Paw prints

[550Doug]

I found these paw prints in my gravel driveway this afternoon. The 13 inch hammer is to give the rough scale of who made the visit. There are definitely looks to be claws involved and it seems he was doing some pawing. We do have coyotes around here and maybe something bigger. Any ideas what it could be?

 

[Janicholson]

I found these paw prints in my gravel driveway this afternoon. The 13 inch hammer is to give the rough scale of who made the visit. There are definitely looks to be claws involved and it seems he was doing some pawing. We do have coyotes around here and maybe something bigger. Any ideas what it could be?

View attachment 5500View attachment 5501View attachment 5502View attachment 5503

A 120# big cat would be my guess from the pawing and stride. Keep your chihuahua inside! Jim

 

[Buckhammer]

it is hard to tell from the pics. being able to see it in person i could probably tell. First guess would be a wolf and second guess would be a mountain lion.

 

[HFJ]

imo, pawprints in a straight line like the second pic tend to indicate cat, but the first pic muddies that water.

 

[Steve in VA]

imo, pawprints in a straight line like the second pic tend to indicate cat, but the first pic muddies that water.

The surface is hard to define a print but, a couple appear to me to show claw marks. Cats generally don't leave claw marks when traveling while canines will. JMHO.

 

[HFJ]

The surface is hard to define a print but, a couple appear to me to show claw marks. Cats generally don't leave claw marks when traveling while canines will. JMHO.

good catch.

 

[RedMF40]

What are the usual suspects? What critters live in your area?

 

[Dingo3]

As stated cats have retractable claws. You won’t see them on flat ground very often. My guess would be a coyote or dog.

 

[MJMJ]

Big cat paws are huge, wayyy bigger than those. Not even close to be honest. Dog is most likely, coyote is certainly possible.

 

[550Doug]

What are the usual suspects? What critters live in your area?

We do have coyotes and there have been reports of black bear a few years ago. It wouldn't surprise me if a cougar could also be in the area.

 

[timcasbolt]

Boy, people will do anything to keep from using the metric system.

 

[300jk]

I found these paw prints in my gravel driveway this afternoon. The 13 inch hammer is to give the rough scale of who made the visit. There are definitely looks to be claws involved and it seems he was doing some pawing. We do have coyotes around here and maybe something bigger. Any ideas what it could be?

View attachment 5500View attachment 5501View attachment 5502View attachment 5503

Hard to tell. I have a firearm within reach of my bed, carry a pistol, and have others handy. I would say maybe a coyote. Maybe not. Better pics of tracks would be better like in the snow, or soft dirt. Gravel isn’t the best !

 

[Fritz Maurer]

Boy, people will do anything to keep from using the metric system.

good catch.

X2

 

[DoubleO7]

I found these paw prints in my gravel driveway this afternoon. The 13 inch hammer is to give the rough scale of who made the visit. There are definitely looks to be claws involved and it seems he was doing some pawing. We do have coyotes around here and maybe something bigger. Any ideas what it could be?

View attachment 5500View attachment 5501View attachment 5502View attachment 5503

Domestic dog
One that does not travel a lot and thus has long toenails.

 

[stevieb49829]

My educated guess is that a canine of some sort came up to the "spot", left a wet calling card, and scratched gravel over the spot with back paws as he left. Probably a male. Females usually don't do that, unless they are the alpha of the pack. If a big cat had been there, you wouldn't even see the tracks, unless on mud or snow. Steve

 

[ss55]

I found these paw prints in my gravel driveway this afternoon. The 13 inch hammer is to give the rough scale of who made the visit. There are definitely looks to be claws involved and it seems he was doing some pawing. We do have coyotes around here and maybe something bigger. Any ideas what it could be?

View attachment 5500View attachment 5501View attachment 5502View attachment 5503

Do any neighbors have large dogs that like to roam?

 

[gable]

I would guess dog or coyote as well. Does the hammer handle has bite marks?

 

[550Doug]

I would guess dog or coyote as well. Does the hammer handle has bite marks?

No large dogs in the area, and no bites on hammer handle. I just put out the hammer for the photos as a size comparison.
We do have a coyote that runs down our lane and leaves his scat in the middle of the lane. I moved that scat 2 days ago, so maybe he's warning me.

 

[Steve in VA]

No large dogs in the area, and no bites on hammer handle. I just put out the hammer for the photos as a size comparison.
We do have a coyote that runs down our lane and leaves his scat in the middle of the lane. I moved that scat 2 days ago, so maybe he's warning me.

That's your culprit.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

The reason that the answer to this post is so elusive is you failed to disclose the size of the hammer in millimeters.