Last Thursday at UnSchool we learned about animal tracks and went on a snowshoe hike to Beaver Pond. This year we have been fortunate to have a fleet of snowshoes available for program participants and visitors to borrow thanks to the Amplify grant from M&T Bank. In the morning everyone had an opportunity to try out the snowshoes and tromp around in the yard. For some kids this was their first time ever using snowshoes! Everyone got very good at using the spikes on the bottom of the snowshoes to grip as they climbed up and down the giant snow piles.

After fueling up with snacks we started our trek. We broke trail in the fresh snow down the hill on the White Pine Trail. There were several spots along our path where tracks criss-crossed the trail. Some were small and ended at trees while others had pairs of prints in a line and ended under logs. The snow was deep enough that it was hard to see the print of the track, so we depended on the movement pattern and the location of the tracks in the forest to determine who was there.

The way an animal moves is dependent on how their body is built. There are four main categories of animal movement: walkers, waddlers, bounders, and hoppers.

Walkers include cats, dogs, and deer. These animals have legs that are all about the same length as their torso. They move by lifting diagonally opposite legs one after another then switching to the other diagonal. They will place their back feet in the same spot as their front feet were, especially when walking in deep snow.

Waddlers include Bears, porcupines, and beavers. These animals have heavy bodies and short legs. They move both legs on one side of their body then both legs on the other side. Often their hind leg will land in front of where their front foot was.

Bounders include weasels, otters, and fishers. These animals have long bodies and short legs. They move by crouching, springing off their hind legs, landing on their front legs and then bringing their hind legs down to prepare for another bound. Like walkers, their hind feet often land in the same place that their front feet were.

Hoppers include squirrels, rabbits, and mice. These animals have large, strong hind legs that they use to jump into the air. Their front feet land first with their hind feet swinging around to the front. Mouse tracks will also often show a line through the center of the tracks made by their dragging tail.

Some of the coolest tracks we saw on our hike, however, were not made by mammals. While at beaver pond the group found wing prints in the snow with no other tracks around them. Based on the size of the print it could have been from an owl, a hawk or a crow but we did not know for sure.

While following a set of walker tracks off trail we found another mystery track. This one had long lines from something dragging in the snow followed by walked tracks going into some shrubs. We came up with several theories including a beaver was dragging a stick, a person was pulling a sled, and a bird caught some prey, but none of it quite lined up. The tracks were small deep in the snow. The lines and the tracks didn’t overlap. If it was an animal dragging a stick where did the stick go? The lines did not look like the wing print that we had seen earlier. It was a mystery.

Later in the day, after the program, Truman went back to the spot to get another look. He was able to follow the tracks to the other side of the shrubs and found more clues. The tracks ended back out in an open area followed by several sets of wing prints. After further thought we determined that our mystery animal was a Wild Turkey. The long lines in the snow were made by the turkey’s tail as it came in for a landing. The tracks were deep in the snow reflecting a heavy bird with long legs. After it walked through the bushes and took off again, making wing prints on the snow as it flew away. We were also able to connect that the other mystery track was from the same turkey walking and flying as it crossed the field. Mystery solved!

Mysteries like this one are everywhere outside in the winter. Even a walk around your yard is sure to uncover some interesting stories about our wild neighbors. You can learn so much about an animal by following its tracks and observing where it was going and what it was doing.

Much of the knowledge in this blog post was sourced from Mammal Tracks and Scat by Lynn Levine and Martha Mitchell. Their website Heartwoodpress, Tracking Guides, Mammals, Scat, Ferns, Dummerston VT has more information about tracking and other great resources.