Tracking

Gosh Rick, I guess you really know your s***.:D:D

Not saying you're incorrect at all or anything like that, but a few weak points in your logic that I noticed:

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Originally Posted by Rick

They use their urine and feces to mark out their territory and as a warning to other coyote

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Lots of breeds of domestic dogs do this. I'm not sure about the toy breeds and the feces, but it's instict for male dogs of all species to mark with urine. Larger breeds typically do this with feces as well.

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Originally Posted by Rick

unlike a domesticated dog, it will contain hair from the small rodents, etc. that it eats.

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Hair alone doesn't necessarily indicate it's NOT a domestic dog. It all depends on diet.

Alpine - I agree with everything you said. In the case of the pictures, all the feces contained quite a bit of hair. An indication that it's not a domesticate dog. However, you are correct about diet and assuming a large domestic dog were feeding exclusively on rodents, etc. its feces could appear the same way.

My only point is to help the less experienced (I'm no expert by any means) understand something a bit out of the ordinary when they run across it in the woods. It's not every day that you see territory marked in this fashion so I thought it would make a good show and tell.

Crash - Of everyone on here, I knew it would be you that would give me a load of crap about the post.

Well I try. And far be it for me to poo poo any knowledge that is shared.

My Rhodesians poop looked like it was full of fur for a long time after he ate the neighbors long haired persian. yep it was hairy poo.

Well, see. It had the purry look to it though.

a note on canid droppings:

another telling feature is the whitening as it dries, which is often due to bone content. if it's full of hair and bone, it's not likely to be someone's domestic dog.

i'm just now coming in on this, but deer and raccoon tracks. then there's some coyote poop.

I see tracks like these every day I'm out riding. Thought I'd take a couple of pictures and share them with the folks here. Can you guess what they are?:)

The tracks in the second photo are from a quad runner. I'm guessing the animal ones are from a Gray Wolf - could be a coyote, but I think they're smaller.

You are right about the ATV tracks. However we don't have Gray Wolves here in Alaska. I put the Leatherman Super tool 2000 (4 1/2 in. long and 1 in. wide) next the the track for size comparison. Notice the human foot prints close to the K-9 prints, another size comparison.

Here's a good tracking link:

http://www.bear-tracker.com/

And another:

http://wildwoodtracking.com/other/sitemap.html

No Gray Wolf in Alaska? Do you call it a Timber Wolf? Same animal. Canis lupus.

Is the track a wolf/coyote or wolf/dog hybrid?

From the Smithsonian National Zoo site:

"Geographic Distribution: Today, gray wolves can be found in Alaska, Canada, some northern U.S. states, particularly Minnesota, as well as Russia and a few eastern European countries."

"Their paws are as big as those of much larger dogs; the Zoo's 60-pound wolves have the same paw size as some 100-pound domestic dogs."

Nope all we have in Alaska is Alaska wolves:D

Sorry I didn't know it was the same thing. In this case then you were right with your answer Crash.

I've never seen this wolf closer then about 400 yards. He is very big. I'm guessing over 100 lbs.

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Originally Posted by Rick

No Gray Wolf in Alaska? Do you call it a Timber Wolf? Same animal. Canis lupus.

Is the track a wolf/coyote or wolf/dog hybrid?

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The track is a wild wolf. I have seen this wolf with its mate and as many as 6 others.

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Originally Posted by Rick

This is for our less experienced members. Do you know the animal this track belongs to? In the last picture, there are two tracks. The one in the upper left is the same as the first two pictures. Can you name the animal the track in the middle of the 3rd picture belongs to? I'll give you a hint. The skull in pic 4 is the same kind of animal that made the track in pic 3!

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so is there a way to tell how big the animal is by the track?

is there a way to tell how big the animal is by the track?

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Originally Posted by Ryleyboy

is there a way to tell how big the animal is by the track?

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When you get accustomed to that specific animal's tracks you can tell pretty closely Ryley. Heavier animal leaves a deeper track and a longer bodied animal has a longer stance (space between tracks) Chances are you're not going to be going,"well, that's a 748 pound elk with a disarming smile and he passed by here at 5:42 Tuesday afternoon. He stopped right there to think about the vastness of the universe before moving on...." but you'll go " Bull elk, pretty fully grown, tracks are two days old..."

Adult wolves can be tough because their feet grown so big so fast, but the length of the stride is a good clue.

With larger animals too, you check where they've been nibbling on trees and plants, where they might have scraped against something, those things will give you an indication of size. Smaller animals you can follow the same guidelines but you have to be a little more attentive, they tend to leave less detail.