General Information

Wild animals can be difficult to detect because of their instinctive behavior to avoid humans. However, the presence of wild animals often can be determined by their tacks in snow, sand, or soft mud. Indians and pioneers learned to read wildlife tracks with remarkable skill for hunting purposes. The art of tracking also allows wildlife biologists to identify habitats in which animals live and to conduct population surveys.

Animal tracks can be found in a variety of places. Some tracks may be as close as your own backyard, while others may require an extensive search. You can find animal tracks in desert sand dunes, along creek and marsh bottoms, in pastures, and along game trails. Once you have discovered the art of identifying wildlife tracks, you will probably never again pass a stream bank without instinctively looking to see what has passed by that area. You will find that a complex animal world, which you never suspected exists, has opened up for you.

However, reading tracks is not easy. Because each situation is somewhat different, you must be prepared to use your ingenuity to interpret what you see. In many cases you may not be able to identify the track you find because details of the animal's feet are not present. For example, the track may not show all the toes. A track in the mud may look different from one in dust or snow, even if the same individual animal made them. In addition, a track in snow is different after the warm sun has enlarged and distorted it. There also are variations due to age and gender of the animal.

Frequently used wildlife paths or game trails are a common place to find tracks. The edge areas where two different habitat types meet probably provide the greatest potential for studying animal tracks. If you know of a place where animals habitually travel, as on a trail or near a den tree, then you can prepare a smooth area by sweeping the ground with a tree branch. Animals will leave good tracks under such controlled conditions. In addition, old tracks may be erased by smoothing this area over like a clean slate. It may be possible to use bait to attract certain species over prepared ground.

Identifying Wildlife Tracks
The following illustrations are designed to help you identify various species of wildlife by examining tracks. Several different characteristics are useful in differentiating the illustrated tracks. Pay special attention to characteristics such as track size, shape of track, and presence or absence of claw marks. All tracks in this document are drawn to scale; however, track size can vary greatly for a species due to age, gender, and variation among individuals. Use the drawings in this publication as a guide rather than a rigid key because a perfect track is not always found.
There is no distinction between white-tailed deer and mule deer tracks in this document. These species can't always be differentiated by their tracks. Therefore, the category "deer" was used to eliminate any problems. The same is true for the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and desert bighorn sheep. In some instances it's impossible to differentiate the two sheep based on their tracks. Subsequently, the sheep tracks shown are titled "bighorn sheep" to eliminate any complications.

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