Cougar or Coyote?

[Little Big Man MT Chris]

Hey everyone was just curious I wanted to get some opinions driving down the logging road this morning, I spotted this track in the center of the road and so I stopped My truck and backed up got out , We had some good rain earlier in the week I think these tracks are maybe 6 to 7 days old it’s just a guess , but I looked and looked and looked at all of the tracks on the road and I couldnt find any claw marks in front of the paw prints in the mud and I looked at several and walked the road for good 50 yards these are the best paw prints I could find , I think it’s a cougar but I’m not sure. I thought with how wet the mud was when the paw sank into the ground it should’ve left a claw mark from the coyote toenails but I can’t see them anywhere so we got cougars out here but finding tracks that don’t happen often which is why I wanted others opinions

 

[Deleted member 20812]

Cougar.

 

[Valley1320]

Cougar

 

[Howie]

That's a cat

 

[LopeHunter]

Meow!

 

[EYJONAS!]

Putty cat...... toes in the first picture give it away.

 

[buffybr]

Cougar, pretty round and no claw marks

 

[Little Big Man MT Chris]

Thanks everyone!

 

[MO Betta]

I've got zero experience with lions, is that print average size? Looks a little small to me.

 

[MTLabrador]

100% lion

 

[WyoDoug]

Where's the putty cat????

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

Wolf!

 

[Dunning Kruger]

Thats either a small lion or an enormous bobcat. If you got bobcats that big, id like gps coords please

 

[Dunning Kruger]

Wolf!

Lol, no.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

Lol, no.

 

[Deleted member 20812]

To the OP, three significant things here:

twin lobes on the front of the heel pad
Three lobes on the back of the heel pad
Asymmetrical toe pattern

 

[Lyfter1013]

I've got zero experience with lions, is that print average size? Looks a little small to me.

I was wondering the same I thought a lion track would be bigger. But then again I don’t have much experience either so

 

[Deleted member 20812]

I was wondering the same I thought a lion track would be bigger. But then again I don’t have much experience either so

Kinda small, but not abnormally so.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

I was wondering the same I thought a lion track would be bigger. But then again I don’t have much experience either so

Could be a young one

 

[FI460]

You can draw an X through a canine print between the toe pads.

100% cat.