Boreal Animal Tracks

[Martti]

I tracked this elk for a while. The tracks started from a base of a steep hill and continued up to the summit. It is evident that the elk slipped a few times while climbing the hill. Based on the physical factors and the past weather, the animal made the path around 12-16 hours before I photographed it (i.e. the previous evening).

 

[Clouston98]

Nice one mate! We followed a few deer tracks in the wet sand bank on a loch in scotland once, never saw it but it was great fun! Thanks for posting that!

 

[Martti]

We followed a few deer tracks in the wet sand bank on a loch in scotland once, never saw it but it was great fun!

There were also a lot of deer, fox and raccoon dog (still missing lynx and wolf tracks for this winter, though) tracks near the starting point where I started tracking the elk path. A lot of them could have been traced to this riverbend where evidently many of quench their thirst.

 

[Leigh Robinson]

There is more than one elk. 2+ maybe, looking at the tracks? From my interpretation. Mother and calf maybe?

Finland is an amazing place. Wilderness is everywhere. Within a few minutes from your door you can be in thick forest. A short drive will put you in massive forest. We don't have anything like that here in the UK which is such a shame. I remember when I lived there we stayed a short while in a cottage and tracked Elk in the morning. Found its bet and where it had urinated. You could see from the tracks it was massive. We need to set up a bushcraft 'exchange' program! You would like our broadleaf woodland!

 

[Martti]

There is more than one elk. 2+ maybe, looking at the tracks? From my interpretation. Mother and calf maybe?

There was only one set of track entering and leaving the hillside, indicating it was a single animal that left them.

You would like our broadleaf woodland!

While there are rather extensive broadleaf woodlands in Southern Finland, even around the most densily populated areas, I really prefer boreal forests.

 

[Martti]

A bit vague brown bear back pawn track I found last summer 15 kilometers north of downtown Helsinki. However, the animal was a female, weighting around 100-150 kg, and followed by a cub born 5-6 months earlier and weighing 20-30 kg.

 

[21st century pict]

Hi Martti. Nice and sharp images ,
I was trying to get some idea of the track length ,is that your boot heel in the bottom right of the 2nd picture in the snow?

 

[Martti]

I was trying to get some idea of the track length ,is that your boot heel in the bottom right of the 2nd picture in the snow?

The length of the elk front hoof track is 20 cm/8 in.

 

[Martti]

Moose track in a swamp, c. 18 cm/7 inches in length.