Is it a cougar

[Budd Denny]

Got a call yesterday from a fella saying he thought he had cougar tracks by his house and could I come take a look, I was just to busy at the time so I swung by this morning and took a look. I've ran a ton of bobcat and live in the center of the heaviest population of wolves in the lower 48 and know it's neither of these critters. I could only track him for maybe 1/4 mile before losing him on deer trails but these were the cleanest tracks I could find. He was doing typical cat behavior, stepping up on logs and such, and I never once seen a claw mark. So what do you all think, do I have a cougar out my back door?

[carlisle]

hmm what have you got going here denny..how many inches wide was the track...It doesnt look quite like a lion track its not putting its back foot directly down in the front foots track so if it is a lion it walking really odd. I chased a lion that had a trap on its foot that left a similar looking track..I'm interested to hear what the experts have to say..

[jube baker]

Looks like bear to me.

[savage]

Looks like a bear track to me too. any clean pics of the pad?

[Tom A]

[Budd Denny]

Could never find a clean track, snow is melting off and not hardly any in the woods. I would have thought I would have seen the back pad had it been a bear or claw marks.
If I would have had time yesterday I would have known if my hounds would have gotten loose .

[Glen]

I am no expert but the first picture sure looks like the front paw of a bear to me.

[shoot4fur]

looks like a bear to me as well, bear gets my vote

[Longspring]

First pic just plain looks like a bear track and the second is a bear track on a bear track .

[007pennpal]

Seen one looked just like that the other day. Its a 100 pound bear stepping in his own track. They can run forever.
Sean

[jkcasey]

Its hard to tell by looking at the pics, but it looks like there is 5 toes to that track, so if that is the case it isn't a cat for sure. I would go with a bear.

[redmange]

Bear!

[cat and bear]

Budd, I'm thinking its got to be a sasquach tracks, remember the last time i came over, i told you I seen one cross the road Are you a believer now???

[Redbone83]

Gonna say definetly bear track!

[Mike Leonard]

JKcasey,

Right on with the 5 toes! What other North American carnivores or omnivores have 5 toes excluding humans?This does not include dewclaws only toes that show in a track because technically many canids and felids have 5 front toes but this includes dew claws or killer claws and 4 rear toes.