While walking in the woods collecting wood, I was checking out the various animal tracks, watching for the cougar’s. I came across some of the biggest deer tracks I’ve ever seen outside of mule deer country (we only have white tails here)-they came within less than a foot of some normal sized white tail tracks, and they were half again as big.
Sometimes, where there are exotic game ranches nearby, you will find tracks of sika, fallow, red and other imported large deer species, and yes, mule deer too-but there are no such ranches within at least 10 miles that I know of, and the nearest native mulies are a few hundred miles away in west Texas so that is really weird.
I found the cougar’s fresh tracks, as usual at the top of the next hill, leading into the deepest part of the woods above the rockfall (and the dumpsters at the park)-no sign of a victim being killed or dragged away this time, though...
Gee, I have no idea what kind of dear we have around here. And I wouldn’t know a cougar print at all. I feel like a true city girl.