Last weekend while doing some cottontail hunting in the Champlain Valley I witnessed an amazing tracking scene. It was a perfect day for tracking, a hard crust of snow with about a half inch of powder on top. As we moved through the forest we stopped to check out the tracks of various animals taking advantage of the new found mobility the crust afforded. Story after story unfolding.
After moving through a densely wooded hillside we came across something of unusual. The first thing that caught my eye was the amount of disturbance, marks and push downs, and drags... and the lack of tracks. Then two tracks flared out at me...Owl....and just on the top of the inside toe on the right foot....is that hair....
It all became clear. The landing, the scuffle and kill...and the tracks to show the story. I have seen substrate carry over in tracks, but never hair...a story of hunting and feeding unfolded. And as each piece of the story came together and I asked questions far outside of my ability to answer. I realized once again, I love tracking.
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