In addition, animals tend to hunker down during blizzards.

Loose, dry snow often won’t hold the details of prints well enough to identify them by shape. Animal tracks hold their shape best in thin, wet layers of snow. Not all snow conditions are equally suited for animal tracking in deep snow, large animals will sink-just like postholing hikers-rendering their prints difficult to identify. Time it Right A snowshoe hare sits pretty in the snow (Photo: Keith Bradley/Moment via Getty) As you get started, focus more on observation precise identifying is a skill that will come with practice. Keep in mind that not all of the animals you see in summer will be active during the colder months in contrast, you may have a better chance of locating animals that camouflage better in summer. Consulting guidebooks or mobile apps like iTrack Wildlife Lite can help you begin to recognize paw, hoof, and footprints. As a beginner, don’t expect to be able to definitely identify animal tracks on your first try. This will help you narrow in on an identification. Before hitting the trail, read about the animals that frequent the area and what their tracks look like. The types of tracks you can find depends on where you’re hiking, and a little bit of advance research will give you the skills you need to tell them apart from each other.

Follow these tips to spot and identify animal tracks in the snow. But snow preserves them, allowing hikers to experience the busyness of the forest in a new way. In summer, animals’ prints can be difficult to spot on packed dirt trails.

Winter is an especially great time to go hunting for animal tracks in the snow. Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members!

Cougar paw