1st post, joined this am. I thought this would be a good group to get ideas on this image. Our lease is between Seadrift and Port O'Connor, and I found this peculiar drag mark under feeder yesterday am. I had been at same feeder the night before and there were no drag marks then. There we no tracks in drag mark, which was about 10 inches wide. I assume a predator nailed a small pig and dragged it from under the loose sand under feeder. We have coyotes and bobcats on lease and a reliable report of a cougar on property in the past 6 mos. Interestingly, there was no blood. So many tracks under feeder that I could not see a definitive track on either side of the drag marks. Bob

Hmm, photo not showing

Can't open pic. But even without seeing it I'll bet it was a snake.

X2

Well, it looks like it is a really big snake!

Looking closely at the photo, there appears to be foot prints properly spaced and then dragged over. It looks a lot like somebody dragged a carcass over the footprints to cover the footprints.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/26912434@N07/30337011664/in/dateposted-public/

I could not get it to display either, but if you highlight the link here, right click, and select OPEN LINK, you will see it.

Do you have an image of a started or stopping point of the drag?

Take out the first http://


Drag Photo

[img]https://www.flickr.com/photos/26912434@N07/30339071524/in/dateposted-public/[/img]


Here's another shot. Any human footprints are mine. There were only critter footprints before I came on scene. Was only person there on a very private lease.

Second pic...

2nd Pic

indigo?

Doesn't really look like a snake to me. Too straight and even. Maybe a big turtle or a predator kill. No blood would make me think turtle. Got some big gators in that area but it shouldn't be that straight from a gator either.

You got a waterway near you? creek, river, canal, etc

I see marks very similar to that here often... dats a gater

The smaller drag mark inside is the tip of the tail scratching the inside of mid tail drag mark

Big indigo! Tracks at least 10 inches wide. My guess is bobcat walking backwards dragging small pig.

Interesting. This spot is about 4 miles inland from intercoastal. There is a pond about 100 yards away. We'll look for a gator.

That is a full size gator trail if it's a gator.

Id say 8-9fter

At first look I thought gator and then I see where you are at and that causes me to say gator again. Still not quite right and now feet tracks. Not sure, too bad you didn't have a camera up.

Only other thing that could make it that big imo would be a big snapper but their tails usually sit directly behind them

whatever it is, I most likely don't want none

My guess would be a gator. But still quite odd.

Doesn't look like alligator. There are no corresponding fresh prints alongside of the fresh drag. And when gator bellies do drag the ground, the tail tends to swish side to side leaving a serpentine print. None of this is present.

You are right about the lack of clear gator tracks next to path. There were recognizable deer, hog, and sandhill tracks around, but nothing I could see that systematically looked like tracks along the path. I'm hoping ranch foreman will get back to me, he knows property and critters unbelievably well.

The other surprise to weekend was to see a white female peacock flocking with 4 gobblers. Got distant photo but clear view on bino's crest on head and everything. Foreman confirmed that a peacock went awol from Swan Point down the way.

Looked at online photos of gator tracks in sand, and dragging tail is consistent.

https://www.google.com/search?q=alligato...263&bih=605

But ... the claw tracks along side are very visible and belly not dragging on ground in these photos.

I am now thinking more of small pig being dragged by predator, since the drag mark was so smooth and consistent. Wonder if the small drag line left of center is trailing hoof or something. The smoothness of the drag line makes me think it was fur of critter being dragged.

I think the same thing Bobc. I can see the tracks on either side from the critter doing the dragging. Cool pic.

Oh yeah... to the forum. Hope ya hang around.