Mountain Lion Tracks And Scat

[The Tactician]

My friend and I went to Stockton on Saturday and we were around the Ruark Bluff area. The first place I got out, I found these tracks. I have heard for years that they are around Stockton, and that makes sense with an endless supply of food for them. I thought I heard one about 4 years ago when a friend and I were night fishing, but I had a spotlight and we saw that it was a bobcat with 2 cubs. I asked a the two people working at the convenience store on 215 about them, and they said they have seen a few mountain lions and said that during last turkey season, 2 hunters said they had seen one with "little ones". I in no way want to start an argument. I just took some cool pics, and I don't think anyone is denying that they are here, breeding population or not. So, with that being said, the tracks were approximately 5 inches wide. The toes are kind of pointy and not rounded and blunt like a dog's. Dog tracks are most commonly mistaken for mountain lion tracks. You can compare the two online. There were not claws present which are almost always present in dog tracks. The main indicator is the trapezoid shaped fore pad. Dog pads are triangular in shape, not to mention the stride of the tracks was about 3 feet apart. Finally, we have the scat picture. I couldn't resist. I wish I would have put something next to the pile of scat to show size. It was very large. Much larger than the other known predators in the area. (bobcat, coyote, etc.) After seeing these signs and how fresh they were, I can assure you, I was a bit jumpy the rest of the day. I just kept telling myself, "They have plenty of food, and I will just jump into the water because cats hate water right? Let's hope!"

[denjac]

Pretty cool pictures. It would be a good area from them to thrive in.

[Stoneroller]

really hard to tell by those tracks, but no reason to think it's not. i'm also not a scatologist, so the poo pictures I can't confirm, but it's definately domestic dog droppings. did it smell?

[Bird Watcher]

I would think a cat, even a big one, would try to hide it in sand. The tracks? I think I can see toe nail imprints eroded by rain. Just my opinion. Nothing I said here should be mistaken for fact.

[The Tactician]

It would have been a very large dog, and the toes on a mountain lion paw are a bit more pointed than a dog's. And about the poo...I didn't think to smell it. It tasted terrible though.

[Outside Bend]

Did you report it to MDC? It'd be interesting to get their opinion.

[snagged in outlet 3]

It would have been a very large dog, and the toes on a mountain lion paw are a bit more pointed than a dog's. And about the poo...I didn't think to smell it. It tasted terrible though.

Now that's hilarious Tactician!!!

Pete

[Wayne SW/MO]

I think the pad is too small and the toes aren't rounded enough. It's been 10 years since I've seen some tracks, but I still remember the rounded toes well. I also always noticed that the one that came through are barn lot on rare occasions had larger pads than our 125 pound Lab.

[Outside Bend]

Here's some photos of lion tracks and scat I took while in Wyoming. FWIW, their poo smells like an untended litterbox

[dgames]

. And about the poo...I didn't think to smell it. It tasted terrible though.

Good thing you didn't step in it.