Where the Wild Tracks Are

When the hush of a winter snowfall covers the forests, signs of life are still all around.

This story was originally published in the January 2025 issue of Wonderful West Virginia. To subscribe, visit wonderfulwv.com.

Written by Mason Jack

When winter blankets the forests and mountains of West Virginia, the snow reveals a record of animal activity that often goes unnoticed. Each track, wing mark, and burrow tells a hidden story of survival—a glimpse into the strategies of wildlife during the harshest season of the year. From the sturdy imprints of deer to the graceful wing marks left by owls in pursuit of prey, West Virginia’s snowy landscape is an open book for those who have an eye for tracking.

Furbearer and Small Game Project Leader Holly Morris with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources says winter snow enhances tracking opportunities. “Snow often lends to better tracking abilities than other times of the year, when it may only be damp ground that animals are leaving tracks in,” she explains, pointing out that snow’s consistency preserves the fine details of an animal’s movements. This is ideal for hunters, but it can also make an outdoorsman’s winter hike that much more interesting.

On the Hunt

While winter tracking can reveal insights into animals rarely seen, it also offers information on some of the state’s most common and popular game species, including white-tailed deer, elk, and wild turkeys. For hunters and wildlife enthusiasts alike, understanding the winter habits of these animals is essential, letting you know what to look for and where.

White-Tailed Deer

The white-tailed deer is among the state’s most widely seen and hunted animals. White-tailed deer tracks are often observed along forest edges, fields, and rivers, where some vegetation remains available. Their cloven-hoofed tracks are easily identifiable by their pointed shape and are typically arranged in a straight line as deer move purposefully through the snow. These paths may tell more than a mere direction—tracking patterns reveal behaviors like bedding, foraging, and even sudden dashes that indicate a nearby predator.

Elk

Elk, which have been successfully reintroduced to West Virginia in recent years, are rare but growing in number. Closed to hunting, these large animals have made a remarkable recovery in the wild and leave massive tracks, noticeably more prominent than those of deer, revealing their size and strength. Following elk tracks across the land is often an awe-inspiring experience, as these animals tend to roam in herds and create wide, trampled paths through snowy clearings. In winter, elk paw through the snow for grass and eat the twigs and bark of trees, leaving evidence of their feeding in the form of broken branches, stripped bark, and, sometimes, hair.

Wild Turkey

Wild turkeys leave sharp, three-pronged tracks in the snow, distinctive due to the animals’ prominent toes. These tracks are often found in circles where flocks gather to forage and protect themselves from predators looking for a feast. Throughout the winter months, turkeys scratch through snow to uncover seeds and nuts, often under trees that drop hard mast, like acorns and beechnuts. Hunters and bird watchers can look for these ground patches, indicating areas rich with turkeys and their foraging activity.

Rough and Tough

Winter snow makes tracking West Virginia’s predators much easier as they hunt for food during leaner months. While some predators create tracks that bear a significant resemblance to those of their more domesticated relations, there are plenty of signs to look for to help you know if it’s Fido or Wile E. hanging out nearby.

Bobcats

Bobcats, elusive and stealthy feline predators, leave small but distinctive tracks, easily mistaken for those of a large domestic cat. As Morris explains, “Bobcats can be identified by looking for tracks with four toes and one main pad about 2 inches in diameter. These tracks resemble that of a large house cat and lack claw marks. Bobcats, like other cat species, have the ability to retract their claws when they are not needed.” Their tracks often lead to areas with dense cover, where they lie in wait for rabbits or small mammals.

When winter food sources become scarce, bobcats roam larger territories. They may make some noise to be heard, but they leave almost no visible signs aside from their tracks.

Coyotes

Coyotes are skilled, adaptive animals whose paw prints can be found throughout West Virginia’s varied landscapes. Their prints are ovular in shape and usually 2.5 to 3.5 inches long, sometimes with sharp claw marks on the front two toes. The four toes are generally close together compared to dog prints, which are thicker and splayed in different directions. Coyotes tend to travel in straighter, more efficient paths, one paw going neatly in front of the other. This energy-conserving gait is essential as they cover large areas in search of food during the lean winter months.

Coyotes are omnivorous and opportunistic, often scavenging as well as hunting. Unlike bobcats, coyotes are more likely to leave signs of digging or scratching, especially near areas where they’ve found food.

Foxes

Both gray and red foxes can be found in West Virginia. The delicate prints of the red fox are typically found in suburban areas or open fields, while gray foxes, which are natural climbers, often leave scratch marks on trees in wooded areas. They both have smaller tracks compared to coyotes, with distinct claw marks and a zigzagging pattern that suggests their exploratory nature. In winter, foxes range across larger areas as they search for prey like squirrels, which become scarce as winter progresses.

“During the winter months, small mammals such as squirrels will spend time in localized areas where they have food cached and will not be making large movements,” Morris notes. “This, in turn, has species that prey upon squirrels, such as foxes and bobcats, searching across larger areas as their prey item is limited in availability.” They feed on a mix of small mammals and any food they can scavenge, making them highly adaptable winter survivors.

Those Unexpected

If you’re not looking closely, the small impression of a chipmunk’s feet may just look like a divot in snow. The wide sweeping marks of a hawk’s wings may appear simply as disturbed, uneven snow that is easy to overlook. Keep an eye out for these smaller impressions when you’re out on your next snowy stroll.

Squirrels, Chipmunks, and Skunks

Winter brings small mammals like chipmunks and squirrels to the surface as they dig up their food stores. “In the autumn, when acorns and other nuts fall from trees, small mammals like squirrels and chipmunks will take advantage of the overabundance of hard mast and store these acorns and nuts for later,” says Morris. “During the winter when food is less abundant, these small mammals will dig up their acorn and nut caches to sustain them.” This activity leaves small, paired front paw prints followed by larger back paws, often leading to trees or dens.

Skunks are another winter resident that leaves distinctive tracks. Known for their slow, waddling gait, skunks frequently venture out on milder winter nights in search of food. Their tracks feature five toes and wide-spaced claws, and they tend to follow meandering, winding paths as they forage.

Semi-Aquatic Animals

Along frozen streams and rivers, semi-aquatic animals like beavers and otters are active and fascinating to track. Beavers leave wide trails where they drag their paddle-like tails, transporting sticks back to their lodges. Otters, known for their playful nature, often leave distinctive tracks near rivers and ponds. “Otters can be identified in the snow by looking for tracks with five toes approximately 3 inches in diameter,” says Morris. “Claw marks and indication of toe webbing can be present. In the snow, otters often drag their tails, and this will leave a long mark following the tracks. Otters also will slide and leave these trails in the snow, which can be on flat ground or steep banks toward lakes, ponds, etc.” These slide marks are a telltale sign of otter playfulness and agility, leading from the water’s edge to their dens.

Birds and Raptors

Birds also leave fascinating marks in the snow, particularly raptors like owls and hawks. One of the most enchanting sights while tracking is the delicate wing marks left by birds, especially owls. “If an owl pounces on prey in the snow, its outspread wings may leave a ‘snow-angel’ pattern,” says West Virginia State Ornithologist Richard Bailey. “Pursuit of a rodent may lead to a series of these snow angels.” With their remarkable zygodactyl feet—two toes in front and two in back, with one toe capable of shifting position—owls leave varied track patterns. Their incredible hearing allows them to detect prey even beneath the snow. The great horned owl, for instance, can hear rodent prey in motion under the snow. “A narrow, deep hole in the snow may mark where a raptor snagged its prey in a tunnel under the surface,” Bailey adds, describing how wing marks around the hole reveal the owl’s silent yet powerful hunting ability.

Snow holds onto details that the warmer months cannot, offering insights into West Virginia’s winter wildlife. From foxes chasing squirrels to the long, sliding track of a beaver’s tail, the snow can capture fleeting moments of survival and adaptation. For those who take the time to observe, West Virginia’s winter woods offer a chance to connect with and appreciate the hidden world of animals whose lives are written in the snow.