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Wild Hogs

September 12, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Many animals have similar tracks,  Whitetail Deer, Mule Deer, Elk, Moose, Antelope to name a few.  Distinguishing between them can be difficult if your not aware of the size difference in their tracks or other minor differences. One track that greatly resembles those of the deer family is that of the Wild Hog. Wild Hogs are known by many names including, Feral Pig, Feral Swine, Wild Boars, Wild Pigs, Razorbacks and Javelina.   Javelina and Wild Pigs although similar are of  two separate families.

This track on the left is from a Wild Hog. Wild Hog tracks tracks measure approximately 2 to 2 1/2 inches long and 2 to 3 inches wide. They have a broad track and much more rounded than a typical deer track you would find.  Many times you may find the tracks with the dewclaws showing. The dewclaws are set back and further out to the side than those of deer.

This image below shows a good example of the position dewclaws  on a Wild Hog.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

It’s always a good idea to find what  animals are in the area you’ll be spending time  in.  If your interested in identifying their tracks once you know this information you can greatly narrow down which animals tracks you may have found.

Happy Tracking!

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This May Be the One!

August 11, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Received a new Binary on the Tree Guide this morning, so far so good.  I need to check one more thing on Thursday morning with the programmer and if all is well on that end we should be all set to resubmit to Apple.  I feel pretty good about this one but still keeping my fingers crossed.  I also heard that the Animal Track update is just about ready also. That’s going to be a great update and I’m sure you’ll love it.

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iPhone Users Needed

June 11, 2010 by Leave a Comment

If your an iPhone user and you love nature then we could sure use your help.  We are starting to work on our update to the MyNature Animal Track app.  One of the features we will be adding to the update is a database that users can post sightings to as well as search any area of North America.  I don’t want to give to much away but what we need is to have a few hundred sightings to seed the database with. If you are interested in participating please take a digital image of the animal or track and note your GPS location as well as a physical location …… Hudson River, North Creek, New York for example.  Email that information to me at mynature@mynaturesite.com and we’ll take it from there.  We may need to get a user name set up for each submission….. I’ll figure all that out in the mean time. I hope you can help us out, down the road a few years from now this will be one site filled with a ton of information and you could be a part of it’s inception, I certainly hope you are!!!

Happy Tracking!!!

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Tracking Tips

April 24, 2010 by Leave a Comment

 One of the best places to spend some time outdoors looking for tracks is a Beaver pond. Actually an old beaver pond which the dam has broke and left a flow is even better. Dams represent the edge in the forest, an edge is where two different ecosystems meet.  Wildlife are naturally drawn to the edge of an ecosystem and spend time feeding, bedding and hunting these areas. These edges are where the majority of animal sign can be found if you take the time to look. Elevated areas like rocks and logs  in or near the waters edge are great places to find scat left by Mink, Muskrat and Otters.

This scat left by a Muskrat is a territorial marker. You can see that there is both new and old scat where he constanly freshens this scent post. You might also find a latrine area where there are piles of different aged scat, these are usually found near their core area where they spend the majority of their time.

Sign left on the trails leading to an Edge area like a Beaver Pond are also good indicators of what animals are using the area.

     This Bobcat scat on the left was found just a few feet away from the dam itself. 

This scat on the right was left on one of the trails leading to the pond by a Black Bear.

One of the best spots to look for tracks on a active beaver pond is right on the dam itself. Dams serve as a kind of natural bridge for animals to cross on. Many times the top of the dam  consists of mud placed there by beavers to reinforce the structure.  Bears, Deer, Coyotes, Fox will all utilize the top of the dam to get from one side of the pond to the other and leave their tracks there for your identification. 

Next time your on an outing try to  find the Edge whether a beaver pond, mountain meadow, stream or agricultural field and you should have no problem finding animal sign.

                                                          Happy Tracking !!

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Spring Tracks

April 9, 2010 by 2 Comments

   The last of the winter snows have disappeared and along with them went the perfect canvas for animal tracks. As I bummed as I am to lose the good tracking snow I’m very happy Spring has arrived. Along with Spring comes  mud season which not as plentiful as snow still has the ability to capture a perfect crisp outline of the animal that passed through it. I recently scouted a farm field not far from here. The great thing about the agricultural fields south of here is that they consist primarily of clay and the next best thing to Spring mud is Spring clay. I’ll probably return there tomorrow if I get a chance and do a little plaster casting of some of the tracks if the rain holds off. The best way to approach finding tracks in farm fields is to just walk the edge, there really is no need to venture any further than 10 feet from the sides of the field to find tracks. In fact most animals will be doing the same thing, just cruising the edges. Any animal that ventures out of the bordering brush will definitely leave evidence of it’s passing as long as the clay or dirt is wet. Take for instance the Weasel Tracks I found, weighing in at just under a pound this one left a very distinct track.  

    Weasels have a heel pad that is easy to recognize once you know what your looking for.  The size of the track and placement of the feet also give it away.

Farm fields really offer one of the best places to find and identify tracks. Prey animals are attracted to the crops and the carnivorous animals follow the prey so there is an abundance of sign as long as you keep your eyes to the ground.

If you don’t personally know a farmer then just stop and ask for permission if you can walk the edges of their field to do some tracking, most won’t mind as long as your respectful of the property. It’s a great way to spend some time outdoors especially with the kids and what kid wouldn’t love traipsing through the mud?    Happy Tracking !!

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Sign

February 17, 2010 by Leave a Comment

A lot of time when your picking your way through the woods the only evidence you find of an animals presence may just be the sign they left. Animal sign can be anything from a pile of cone scales, rubbed trees, scratchings on the ground to scat as well as countless other markings left behind. I had a moment of brain freeze the other day on one of my outings when I came across 30 to 40 small piles of animal scat left around the base of a tree. Maybe it’s age catching up with me because for several short minutes I stood there looking for tracks as to whose scat this was, totally bewildered. It’s not that I didn’t know who left it or who’s scat it was after all I have seen this 100’s of times but for the life of me I couldn’t remember. I regained my composure and put the pieces of all the clues together, no tracks around, fresh and older scat in the same spot which meant the animal frequents here often and a large branch overhead.  Yes, it was a Turkey roost I had found. No tracks around meant what ever was visiting here flew in and perched on the overhead branch, the shape of the scat some in the tell tale “J” shape and the size of the piles were all pointing to Turkey.

I went on my way content in knowing that the onset of Alzheimer’s has started……..wait….. what was I writing about?  Oh yeah, Turkeys!! So I went on my way thinking there are probably a lot of people that come across sign like this and may not have a clue as to what animal left it. If you take a few minutes and study the area and the clues left you can usually narrow it down to 1 or 2 animals.  You don’t always need a track to identify an animal if you know the sign they leave and looking for animal sign can be just as rewarding as looking for the tracks they leave. The next time I have brain freeze I won’t get frustrated I’ll take it for what it is, a chance to discover things all over again.

Happy Tracking!!

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Identifying Tracks

February 4, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Many times identifying an animals track isn’t the simplest thing to do. You can buy all the books and yes even the apps on tracking and still be left wondering what track lies in front of you. It’s not always as simple as matching up a picture to the imprint left, more often than not you need to have an investigative mind. In light fluffy snow  some tracks appear distorted as the animals foot drags snow back into to the track as they move.  Some tracks may just suddenly disappear all together  and your left to figure that out where they went. Did they jump out of your line of sight, climb a tree, fly away or was the animal swept up by a hawk or owl.

In the picture (not a great one I admit) everything is there to identify the animal that visited this spot and what happened. While not the clearest of tracks the general form of it is still in tact as well as the stride and the trail width, all clues left to who it belongs to.  The fact that it suddenly dissapeared  and you found no other tracks in the area or trees close by that it could have climbed will be a huge clue.   Hopefully by now you came to the conclusion that it was some kind of bird that suddenly flew away. But what kind?  Was it a Grouse, Turkey, Crow or maybe even a Heron?

If your in the middle of the forest with no water around you can immediately discount it being a Heron. That’s going to leave you with three choices, now what?  Well, if the tracks have been walking for quite a distance that’s going to knock the possibilities of it being a Crow off the list. Crows won’t walk a long distance on the ground and if the do then they will hop, clearly the tracks above aren’t hopping. Now were left with either the choice of a Turkey or Grouse.  Now you can go back to an individual track measure the size, even if it isn’t a clear print and come to a conclusion based on the size difference between the two birds on which one it is.  The one in the picture was 4 inches long.  The only animal it could be was a Turkey since a Grouse is around 2 inches.

Tracking can be a great way to spend some time outdoors. There’s no need to have a destination to get to, no time limit, no crowded trails to follow, just you the woods and the animal your following.  Life doesn’t get much more laid back than that.        Happy Tracking!

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Beavers on your iPhone!

January 19, 2010 by 2 Comments

That’s right, there are beavers on your iPhone but don’t worry they won’t be chewing through your memory. What beavers are on your iPhone are located in the MyNature Animal Track app. Next time you come across some unknown tracks near the waters edge you can use the app to measure the tracks, compare the outline, find out the gait pattern, see a beautiful image of one in the wild and learn about their habitat. Below are just a few pictures of what beaver sign you might find on your next outing.

Happy Tracking!!

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MyNature Press Release

January 15, 2010 by 1 Comment

MyNature Animal Tracks for iPhone – Only Track I.D. App on the Market – Published on 01/15/10

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MyNature Inc. today released MyNature Animal Tracks 1.0 for iPhone and iPod Touch users. This is the first app on the market that can identify animal tracks using smart phone technology. Users can learn about the animal whose tracks they’ve found, see images, listen to the sounds they make and even find out what animals may be in the area where they are. Using categorized track illustrations, users can match what they’ve found against the listings in MyNature Animal Tracks.

North Creek, NY – Announcing that MyNature Inc., the developers of MyNature Animal Tracks, are excited about launching the first and only app that can identify animal tracks using smart phone technology. Users can learn about the animal whose tracks they’ve found, see images, listen to the sounds they make and even find out what animals may be in the area where they are.

No other application can do what MyNature Animal Tracks does. It makes an educational experience fun in new way. Using categorized track illustrations, users can match what they’ve found against the listings in MyNature Animal Tracks. After that, they can listen to vocalizations, see photos and range maps, or read more to learn about the animal that left the track. The app can also alert users to which animals they may find in any area in North America. This is helpful for being informed of the locations of dangerous, as well as interesting species. A user can then keep an eye out for specific tracks to avoid or follow.

MyNature Animal Tracks also includes a place for making notes, which is particularly useful for those who enjoy ‘collecting’ tracks. Users will find tips in this app that guide them to finding tracks, making plaster casts and other valuable information that has been gathered by nature field guides.

Some of the MyNature Animal Tracks Features
* Searchable database on track size and shape featuring 7 search categories. For example 4 toes round in shape the Felid family, 4 toes oval to square in shape the Canid family, hooved tracks, tracks with 5 toes, tracks that are birdlike and much more
* Clearly illustrated track drawings showing both fore and hind prints with track measurements along with a description of the animal’s habitat and life cycle
* Illustrated images of each animal’s common gait as well as other gait patterns they may use
* Digital images of an actual track of each animal in the wild
* Range maps to reference an animal’s presence in your location
* Sound waves of each animal’s vocalizations
* Full color digital image of what the animal looks like in its natural environment
* Handy ruler to measure and aid in track identification
* MyNature journal, where you can personally record the tracks you’ve found along with the location, weather conditions or just your own personal thoughts about your day in the field
* Tips on finding tracks, plaster casting and much more

Currently, MyNature Animal Tracks covers all animals in North America, from the smallest creature to the largest. If the track belongs to an animal on this continent, it’s in the app waiting to be discovered by users. MyNature Animal Tracks is a fully-loaded, one of a kind app that’s great for kids and adults alike. It is the most fun a nature loving person can have while learning.

Device Requirements:
iPhone or iPod Touch 3.0 or later

Pricing and Availability:
MyNature Animal Tracks is only $6.99 (USD) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Education category. Please specify the website or blog you represent when making your request.

MyNature Animal Tracks 1.0: http:/
Purchase and Download: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mynature-animal-tracks/id338980245?mt=8
Demonstration Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtkHPIs2GYQ
Media Assets: http://s900.photobucket.com/albums/ac205/mynatureinc/MyNature%20Animal%20Track%20App%20Screenshots/

MyNature Inc. is devoted to educating people about nature in a simple, easy to understand format. MyNature designs field guides that are functional and enjoyable to use. Copyright (C) 2010 Edward Turner & Mobile-App-Marketing-Makeover. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone and iPod are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

###

Jeff Greco
Media Contact for MyNature Inc.

mynature@mynaturesite.com

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Redtail Hawk 0, Snowshoe Hare 1

January 7, 2010 by 1 Comment

I was tracking a Snowshoe hare today and he turned out to be one tough rabbit. I came across a spot where he was attacked by an obviously hungry Redtail Hawk. I’m assuming it’s a redtail since I saw one in the area and the sign at the crime scene was as fresh as could be.

The spot of the first attack, they wrestled around here for a few minutes. The spot is trampled so much from the Hare escaping the clutch of the hawk several times.

The hawk drew some blood at this point in the attack.

Here is where the final attempt to catch the hare took place. The hawk did manage to get a talon full of hair but not a meal. I followed the tracks for 100 yards and with the exception of a few drops of blood the Hare was traveling at a normal gait. There was a lot of Coyote sign around so I’m sure they will be on his trail tonight.  He’ll probably do fine since he seems to be one tough Snowshoe!!

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