A Mystery

Jeff · November 08, 2009, 08:24:40 PM

Today was a bright sunny warm day (warm for November in da U.P., about 50°. I was on my bike heading for my property when I saw this set of wet tracks going across the road from Lou's to my place. I have no clue of what they are. I have been up and down this road hundreds of times by bike and even foot and never saw a set of tracks left like this. They had to be left by a fur footed aninal for the amount of water they carried from Lou's ditch. Lou's ditch is wide, with about4 or 5 inches of water, but no mud at all. My side is pictured. Its muddy and full of deer tracks. I was expecting to find a bear track in the mud, but there was nothing there. I'm sure a deer didnt make this, and I don't think a bear could or would jump my ditch. I have an idea what it could be, but the odds on that would be slim. I really don't know on this one. :-\ The tracks in the road disappeared from evaporation as I investigated, so what ever the critter was, I didn't miss it by much, and its somewhere on my land.

gary · November 08, 2009, 08:32:41 PM

Bigfoot

Jeff · November 08, 2009, 08:35:44 PM

THAT answer was expected and inevitable. ;) With that out of the way, this really is perplexing. Looking at the tracks and the gate, I still lean toward bear, but can't figure out how he cleared the mud witthout leaving a track. Thats about a 12 foot leap.

isawlogs · November 08, 2009, 08:45:11 PM

Those are bear , a twelve foot leap is nothing to a bear .

Burlkraft · November 08, 2009, 08:46:59 PM

I vote for bear also. Big bear

Jeff · November 08, 2009, 08:50:49 PM

If it is, I may have a mess tomorrow. I filled the corn feeder this morning to the top, and it was too heavy to get all the way up, I figured, there aint no bear here anymore this year so it will be okay where it is...

zopi · November 08, 2009, 08:58:42 PM

Prolly my ex girlfriend......poor girl..

Gary_C · November 08, 2009, 10:40:56 PM

No doubt for me, it's a bear. That wide front and narrow rear print will be much more obvious in mud, but I can't think of anything that makes a track in that shape and walks on four feet. He probably heard or saw you coming and leaped the ditch and disappeared.

SwampDonkey · November 09, 2009, 04:08:00 AM

Bar. ;D This spring I seen one make two leaps, starting at a ditch, and it was in the grass on the far side of a paved road, going down a logging road on that side. They have fairly long legs.