaster casts of the prints can also be made to take the tracks home.
Canine Print Characteristics
- Look for claw marks above the toe pads. Cats can leave claw marks, but only occasionally, when they are jumping or running.
- Look at the bottom heel pad. The two side lobes of the bottom of the heel pad are visible, but the third isn’t, leaving an ‘indent’.
- The front two toes are side by side (or nearly) - giving it a pointed look at the top of the print.
- Look at the top of the heel pad. There is a single lobe. So, the whole heel pad of a canine looks like a little hat.
Feline Print Characteristics
- No claw marks at the top of the toes. The two front toes are spread out.
- The top part of the heel pad has two lobes. So, the cat’s ‘indent’ is at the top of the heel pad.
- The bottom of the heel pad has three lobe prints making the bottom of the pad look ‘scalloped’.
Scat
Scat is a nice word for ‘poop’, and it’s a good sign when you find it because animals leave scat where they are comfortable. Take a stick and break apart the scat. What's inside will tell a lot about who it belongs to.
- Fur, feathers, and bones would indicate a carnivore (meat eater).
- Berries, seed hulls, and bits of leaves would point to an herbivore (plant eater).
- Another clue scat gives us is just how long ago it passed through the area. Moist scat means you could be right behind him, while very dry scat tells you he’s long gone.
Surroundings
- Look for flattened or bent grasses.
- Keep your eyes open for rocks and logs that have been recently disturbed.
- Look for bits of fur that have gotten snagged on shrubs or broken branches.
- Watch for scratches on trees or on the ground.
*A Note of Caution*
While it is extremely exciting to come across the tracks of a mountain lion, bobcat or bear, it can’t be emphasized enough that the goal is not to end up face to face with a predator. Wild animals (even the smaller ones) can be extremely dangerous and using good judgement, and a healthy dose of common sense is paramount.
Related Reading
Want to learn more about casting prints ans getting even closer to wildlife? Check out How To Cast Animal Tracks and How to Build a Blind For Wildlife Viewing.
Need more information about Tracking? Visit The Animal Tracks Den and The Wilderness Aware School for more tracking guidance. An exceptional book for tracking animals is the Peterson Field Guide, "Animal Tracks".
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