What kind of tracks are these?

[drssg]

How about installing a trail cam, just to see if whoever took the shortcut comes back. Everyone is mighty curious.

I have a trail cam, and if the critter starts visiting with any regularity, I'll set it up. The problem is that the barn is about 17 years old, I regularly see a variety of tracks in the arena, but this is the first time I have ever seen this pattern.

 

[drssg]

I have seen that same pattern in the snow from a woodchuck.

That could be it. I did some searching on the internet and haven't found an example yet. I *think* I have trapped a woodchuck before in that area, and it didn't generate that type of track. It's possible that I remember wrong, and it was a raccoon.

The sand footing is about 3" deep, so I would expect snow tracks to look similar.

 

[drssg]

Box Turtle

I thought that the track looked like a turtle, and we have some of them. It has been near freezing lately, and I would expect the turtles to be dormant. I could be wrong.

 

[drssg]

It came back last night. There are sections where the furrow is less pronounced and off center. The following picture shows the footprints better, with a light furrow off to the right. I put my boot in the picture to give a size perspective. The footprints themselves look to be about the size of a woodchuck.



I have the trailcam setup, so we'll see what shows up. There was three days between the last two visits, so I'm not holding my breath.

 

[tallyho8]

Armadillos like to take the exact same path and are easy to use a trail cam on or to catch with a live trap in the middle of the trail. An alligator trail can be similar but these animals are rarely seen in cold weather areas.

 

[PILOON]

It came back last night. There are sections where the furrow is less pronounced and off center. The following picture shows the footprints better, with a light furrow off to the right. I put my boot in the picture to give a size perspective. The footprints themselves look to be about the size of a woodchuck.

View attachment 685025

I have the trailcam setup, so we'll see what shows up. There was three days between the last two visits, so I'm not holding my breath.

From that pix I'd say whatever animal it is, it is dragging something off on its right side.
Also paw prints are very close together suggesting small critter, that or heavy (to it) item.
Missing any food chunk from barn?

Hope U post what the trail cam discovers as we are all baited.

 

[/pine]

Ever had a problem with pack rats ?

 

[drssg]

I don't have anything that I would describe as a "chunk of food" in the barn. Based on the tracks, if the animal is dragging something, I think it must be dragging something from outside into the barn. The furrow starts at a side entrance to the riding arena and meanders around towards the stabling area.

I thought there *might* have been similar tracks going under my hay. The hay is stored on pallets which create an ideal residence for a variety of small critters. It's tough to say, because that area doesn't have the deeper sand footing and it is more well-traveled.

Fingers crossed for some sort of answer.

 

[JethroB]

Ever had a problem with pack rats ?

Pack rats, good idea. Big suckers. And persistent. Here's the engine of my Jeep stored in a barn too long. I moved it 100 feet to another shed and cleaned out the mess. They were back that night rebuilding their nest.

 

[Leejohn]

armadillo are sleeping now. I would say a fat rat pulling a ear of corn.