Yep, Owen nailed it. Definitely house cat. Hind track on top, front on the bottom I think.

Nice Bobcat shots Owen! Here is a Old Bobcat from 12/7/11
Spotting him walking up the hill by the barn, I was able to get my camera and take some pics. Looks like an old injury on his hind leg?



Nick

Nice kitty, Nick. I've been seeing a few lately. Here's the other end of the spectrum (young with REALLY good legs) from 12/9/2011:





Of course, I've seen some injured stuff too. Here's a coyote with a nasty broken rear leg. I'm guessing a car or pig did it:

love them bobcat shots! I've only ever seen one bobcat and it was last spring near Big Sur. I guess I need to get out more.

-I

Still want a Lion Pic! Nice Bobcat shots, they can leap quite far!

Just saw a Mountain Lion tonight by my house at 6:20pm. As the road turned I saw it from the shoulders back going into the creek from the side of the road. I jumped outta the car with my spot light and camera but I was too late. (Under a minute total!) I saw a log going across the creek, so it must have ran across that. So close!!!
Nick

Sounds like you and Jon take daily baths in Bucklure

What ever it takes to get a pic! Just do not try putting a sleeping bucks hooves in warm water. They may not pee and a four pointer makes a lot of holes.

Nick

Nick, these might make more/bigger holes than a 4 pointer

Dang I wanna see some Elk!! Ok you win, more horns. My only other horny animal has scales.

About time for me to start coming back to the forum... hockey has been keeping me occupied lately

Owen - I can't tell if the wound on that dead muley was on the lower abdomen or the rear end. If it was the former, and abdominal cavity was cleared out, that's a definite lion kill. If it was the rear end, that's a coyote kill. Canines are known for starting from the end and working their way up, while the characteristic feeding habits ofP. concolor is the face and chest cavity first, then clearing out the entire abdomen.

Jim - Those aren't raccoon lol, look like house cat. From the picture, it looks like the feet of the culprit were muddy; if so, five "toes" would have shown up, along with claw marks most likely (this will not show up in cat tracks).

So Owen, when are we going herping (tracking) together?

RLH,

Dis Em Bowel Ed

I don't see them very often but here's one that let me get close a few weeks ago in western Arizona

I'm probably way more fascinated by that than I should be.

Will, that is a nice shot! Cool critters.

Dang W. Wells that is an awesome picture... Its like a postcard someone would buy at the "Sonoran Desert Museum"

All the other picture people posted too are outstanding. That Bobcat.. $hit... I'm just think'n Rabies.. ouch

I'm still waiting to see a Mtn Lion, Porcupine, and a badger. For some reason, I have yet to come across them... But i know it will happen someday

As far as wild cats are concerned, I have only seen bobcats. I did find cougar tracks once. I also have to see a wild bear (Yosemite bears don't count IMHO) but I have found bear scat, here in Shasta County and up in Oregon near Crater Lake (and of course Yosemite)

I've seen just about all the land mammals there is in CA I suppose except for porcupine and fisher. I would have to do a good scan of the list to be certain. Is there anything else obscure like the porcupine that might be more of a challenge to come across?

Mountain beaver?

Good one, haven't come across one of those that I can recall. How far south can they be found. I haven't been up north in quite a while.

I think in California they're limited to the Sierras/Cascades, but I'm not sure how far south they go.

There's an isolated mtn beaver ssp near Pt Arena. Their burrows are easily found on steep creek banks & hillsides, look for round holes about softball size.

Grab a bite in town, it's a cool little community.

Cheers,
Jimi

Pine Marten (Martes americana)
Side note on these; they're in Western PA and notoriously hard to find there, wouldn't be surprised if one were to go their whole life without seeing one on luck alone

Island Fox (Urocyon littoralis)

Have you seen any Sierra-Nevada bighorn sheep?

I've seen Marten, and have seen Big Horn in two states CA and AZ. Haven't been to the islands, but thanks for mentioning the fox. If I ever get up there I'll be on the look out.

I had figured you've probably seen a Bighorn before. You're lucky you got to see a Marten!

There's also a population of Mountain Beaver (A. rufa phaea) at Point Reyes. I think it may be a different ssp. from the southern Mendocino pop. I believe those are A. rufa nigra.

I haven't seen an antelope, another on the list.

Owen saw a Pronghorn in San Jose's foothills Hopefully, he'll post the pic.

Must have been an escaped captive animal?

Much to my surprise, the Pronghorns were part of a re-introduction program. Not certain when they did it, but I believe that it was about 10 years ago. They were introduced into the San Antonio Valley, in the Diablo Range....just over the hills from where Owen spotted his.

Here's the Pronghorn from the Silver Creek Hills (San Jose) in the mid-1990's:



I drove home to get my camera when I saw it. It moved across the road and some folks with a big old camcorder were filming it as well when I returned. It seemed to not mind me too much, but I did have a 500mm lens on the camera.

There are some in the San Antonio Valley, maybe even San Felipe Ranch on the SJ side of thngs. I believe they were re-introduced about 30 years ago or so.

There's Pronghorn herds that run around the Soda Lake area (between Paso Robles and Bakersfield). I only got this quick snap, but I've seen them out there a couple of times: