Stories in the Snow

text and photos : Norma A. Hubbard  (December 2013)

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Rabbit tracks

Winter is a time to complain about snow, but also to enjoy it – that is what makes us, Canadian, eh? I love the snow; snow has its place in our seasons. Each winter, I await the snow to show me the secrets hidden in my for- est through the appearance of animal tracks. Our woods, like all the woods in our area, are teeming with wildlife – most of which stays hidden from us until the snow falls. Ron and I become detectives as we try to figure out all the animal tracks. We not only learn what is in the forest, but also their habits. You might be surprised to find animal tracks ending in your garage, barn, or even house! The main thing to becoming a good track detective is the willingness to observe what surrounds us.

Many animal tracks are easy to identify, like deer, rabbit, and turkey, but some are tougher. We often debate whether a track is coyote or maybe just a dog … most times it is coyote. Not all dog-like tracks are coyote. Sometimes, we are quite surprised to see how close the coyote comes to the house. We know the raccoons are awake when we see little hand-like prints in fresh snow. If the snow is too deep, some tracks are hard to identify. A hard crust of snow with a light dusting on top makes the best conditions for identifying winter tracks.

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Turkey track

A good way to start learning about tracks is with the tracks we already know, like your own dog or cat’s. Even a small dog, like our poodle, leaves a larger track than we might expect since animals spread their paws in snow; and cats will most often retract their claws. Look around your birdfeeder, besides bird tracks, there is bound to be various rodent tracks, like squirrels or mice. Squirrels look very much like rabbit tracks, usually just a bit smaller. When you come upon squirrel-like tracks in the woods, follow them. If the tracks end at the base of a tree, then it was a squirrel … but if the tracks disappeared into a thicket, then most likely it was a rabbit.

Last winter, we noticed some usual tracks in the field next to our studio. We followed rabbit tracks, and then we soon noticed another set of tracks had followed the rabbit tracks– a coyote – then another set of coyote tracks could be seen coming from a different direction. The tracks clearly showed how the rabbit had obviously ran in tight circles trying to escape the coyotes. The tracks covered most of the field. Unfortunately, this track story has a sad ending as we found blood and fur at the center of the crime scene.

On a happier note, I have followed rabbit tracks from the woods into our backyard and seen the live rabbit. And while it may be just a rabbit, or deer, or wild turkey, there is something magical about seeing animals in their natural habitat. It is always more fun to see the animal after following its tracks, but be careful not to disturb the animals while tracking. Most tracking guides even recommend following tracks in reverse so as not to disturb, or even confront, a wild animal. And while most wild animals are more frightened of us than we are of them, I am not sure I want to come face to face with a bear! Even when I don’t see the animals, I am happy knowing that my forest is full of life. So enjoy the snow and become a track detective.