tommyguitar
CGN Regular
- Location
- West Kootenays
Thanks for your responses. The neighbours dog is a German Shepard. Is there any chance that could be his print? I guess that wouldn't explain the smaller print up top though.
Is this a Wolf Track?
- Thread starter tommyguitar
- Start date
The horses have been a little extra fresh in the morning when I feed the last while. I think I know why. That is a BIG dog. My hand is 4.5" across the palm. If he has been chasing the horses, I am going to introduce him to Mr. Paintball gun.
Do you think it could be a wolf?
Youve got one big ass wolf on youre "hands"... Just joking!.
The size of the rear foot print seems the right size for a mature male wolf track. And Ive only seen a few while moose hunting so cant tell between a large shepherd or wolf.
Definately not a coyote print.
Was it walking a streight line or kinda here and there, walking around?..
Very important to note, cause dogs just goof around, while a wolf will normally walk with determination, and in a much streighter line.
Youve got one big ass wolf on youre "hands"... Just joking!.
The size of the rear foot print seems the right size for a mature male wolf track. And Ive only seen a few while moose hunting so cant tell between a large shepherd or wolf.
Definately not a coyote print.
Was it walking a streight line or kinda here and there, walking around?..
Very important to note, cause dogs just goof around, while a wolf will normally walk with determination, and in a much streighter line.
Very good point on the habit of the animal. Indeed a dogs tracks will be all over the place.
Glock4ever
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Edmonton, AB
IMO it is very hard to confuse a wolf track with a Coyote track - wolves have really big feet. I remember the first time I saw a set of wolf tracks... it really made me wonder if my 223 Rem was enough gun.
- Location
- Saskatchewan
wolf or large dog. definitely NOT a coyote!
Mount Sweetness
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Ontario
Yes, it could be your neighbours dog...have you ever seen a wolf near by...how often??
Does the neighbours dog run on your property often?
Does the neighbours dog run on your property often?
What say ye experts about these tracks?
For scale,that's my sz 12 sandal which I just measured at 12.5" long.The heelprint of the sandal,which is approximately the same size as the wolf track(?)is 4.5L X 3.75 wide.By comparing it to my heel-to-toe footprints,I've calculated the stride of this canine to be 30-32".
No takers??
Fine then,I'll tell ya my theory.If it wasn't a wolf that left these tracks,then it was the biggest sonofahoar of a ky-oat that's ever roamed the woods of north-central New Brunswick.
If you're close to the city, it's unlikely to be a wolf. Large coyote!
I dunno about coyotes in your area, but around MY place (western edge of town near 101st SW) they are MASSIVE. There was one running behind my yard this morning, and it was almost the size of a big german shepherd (it was a coyote, not a german shepherd..
i live in muskoka and saw a yote outside my apartment building that looked like it was 70 lbs+.
f**king ridiculous.
(could have been a hybrid i guess, but looked just like a giant yote)
No takers??
Looks like a dog print to me. Even though its soft ground, and this tends to spread the toes, most every coyote track will be very pointed, with the front two toes very close together. These (in the pic) are very spread out, like that of a domestic dog would be.
Pathfinder
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Northeast Ontario
If were going to identify tracks..check these ones....
I followed these tracks on a logging road last december.....finally caught up to him but couldnt' get close enough to positively identify him as a dog/wolf/coyote..but the tracks looked big enought to be a wolf or good size dog . The colours on his coat were nearly the same of a German Shephard so I couldnt' take a shot without being sure.
I followed him some more Were I played some wolf howls and he was howling back...still not sure because that caller drives dogs just as crazy. Finally a second one came out of the tree line after more calling.....I followed them some more and they finally disapeared at the roads dead end together in the tree line. After a second came out of I was pretty sure they were not somebody's pet (they had the same colour pattern) but I let them go none the less .
If I had been deeper in the bush I wouldt' of hesitated but I was off a secondary highway and there were a few houses only a few miles away from the log cut.
I followed these tracks on a logging road last december.....finally caught up to him but couldnt' get close enough to positively identify him as a dog/wolf/coyote..but the tracks looked big enought to be a wolf or good size dog . The colours on his coat were nearly the same of a German Shephard so I couldnt' take a shot without being sure.
I followed him some more Were I played some wolf howls and he was howling back...still not sure because that caller drives dogs just as crazy. Finally a second one came out of the tree line after more calling.....I followed them some more and they finally disapeared at the roads dead end together in the tree line. After a second came out of I was pretty sure they were not somebody's pet (they had the same colour pattern) but I let them go none the less .
If I had been deeper in the bush I wouldt' of hesitated but I was off a secondary highway and there were a few houses only a few miles away from the log cut.
In the snow on a clear surface, there is a way to distinguish a wolf track.
Their tracks line up in a straight line. That is, the left feet are in the same line as the right feet.
A coyote tends to make a wobbley looking line, as all feet don't quite line up, besides being so much smaller, with a much shorter stride.
I don't think I have ever seen a dog that makes a straight line of tracks in the snow.
Another wolf give away, is when they move. They can be standing still, then a blur in front of your eyes and they are gone! No dog and get into motion like a wolf can.
I know, by this time you've lost your chance at a shot. I know this from experience, because I have missed a shot because of this.
Are they wolves or husky dogs? Can't go by colour. Can't take a chance on shooting. Then, a blur and nothing is in front of you. Damn, they were wolves!
Their tracks line up in a straight line. That is, the left feet are in the same line as the right feet.
A coyote tends to make a wobbley looking line, as all feet don't quite line up, besides being so much smaller, with a much shorter stride.
I don't think I have ever seen a dog that makes a straight line of tracks in the snow.
Another wolf give away, is when they move. They can be standing still, then a blur in front of your eyes and they are gone! No dog and get into motion like a wolf can.
I know, by this time you've lost your chance at a shot. I know this from experience, because I have missed a shot because of this.
Are they wolves or husky dogs? Can't go by colour. Can't take a chance on shooting. Then, a blur and nothing is in front of you. Damn, they were wolves!
I agree,the splayed toes in that particulair pic seem a bit out of place but I can assure you it's just the soft sand.These pics were taken on a remote river sandbar during an overnight canoe/fishing trip.No homes or camps for miles around,canoe access only.
I've been hunting/trapping long enough to know the difference between wild and domestic canine tracks,there are several distinguishing traits to fox,yote,and I'll assume wolf tracks that differ from domestic dogs.
First of all,a coyote or fox as has been mentioned previously in this topic generally travel in a straight and determined line,not wandering all over the place,all willy-nilly like a dom.dog does unless it is actively hunting rabbits in thick bush etc.These prints tracked perfectly strait across a remote sandbar/beach like I would expect from a coyote.Also,you can see in the close-up pic there are/were older,faded tracks made prior to the river rising and falling that week which are somewhat washed out,but followed the same line along the riverbank.
The second and most telling feature is the stride and actual footprint size and how they relate to one another.Wild canines have relatively long legs and small feet for their body size compared to ANY domestic dog you can think of.Take for instance a fox with a 14" stride,it has feet barely larger than a housecat.A similair sized dog,let's say a beagle,will have huge feet in comparison and a shorter stride.A dog with the same 14" stride would be much larger than a fox and have huge feet in comparison.Same thing with a coyote.They normally have a 16-20" stride.Any domestic dog with a stride that long will have absolutely huge feet in comparison,likely the size of a Lab,German Shephard etc.
In the pics I posted,you see a 31-32" stride and 4.5" x 3.75" prints,roughly the size feet you would expect on a med-large breed like a Lab only the stride would be much shorter,more like 18-20"?A domestic bred dog with a stride that long would have enormous feet,like a wolfhound or elkhound maybe?You won't find any domestic dogs with both long strides and small feet...you just won't,plain and simple.
Not very big?? What are you on crack or what?
Do tell how large an especially big coyote track is supposed to be....or even an average size track in your expert opinion.FWIW,an "average" coyote track in these parts,and yes,our coyotes are bigger than yours ,would be 2.5"-3" long with a walking stride of 18-20".These tracks are 4.5" long with a 31" stride....give your head a shake.
...and yeah,it is two tracks,the front (larger)and the hind(smaller and slightly forward).
If these are actually coyote tracks,they are without question the biggest yote tracks I've ever seen in 4 decades of hunting,trapping,fishing in NB.I don't normally take pics of yote tracks,I see thousnads of them every year.I beleive it was either a smallish,supposed to be extirpated 100 years ago wolf that left these prints,or one huge MFer coyote,likely a result of hybridizing with the historically native wolves.Call it a brush wolf or whatever you like,there are some huge "coyotes" roaming the woods in the east,these tracks are an example of one of them.Regardless what anyone wants to call them,no way in hell these tracks were made by a domestic in my not-so-humble opinion.
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westcoaster
CGN Regular
- Location
- Central BC
Here is a wolf track from northern BC about three years ago. I saw this guy a couple of times but could not get a shot at him. This was a large black one that would start howling with his buddies closer and closer to us whenever we killed something.
The cartridge is a 338wm for reference.
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The cartridge is a 338wm for reference.
If were going to identify tracks..check these ones....
I followed these tracks on a logging road last december.....finally caught up to him but couldnt' get close enough to positively identify him as a dog/wolf/coyote..but the tracks looked big enought to be a wolf or good size dog . The colours on his coat were nearly the same of a German Shephard so I couldnt' take a shot without being sure.
I followed him some more Were I played some wolf howls and he was howling back...still not sure because that caller drives dogs just as crazy. Finally a second one came out of the tree line after more calling.....I followed them some more and they finally disapeared at the roads dead end together in the tree line. After a second came out of I was pretty sure they were not somebody's pet (they had the same colour pattern) but I let them go none the less .
If I had been deeper in the bush I wouldt' of hesitated but I was off a secondary highway and there were a few houses only a few miles away from the log cut.
Path finder, you are truly a hunter, but maybe a too carefull one.
If I were a few miles outside of Timmins and saw a hundred pound, grey haired, dogish looking creature all by itself, and after keen obsevation, realized it had a "streight tail", I would shoot first and ask questions later!.
.But thats just me.
Pathfinder
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Northeast Ontario
Path finder, you are truly a hunter, but maybe a too carefull one.
That's quite possible........Thinking about it in hindsight I think I would of acted differently.
To give you a perspective of my view I shot a video with a cheap digital camera, if you turn up the sound on your computer you can actually hear him awnser the call. The "wolf" is a small dot down the road. I wish I would of had better binos on that day.
not sure how to embed the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViPmtdmNpJY
