My foot is next to the paw print of some pretty big animal. What kind of animal?
Same print, with my phone to provide scale.
Thanks to Berkeleyside.com for these comparison drawings.
This one was pretty big too, but not as deep. Looks like a dog print.
Here’s the power line terrain where we walk the dogs.
Those big tracks were on this road.
Scat with fur. There’s a lot of this on the trail. Probably coyotes.
So, I don’t know what kind of large & heavy animal left the topmost prints. Do you have an opinion? I’m hoping it’s a really big dog whose human didn’t leave any track at all.
Definitely mountain lion. Run! š
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Yikes!
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I don’t pretend to be an expert but that’s a Sasquatch print if I ever saw one. I put the camera away and take up bingo.
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And that’s a fine way to supplement my retirement income. I like it.
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Not a dog. š¾
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I looked up bears. It’s not a bear.
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Hi MK, Know other wordpress LA shooters besides us? š
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Yes, two come to mind
https://shootngo.wordpress.com/ I think she’s on the westside
https://suebeeandkat.com/ She’s in Orange County
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Thank you! Will check them out… A restful evening to you.
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Loch Ness Monster. Think about it. They can’t find it anymore in the lake. It’s gone somewhere!
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Now that you mention it, that print must have been made when it was very very wet. You’re a close observer! Thanks Steve, I feel (somewhat) relieved.
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Wow. I hope whatever it is, is friendly and not hungry.
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Yes, for sure. And I hope the beastie and I never meet!
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Because the mud was so soft they may look bigger than they would normally be; if there were several prints, how far apart were they? I will say it was a mountain lion. Remember though, I live in Ohio; mountain lions are pretty rare here, so I might not be a reliable source š
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I didn’t make note of how far apart the prints were. (I was too creeped out.) I think you’re right that the mud amplifies the size of the prints. But even if I ignore the squishy part, just the section with paw pads is really big. I was thrown off by the impressions of claws – the drawing doesn’t show claws. But that could be explained by the mud. I would really like to return to this place for my dog walks. It’s so close & pleasant.
Thanks for weighing in Mic!
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I think it’s a big dog and the scat is probably coyotes, which are nocturnal. Is there a ranger station around there where you could ask what wildlife lives in those parts? I just googled and saw that a cougar was killed on the Borrego Canyon Trail in Apr. 2014. The ranger said eye contact and assertive behavior may deter them, which I’ve heard before. Eye contact means ‘don’t mess with me’ in cat language I guess!
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Thanks Eliza! That’s a good idea – the marker for Angeles National Forest is just a couple of miles up the road, and I think I’ve seen a ranger station just there. I’ll take a photo to them. I found a California wildlife website that also says to yell & act BIG. https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Keep-Me-Wild/Lion
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Good advice – they are looking for the easiest meal, I expect, so acting tough will hopefully cause them to think twice.
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Eric was a tracker in his younger days. He says it’s a canine making a sharp right turn for sure. That’s part of what makes the imprint look larger in what was likely soft mud when the track was made. It’s hard to see the claw marks because the print is so deep and that turn the critter was making. I could easily picture it as a Great Dane or something like that. Let us know what you find out from the ranger station.
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Thanks Gunta, and tell Eric thanks also! Eric’s explanation makes sense. I will definitely let you know what the ranger says.
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It’s definitely The Road Runner, trying yet again to outsmart Wile E. Coyote by wearing a disguise. š
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Oh great! Now, besides watching the bushes for something leaping out at me, and watching the ground for rattlesnakes, I have to watch the sky for anvils falling on me!
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Glad I gave you the “heads up”!!
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