Terry Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 (edited) For you folks in the southern areas that received the recent unusual snow storms and now have snow on the ground, will the absence of bf tracks make you wonder if in fact there is such a thing in your area or do you have thoughts as to why you aren't seeing tracks? I'm in snow country here in Ontario and the complete absence of tracks pretty well confirms to me that there is no such thing as bf here. This will be a good chance for a lot of you to get out in the wilds and see what's travelling around your area in regards to wildlife while your snow lasts. t. Edited December 7, 2013 by Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gotta Know Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 So...you're saying you've looked everywhere, then? Heh. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norseman Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 Iam in snow country in Washington state.........in fact no place on earth receives more snow fall. And I have seen tracks.......in snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted December 7, 2013 Author Share Posted December 7, 2013 (edited) So...you're saying you've looked everywhere, then? Heh. Cheers! No not by a long shot. I've flown a lot of wildlife surveys though where we track the targeted animals in fresh snow by helicopter. That gives you a pretty good idea of what's moving in the area. Norseman, I'm wondering about those in the South who think they have a population around them. If snow is a rare occurrence, I'm wondering if this is a chance for them to see good tracks. A creature makes a lot of tracks in snow if it's trying to make a living as you know. t. Edited December 7, 2013 by Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norseman Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 When I had my hounds and it was legal in Washington state, it might have taken me weeks to cut a fresh cougar track cruising logging roads on my snowmobile. I think its logical to assume squatch is a much more rare animal than a cougar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted December 8, 2013 Author Share Posted December 8, 2013 When I had my hounds and it was legal in Washington state, it might have taken me weeks to cut a fresh cougar track cruising logging roads on my snowmobile. I think its logical to assume squatch is a much more rare animal than a cougar. Cougars are big travellers and have a large territory. Many folks here have bf advertise their presence when they come into their territory which tells me they must hang around. The habituators (sp?) too should see lots of tracks. t. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mesabe Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 I live in Minnesota, where we experience plenty of cold and snow most yrs. Of the 7 sets of tracks I've found, 3 were when snow was on the ground. There was also that video a few yrs. back on the Minnesota track find, for several miles through the snow. I don't know if it's due to less human activity in the winter, but sightings seem to be lower then. I also think that they find a safe place to hole up for short periods, maybe with a cache of food. Probably where being interrupted by humans would be extremely rare. Then moving when conditions are in their favor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norseman Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 Cougars are big travellers and have a large territory. Many folks here have bf advertise their presence when they come into their territory which tells me they must hang around. The habituators (sp?) too should see lots of tracks. t. The NAWAC reports that interactions dry up during winter. IDK But I've never seen woodland caribou or wolverine tracks in the Selkirks, and both animals reside there. I think with a rare animal it is a rare find to stumble across their tracks in the snow, but not impossible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyO Posted December 8, 2013 SSR Team Share Posted December 8, 2013 I thought actual participation and " Woods time " dried up a little for NAWAC members though Norse in the winter months ? Didn't think they got out as much as they do in the summer for example ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DWA Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 (edited) For you folks in the southern areas that received the recent unusual snow storms and now have snow on the ground, will the absence of bf tracks make you wonder if in fact there is such a thing in your area or do you have thoughts as to why you aren't seeing tracks? I'm in snow country here in Ontario and the complete absence of tracks pretty well confirms to me that there is no such thing as bf here. This will be a good chance for a lot of you to get out in the wilds and see what's travelling around your area in regards to wildlife while your snow lasts. t. Almost all the bear tracks I have seen have been in snow...when bears are in their dens. So...bears only come out in winter? (No. They're in their dens. Yet there are the tracks.) Presence or absence of tracks, from my personal experience, says nothing one way or the other to me about the realiity of the animal. (Yes, I've seen tracks; no, they weren't human; and yes, there is only one other possibility for these tracks that I am aware of.) I live within easy driving distance of - and am probably one of the most frequent human travelers of - maybe the most densely populated bear habitat on the planet, Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. I have never seen a bear track in that park that was not in snow...which is when you aren't supposed to see a bear at all. I'd never presume something wasn't real because I, personally, hadn't seen tracks. You may have walked right by a trackway you didn't see. Make that several. Edited December 9, 2013 by DWA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DWA Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Two BFRO researchers found a trackway one night; came back the next day...and found an SUV parked right in the tracks, with totally oblivious people playing around in the snow outside it. Sure you've never done that, Terry...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norseman Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 I thought actual participation and " Woods time " dried up a little for NAWAC members though Norse in the winter months ? Didn't think they got out as much as they do in the summer for example ? But I thought the reason for that was that activity dried up. The op is correct.......winter time is the best time to be tracking. It's just that in the south this window is probably going to be to small to capitalize on it Cougars are big travellers and have a large territory. Many folks here have bf advertise their presence when they come into their territory which tells me they must hang around. The habituators (sp?) too should see lots of tracks. t. Jimmy chilcutt identified two tacks that had the same scar on them. They were 20 years and 600 miles apart. Iam not convinced that they have small home ranges .....at least not in the west. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveedoe Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 here is the location on Google earth of the tracks we found in the snow. This is just SW of Mt St Helens the tracks we found went up and over an old gravel pit. We first thought a person in snow shoes maybe, but there was no way a person could have walked up that slope in snow shoes. 46 09 16.40 N 122' 16' 24.20 W the big mountain is Goat Mt and goat marsh is just north we were on cross country skis on a path from south to north and the tracks came out of the small trees to the east and up and over the gravel pit to the west. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted December 10, 2013 Author Share Posted December 10, 2013 (edited) Two BFRO researchers found a trackway one night; came back the next day...and found an SUV parked right in the tracks, with totally oblivious people playing around in the snow outside it. Sure you've never done that, Terry...? Not sure if this is a disrespectful response or not? I'm just wondering if the folks who may live in areas that don't usually get snow but got this recent snowstorm and who see bf all the time are now seeing lots of tracks? It would be neat to see photos if they could get them. t. Edited December 10, 2013 by Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DWA Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Well, to say that the 67 reports for Ontario in the BFRO database are flat wrong because, why?, doesn't sound too respectful to me, now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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