Are Those Squirrel Or Rabbit Tracks?
Have you ever been hunting Rabbit after the close of Squirrel season and seen a fresh set of tracks? If you are like me, you start tracking with excitement sometimes following for 10 to 15 minutes through bush and snow only to see that your Rabbit has learnt to climb trees. Very frustrating.
So how can you tell the difference between Squirrel and Rabbit tracks so that you don't waste your time tracking something out of season? There are a few simple tell tale signs that will help you determine what you are following. Keep in mind that these are live animals we are dealing with and as such there are always exceptions to the rules. No tracking method is 100%, but watching for these signs can help you reduce the number of times you get them mixed up.
Foot placement
Both Rabbit and Squirrel tracks have the larger back feet in front of the smaller front feet. Squirrels however, normally have their front feet side by side whereas Rabbit's front feet are usually staggered. Check the distance between the prints as well. Rabbits travel by hopping up to 2 feet (roughly 24") at a time while Squirrels can sometimes get up to 4 feet (roughly 50"). Don't think that all Squirrel prints are 50" apart, but if all of a sudden the prints are consistently more than 2 feet apart, you can be pretty sure you are following a Squirrel.
Droppings
If you find droppings at all then it is likely not a Squirrel as you will rarely find their scat. Rabbits on the other hand seem to be a little less concerned with where they relieve themselves and their pellets can be found almost anywhere. If you do see scat, take a closer look. Rabbit scat are round pellets where Squirrel's will be pointed on each end.
Where is it going
Watching where the tracks lead to and come from can help you decided if it is a Rabbit or Squirrel. Rabbit tracks will travel from underbrush to underbrush where Squirrel tracks will frequent trees. If a set of tracks head to underbrush, don't be too certain it is not a Squirrel as they have been known to hide food in underbrush. If however you see a set of tracks consistently head for the base of tall trees, you can be pretty certain it is Squirrel even if it does not disappear up the tree. Rabbits tend to run between or close to tree trunks where Squirrels, especially when nervous, tend to run straight at the tree trunks.
Count the Toes
It is not every print that you will be able to count the number of toes in the rear foot, but if you can it will let you know which you are tracking. Rabbit prints only show 4 toes in their hind paws whereas Squirrels will show 5.
So keep these 4 points in mind next time you are hunting rabbit and hopefully it will save you the frustration of tracking something out of season.
