How to Identify Coyote Tracks

Coyotes are pests to many hunters and landowners. If you learn how to identify them your hunting experience can be much more effective, especially if you rule out other animals that could have made the tracks. If your main interest is other types of game, you can save yourself a lot of hassle if you can identify coyote tracks. This way you won't waste any time following the wrong species. Read on to learn more.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Identify a set of tracks where the front prints are larger than the rear ones. The front paw prints average between two and one-quarter and two and three-quarter inches long. The width of the front paw print ranges from one and three-quarter to two and three-eights inches. Also look for a smaller footpads in the back prints.
2. Identify coyote by checking for claws. Coyote tracks will usually have claws, although they don't always show in tracks on hard ground.
3. Draw an imaginary outline around a footprint you are tracking. If the outline is oval shaped it is coyote, but if it is round you are tracking something else, perhaps a bobcat.
4. Compare to your dog's track. It is difficult to identify a coyote track when it is possible that a dog was in the area. If you can compare your dogs tracks directly, that is the easiest way to rule it out. Otherwise, remember that coyote tracks will be more oblong, the claws less prominent and overall more compact.