Photograph the sign next to something of known size, a coin, a boot, a hand, before you touch it. Size is the first filter for almost every sign, and it is the measurement people get wrong from memory.

Tracks

Size, toe count, claw marks and stride. Photograph the print with something for scale.

  • Moose tracksA moose track is the largest hoof print on the continent: two crescent-shaped halves running about 4.5 to 5.5 inches long, pointed toward the direction of travel, with two dewclaws that often register behind them in snow or mud.
  • Deer tracksA deer track is a split, upside-down heart: two pointed toes side by side, symmetrical, about 2.5 to 3 inches long in Maine's guidance and up to 4 inches in Missouri's.
  • Bear tracksA black bear leaves two very different prints.
  • Coyote tracksA coyote track is a compact oval about 2.5 inches long and 2 inches wide, with four toes and toenail marks that nearly always print.
  • Mountain lion tracksA mountain lion track is round, 2.75 to 3.75 inches wide, with four teardrop-shaped toes and no claw marks.
  • Raccoon tracksRaccoon tracks look like small hands.
  • Wolf tracksA wolf track is about 5 inches long by 4 inches wide, with four symmetrical toes, claws that clearly register, and a single lobe at the front of the foot pad.

Scat

Shape, size, contents and where it was left. The sign most people find first.

  • Bear scatBlack bear scat is a large tubular deposit, usually left in a coil or in segments 2 to 3 inches long and 1.25 to 1.5 inches across.
  • Coyote scatCoyote scat is ropelike and twisted, averaging 3 to 4 inches long and about an inch across, usually packed with hair and bone.
  • Deer scatDeer scat is a scattered pile of dark oval pellets, each about 0.5 to 1 inch long and 0.2 to 0.5 inch across, shiny when fresh and holding no recognizable pieces of food.

Lookalikes

The pairs that get mixed up, and the one detail that separates them.