Odd sighting

[Jogeephus]

Had to do some woods work and I got out of the truck and was beginning to put my snake chaps on when my dog Eli started growling and carrying on. The hair on his back was standing straight up and he kept this up and barked at something while I got my gear together. I walked into the woods in the direction he showed concern and I came across some turkey scratching and figured that's what had him upset even though he's seen plenty of turkeys and they have never acted like that.

A while later I came up on a fresh fire break and found what looked like hog rooting in the fresh dirt. It was fresh because it wasn't there two days prior. Hogs would be a surprise on this property but not out of the question. I then started examining the dirt to see what size hogs they were but didn't see any hog tracks only a bunch of tracks around the wallered area that looked like those of a large dog like a Labrador but the prints were devoid of any toenails and the dirt was plenty soft from a recent shower.

The only thing that I know of that looks like a dog's print yet doesn't show toenails is a cat of some sort. The print was too big for a bobcat or a lynx I would think. But I don't know that much about cats and to my knowledge cats don't dig much do they? Any ideas what this might be? I'm thinking a big cat but I really don't know.

 

[M5farm]

I can tell you it ain't a Florida panther. Dnr and fwc will insist they are not in our area.

 

[Hook]

Panther. We've got them here and they're a lot more prevalent than FWC wants to let on. It wouldn't suprise me one bit if you guys had them occasionally there.

 

[dun]

Bigfoot

 

[highgrit]

With all the game cameras in the woods someone should have a picture of a panther if they are around. Lots of people got pictures of bears down in Milan and Rhine, and there's supposedly no bears there according to the DNR folks. You better watch your back in them woods Jo.

 

[Kingfisher]

No feathers? Maybe a cat jumped some pigs there?!? The "scent" would have been profound from that sort of event and set the dog off.

 

[regolith]

Cats do dig.
My old cat was very adept at uprooting plants - both outside and the pot plants indoors - when she was younger. She never told me *why* she had to dig up every patch of soil I'd disturbed, just came along behind me and dug the plants back out.
My dog on the other hand simply gets excited and crashes into plants and kills them that way.

 

[Ouachita]

Difficult to offer opinion. It would be interesting to know. I see tracks often and hear them rarely. I have seen disturbed earth with their tracks around it. Don't know if they caused it or were just curious after the ruckus from other animals

 

[Caustic Burno]

Difficult to offer opinion. It would be interesting to know. I see tracks often and hear them rarely. I have seen disturbed earth with their tracks around it. Don't know if they caused it or were just curious after the ruckus from other animals

Without a picture of the tracks be hard to say.
I have hunted where there are mountain lion and the track looks like a bobcat on steroids.
I have never seen a track in the piney woods here as our terrain is not the most conducive for them.
That is according to the TPWD biologist I talked with. He didn't say that none existed just that it was harder
on hunting success.

 

[Jogeephus]

Was back again today and snapped some pictures. Here is the scrape area. Its covered in paw prints.



Here is a close up of some paw prints.



After seeing Slick's photo of the Bobcat on steroids I think it very well could be a big bobcat.

Here is a hole it dug and you can see the claw marks. Definitely has some nice claws.

 

[skyhightree1]

Jo I think thats a cat you got there whether bobcat or panther mountain lion something in that cat family.

 

[Nesikep]

I know that for their size, bobcats do have big paws, but I still see them as being a little big for that, and a little small for mountain lion of the sorts we have here..

Maybe a bobcat of the size Slick just posted would have a paw that size when it has weight on it?

 

[Caustic Burno]

I know that for their size, bobcats do have big paws, but I still see them as being a little big for that, and a little small for mountain lion of the sorts we have here..

Maybe a bobcat of the size Slick just posted would have a paw that size when it has weight on it?

Killed a bobcat here 40 years ago that was 36 inches from his nose to the tip of his tail.
That was a big bobcat for this part of the world.

Jo compared to the lighter I say bobcat.

 

[Jogeephus]

You are probably right. I've never seen a bobcat the size of Slick's. Most of the one's I see are only the size of a spaniel but if they can get that big then I think it would explain it. I'm pretty confident whatever it is its definitely a feline.

 

[Jake]

Sure looks like a big bobcat track. Unless that's a big lighter, appears to small to be a lion track.

 

[slick4591]

After going back out there this morning and comparing my hand to the critter's paw, I'd say yours is also a bobcat unless that's a mini Bic.

 

[Jogeephus]

It is a mini. I forwarded the pictures to a biologist and he said it was a dog with wore down toenails. Said the shape and the digging was more canine like than what a cat would do. I would have sworn it was a cat though but he had two of his co-workers look at it too and they all agreed. So much for my hopes of working with the Lone Ranger. :lol2:

 

[skyhightree1]

So much for my hopes of working with the Lone Ranger. :lol2:

Tonto was cooler anyway. 8) :mrgreen:

 

[Caustic Burno]

It is a mini. I forwarded the pictures to a biologist and he said it was a dog with wore down toenails. Said the shape and the digging was more canine like than what a cat would do. I would have sworn it was a cat though but he had two of his co-workers look at it too and they all agreed. So much for my hopes of working with the Lone Ranger. :lol2:

Jo I have never seen a dog with toenails wore down so much they don't leave an imprint and the paw does.
I am not going to argue with your biologist. The hind lobe does look more feline after closer examining the pics.
Cat hind lobe doesn't have the U in the back like a cannie.

 

[Jogeephus]

I would swear it was a cat too but I don't know enough about it to argue with them. Being a dog doesn't explain why my dog acted so oddly. A cat would explain it.