One of the fun activities of winter is studying wildlife tracks. If you live in the country, you can read tracks in the woods behind your house. If you are lucky enough to make forays into the north woods of Maine, studying animal sign takes on a completely new dimension.
Last month, I filled in for the weekend at Chamberlain Bridge for Ranger Silsbee while he was on vacation. I went down to Telos Dam, at the extreme southern end of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway to check the water elevation.
When I arrived at the dam, I was greeted by a proverbial jackpot of wildlife sign. There was an otter slide on the north end of the dam. Upon further investigation, it looked like a family of otters spent some time there fishing and sliding down the embankment into the water. It sure did look like they had a good ol’ time there.
The otter is an aquatic mammal that thrives along remote waterways that have plenty of clean water and healthy fish populations. It is right at home near a cabin on a remote pond, but you will not find his tracks near cities and towns.
I once watched a family of otters fishing below Churchill Dam. They spent more than an hour fishing right in front of the fishway. The mother otter was obviously an experienced predator — she caught a fish almost every time she went down — but the young ones were not so successful. They only caught a fish about once in every six attempts. After the young ones actually caught a fish they would fight and squabble over the prize. It was quite a show!
The otter is truly an amazing animal. I have seen their tracks up on a hardwood ridge miles from water, but they usually do not stray very far from some type of water body. It seems that they are such efficient fishermen that they have time to play and frolic. Life seems good for Mr. and Mrs. Otter!
On the other side of Telos Dam, I noticed some tracks that came out of a hole in the snow on one of the piers of the old timber crib dam. The tracks were made by an animal that hopped with its feet side by side. There was the slight mark of a tail dragging between the tracks in the snow. I knew right away that this was a mink, and a good-sized one, judging from the distance between the tracks.
I snowmobiled down to Webster Lake to check the trail and noticed some deer tracks that crossed it. This was nice to see. There hasn’t been much evidence of deer activity in this deer yard for the last three winters. I also noticed some coyote tracks along the trail, worrying the deer, no doubt.
The study of animal tracks can be a rewarding lifelong activity. The best place to start is right in your own back yard.
The best time to look for tracks is after a fresh snowfall. Animals are usually active after a storm because they have been bedded down during the foul weather. Deep snow can present a problem reading tracks, because loose snow can fall into the tracks when the animal pulls its foot up, obscuring the footprint. Snow melt can also distort the shape of tracks, making it difficult to determine the size of and type of animal.
Don’t get discouraged if you can’t identify every track you find. Even experienced woodsmen can have difficulty identifying every track under all conditions. If you need help identifying a track, take a few pictures and send them to someone more experienced with reading wildlife sign than you are.
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife provides a handy resource to help people identify tracks called “Pocket Guide to Maine Animal Tracks.”
They are available at all Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife offices, at no charge.
March is a great time to get out in the woods to look for wildlife sign. The snow has settled, making it easy to get around on snowshoes or ride off trail with a snowmobile. You never know, you might find a few shed antlers while you are out looking.
Waterway notes: The 2013 AWW annual report will be available to view on line at the website above after March 1. The AWW endowment fund is seeking donations that will be used to support management of the waterway. For more information on how to contribute to the fund call or 695-3721 ext. 4 or email matt.laroche@maine.gov.
For general information on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, go to: maine.gov/allagashwildernesswaterway or call 941-4014; email heidi.j.johnson@maine.gov or write to the Bureau of Parks and Public Lands, 106 Hogan Road, Bangor, 04401.
Matthew LaRoche is superintendent of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.