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cat tracks #5500127 12/26/14 12:28 PM
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Dave Davidson Online Content OP
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I found some huge cat tracks on my land in Montague County a couple of weeks ago. They measured almost 6 inches in length and were in fairly hard, dry, sand and not mud. The pugs were between the size of a half dollar and a silver dollar. It took a lot of weight to make the impression. Only one was a complete track. Due to lack of claws, they weren't from a dog or coyote. I'm wondering about a mountain lion. I've seen a lot of bobcats, their feet, and their tracks. I know that they have awfully big feet but have never seen one this size.

I looked up the GW's phone number on the web, called it, and got no answer. No opportunity to leave a message. When they have been sighted in the past, the GW always seems to have had reports of sightings. But, it's been a long time since we have had any indication that there was one in the area. I'm not worried about it from a safety standpoint.

Your thoughts?


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Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley, Rancher Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
Re: cat tracks [Re: Dave Davidson] #5500151 12/26/14 01:08 PM
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pic? of the track

Re: cat tracks [Re: Dave Davidson] #5500154 12/26/14 01:10 PM
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First, the tracks were most likely made in softer, wet sand and then it dried hard.

Second, 6" long? WAY too large for a normal mountain lion. Mountain lion tracks should be about the size of your palm and not the size of your hand. (3.5" long and about 4" wide). The size of print you are talking about would be in the size range for African lion.

Third, pics with a scale (your foot, knife, cell phone, ruler)

Fourth, the place I hunt just outside of the town of Montague has had a cat cross through, according to the landowner. What part of Montague County?

Last edited by Double Naught Spy; 12/26/14 01:30 PM.

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Re: cat tracks [Re: Dave Davidson] #5500219 12/26/14 02:17 PM
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Just South of Bowie. We've had some sightings in the past but I've never seen one. I know, or have read, that they have a 75 mile range so I'm not worried about it. I took a pic with a teenagers hand next to it and then measured the kids hand. I have the pic on my camera but have been unsuccessful in using Photobucket.


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Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley, Rancher Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
Re: cat tracks [Re: Dave Davidson] #5500234 12/26/14 02:28 PM
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Don't have to use photobucket anymore. Load it directly here using the upload icon in the tool bar.


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Re: cat tracks [Re: Dave Davidson] #5500546 12/26/14 05:48 PM
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Or, I can just pm you my email and then you can email the image(s) to me and I can post them for you.


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Re: cat tracks [Re: Dave Davidson] #5500573 12/26/14 06:14 PM
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Besides the size, are there other ways to figure this problem out- which I too have had? I'm told a mountain lion will occasionally drag its tail and you can see a drag line in soft sand- I'm not really sure they do that and, like others I've see tracks that could be either a trophy bobcat or a small female lion. What about how the animal moves? Does a bobcat wandered around more and a lion walk straight? Are the prints different? One in a straight line the other in two rows? Any indicators other than size?

Re: cat tracks [Re: Dave Davidson] #5500702 12/26/14 07:33 PM
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The issue here isn't if it is a bobcat or mountain lion, LOL. These tracks are to a mountain lion what mountain lion tracks are to a bobcat.


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Re: cat tracks [Re: Dave Davidson] #5501218 12/27/14 01:49 AM
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Double Naught, you're over your limit on messages.

Last edited by Dave Davidson; 12/27/14 02:28 AM.

Without a sense of urgency, nothing ever happens.

Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley, Rancher Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
Re: cat tracks [Re: Dave Davidson] #5501275 12/27/14 02:20 AM
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That's bizarre. Sorry. Will fix that...


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Re: cat tracks [Re: Dave Davidson] #5501285 12/27/14 02:29 AM
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OK, 3 Emails with 2 pics each. The quality on my cheap digi cam didn't do a great job.The tracks were a lot clearer than the pics.

Last edited by Dave Davidson; 12/27/14 02:31 AM.

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Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley, Rancher Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
Re: cat tracks [Re: Dave Davidson] #5501327 12/27/14 02:57 AM
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Re: cat tracks [Re: Dave Davidson] #5501330 12/27/14 02:59 AM
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Re: cat tracks [Re: Dave Davidson] #5501334 12/27/14 03:00 AM
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Thanks, the 16 year old kids hand measure between 5.5 and 6 inches from start of the palm to the fingertips. 2 of the pics are from a second track in sand/gravel. It was pretty well packed and looks like whatever made it had a lot of weight. The stride indicated that it was walking instead of running.

I have never yelled mountain lion before. But, I have never seen cat tracks this size.

Last edited by Dave Davidson; 12/27/14 03:06 AM.

Without a sense of urgency, nothing ever happens.

Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley, Rancher Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
Re: cat tracks [Re: Dave Davidson] #5501837 12/27/14 02:02 PM
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I think you have a very big dog track there buddy, you can see a very small toenail imprint at the end of the pads, cats will not have that and be very circular and a little more space between toes, my guess is big dog sorry


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Re: cat tracks [Re: Dave Davidson] #5501858 12/27/14 02:13 PM
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Also the heel of the track or the "Palm" will be a lot closer to the toes, in your track it's positioned further back and resmebles a dog's longer foot, and looks to only have 1 love in the front and 2 lobes, a cat will have 2 in the front and 3 in the back


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Re: cat tracks [Re: Dave Davidson] #5502072 12/27/14 03:49 PM
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So pics 1, 2, and 3 are the same print (#1). Pics 4 and 5 and print #2. Pic 6 is print #1. Pics 1, 2, 3, and 6 can be identified as the same by the locations of specific stones and the acorn in the image.

Print #1 got taken from various angles and got degraded over the time of the images, debris being added into the print and the ground around the print damaged by the person placing his hands next to it. The least damaged image is #6 and it isn't 6" long. It is about palm-sized. It wasn't a fresh print when the pics were taken as evidenced by the rounded edges. I can't say one way or the other on this one.

Print #2 is canid. Claw marks are clear and the shape is canid.

For future reference, while the hand may be a somewhat useful scale, don't have it place right next to the print. You can see in the images where debris is pushed up against the print and the fingers were placed where a claw mark might appear in some of the images. Changes in the images (even print #2) shows where debris was knocked into the print as well between shots.


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Re: cat tracks [Re: Dave Davidson] #5502123 12/27/14 04:12 PM
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Man, I'm not sure what that track is, most canines have more pronounced nail marks but most bobcat tracks I've seen are a little more round- I really have no idea what a mountain lions track looks like.
There is another forum- Big Game Houndsman- I think that's the name. They have guys that use hounds for mountain lions. Maybe post the photos there.
If you get any good info- please post back here.
The toe marks look pointy or more oval than I thought a mountain lion might have. This raises an interesting point- I always thought a mountain lion track was just a big bobcat track- are there differences?

Last edited by Dave Scott; 12/27/14 04:15 PM.
Re: cat tracks [Re: Dave Davidson] #5502211 12/27/14 04:46 PM
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big dog toes are to pointy dollar bill makes a pretty good object for reference

Re: cat tracks [Re: Dave Davidson] #5502212 12/27/14 04:46 PM
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big dog toes are to pointy dollar bill makes a pretty good object for reference

Re: cat tracks [Re: Dave Davidson] #5502253 12/27/14 05:10 PM
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TXCAT, I didn't see the toenail and am still not sure it is one. And, the canine prints that I have seen are closer to a rectangular than a circle. The ones in the soft sand are more circular. But, there may be dogs with a circular pad; I just don't know. Maybe Saint Bernards do.

I have rude neighbors dogs that run my land. They are big shepherds and shepherds have more rectangular feet. I find their tracks regularly. However, they always head straight for my feeders. I have 6 feeders with 6 cameras and no pics of dogs during that 2 week period. To me, that eliminated a dog or dogs.

OTOH, the 2 different tracks are about 5 ft apart and next to each other. Unless it was a female cat with half grown kittens, cats don't run together like dogs do. That would vote for one or more big dogs.

Sooner or later, I may get a game cam pic.


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Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley, Rancher Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
Re: cat tracks [Re: Dave Davidson] #5502451 12/27/14 07:05 PM
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