What Made these Tracks?

Small Game Hunting, Stories and Pictures
  • Advertisement

HB Store


User avatar
Hodag Hunter
500 Club
Posts: 3837
Joined: Sat Feb 27, 2010 5:14 pm
Location: Northern WI
Status: Offline

What Made these Tracks?

Unread postby Hodag Hunter » Fri Jan 07, 2011 2:18 pm

At a paper mill today, looking at some work, in N-E WI north of Green Bay and seen these tracks walking on the ice. What are they?

The guy at the plant showing me the job thought I might know what they are; as they all have guesses but are stumped too.

Pictures aren't the best....taken from my cell phone off a walk bridge above the river.

Best guess tracks are at least 3" diameter....maybe 4" and the gait is about 18" to 20". All dimensions best guess 100' above the ice. :?

The confusing part is the tracks will go for 75 yards+/- and then looks like the critter drags it's whole body on the ice for another 75 yards and then walks again. Tracks go real close to the waters edge and then turn back and walk the ice again.


Image

Image

Image


User avatar
muddy
Posts: 8770
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2010 5:04 am
Location: Hawkeye State of Mind
Status: Offline

Re: What Made these Tracks?

Unread postby muddy » Fri Jan 07, 2011 3:04 pm

Looks like otter to me. I'd say that he's not dragging himself so much as pushing himself on his belly.

Either that or it's the legendary Hodag.
http://www.iowawhitetail.com
Leading the way for habitat and management information

"It's a good thing you don't need commas and colons to kill deer" -seaz
User avatar
muddy
Posts: 8770
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2010 5:04 am
Location: Hawkeye State of Mind
Status: Offline

Re: What Made these Tracks?

Unread postby muddy » Fri Jan 07, 2011 3:05 pm

Google image search...

Image
http://www.iowawhitetail.com
Leading the way for habitat and management information

"It's a good thing you don't need commas and colons to kill deer" -seaz
User avatar
magicman54494
500 Club
Posts: 4188
Joined: Fri Feb 26, 2010 6:05 pm
Location: central and northern WI
Status: Offline

Re: What Made these Tracks?

Unread postby magicman54494 » Fri Jan 07, 2011 3:08 pm

Croc! Don't go near the water!
User avatar
magicman54494
500 Club
Posts: 4188
Joined: Fri Feb 26, 2010 6:05 pm
Location: central and northern WI
Status: Offline

Re: What Made these Tracks?

Unread postby magicman54494 » Fri Jan 07, 2011 3:37 pm

Maybe a hippopotomouse
Image
User avatar
Hodag Hunter
500 Club
Posts: 3837
Joined: Sat Feb 27, 2010 5:14 pm
Location: Northern WI
Status: Offline

Re: What Made these Tracks?

Unread postby Hodag Hunter » Fri Jan 07, 2011 3:41 pm

I thought otter, drag/push marks makes a guy think so, but the gait.....it was a constant spread of 18"-20" ...... not like a otter hops/runs along. Sure not a "walking" gait of an otter either.

Could be all wet, but this is a quite a bit bigger critter......

Hodag or gator did cross my mind. :lol:
User avatar
muddy
Posts: 8770
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2010 5:04 am
Location: Hawkeye State of Mind
Status: Offline

Re: What Made these Tracks?

Unread postby muddy » Fri Jan 07, 2011 3:46 pm

I don't know what else it would be down on ice/snow doing that sort of thing, gotta be an otter, probably a big male or something.
http://www.iowawhitetail.com
Leading the way for habitat and management information

"It's a good thing you don't need commas and colons to kill deer" -seaz
User avatar
magicman54494
500 Club
Posts: 4188
Joined: Fri Feb 26, 2010 6:05 pm
Location: central and northern WI
Status: Offline

Re: What Made these Tracks?

Unread postby magicman54494 » Fri Jan 07, 2011 3:47 pm

Hodag Hunter wrote:I thought otter, drag/push marks makes a guy think so, but the gait.....it was a constant spread of 18"-20" ...... not like a otter hops/runs along. Sure not a "walking" gait of an otter either.

Could be all wet, but this is a quite a bit bigger critter......

Hodag or gator did cross my mind. :lol:


I can't tell much from your pics. Could it be an otter with a wolf walking in his track? A 3-4" track is not an otter.
User avatar
Liberty-Hunt
500 Club
Posts: 1783
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2010 9:31 pm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liberty.hunt.188
Location: FRANCE
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: What Made these Tracks?

Unread postby Liberty-Hunt » Fri Jan 07, 2011 10:06 pm

magicman54494 wrote:Maybe a hippopotomouse
Image


You to much Magic!!!! :lol:
"Huntingly",
L-H

GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH!
User avatar
Black Squirrel
500 Club
Posts: 4978
Joined: Sat Mar 13, 2010 2:50 am
Location: NE WI
Status: Offline

Re: What Made these Tracks?

Unread postby Black Squirrel » Sun Jan 09, 2011 5:20 am

Baby bigfoot, learning to walk? :?
dan
Site Owner
Posts: 41588
Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2010 6:11 am
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HuntingBeast/?ref=bookmarks
Location: S.E. Wisconsin
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: What Made these Tracks?

Unread postby dan » Sun Jan 09, 2011 6:32 am

Look like very large beaver tracks to me...

Image
User avatar
Spysar
500 Club
Posts: 3974
Joined: Sat Feb 20, 2010 11:23 pm
Status: Offline

Re: What Made these Tracks?

Unread postby Spysar » Sun Jan 09, 2011 6:48 am

I think otter. They lope along, then slide. I don't think a beaver can lift it's tail and walk, I think their tails always drag. Beavers have a big webbed track.
A buck will see you three times, and hear you twice, but he's only gonna smell you once.
User avatar
Hodag Hunter
500 Club
Posts: 3837
Joined: Sat Feb 27, 2010 5:14 pm
Location: Northern WI
Status: Offline

Re: What Made these Tracks?

Unread postby Hodag Hunter » Sun Jan 09, 2011 12:37 pm

I'm heading there next week again and I'll check if there is anymore tracks along with getting better pictures.

Tracks could have been webbed, I was to high above them to get a really good look. Tracks also could have melted and refrove giving an exaggerated size to them. But the gait is what is really confusing me.

I didn't know beaver "slide" similar to otter as shown in Dan's pick. Either a really big otter or beaver. I just don't know, not that it's important, but always like to figure out tracks.
User avatar
muddy
Posts: 8770
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2010 5:04 am
Location: Hawkeye State of Mind
Status: Offline

Re: What Made these Tracks?

Unread postby muddy » Sun Jan 09, 2011 1:19 pm

Spysar wrote:I think otter. They lope along, then slide. I don't think a beaver can lift it's tail and walk, I think their tails always drag. Beavers have a big webbed track.


I was going to say the same thing, there should be drag marks from a beaver tail.
http://www.iowawhitetail.com
Leading the way for habitat and management information

"It's a good thing you don't need commas and colons to kill deer" -seaz
User avatar
Swampthing
500 Club
Posts: 3335
Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2010 8:13 pm
Location: Western Minnesota
Status: Offline

Re: What Made these Tracks?

Unread postby Swampthing » Sun Jan 09, 2011 1:41 pm

I saw some very similar tracks and drag marks crossing a gravel road and there was a large otter i found dead nearby.Someone had been trapping beaver and he got the bad end of that deal.


  • Advertisement

Return to “Other Critters”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 8 guests