What is this critter?
Contributors to this thread:Small Game
From: MNRazorhead
15-Dec-15
What do you think is the animal walking away from the camera? Initially I thought it was a raccoon, but it doesn't appear to have much of a tail. Also, the shape doesn't seem right, too rounded and high??? I've got other nighttime pics of coons out there and they appear much darker, too, along with an obvious tail. Deer don't appear to like it either, as I've got pics of them for 15 minutes after this thing went through and they all have their tails raised and are on high alert when they came across the trail. Forgot to add this is in farm country just outside the Twin Cities in Minnesota.
From: Glunt@work
15-Dec-15
Bobcat
From: Glunt@work
15-Dec-15
From: Beav
15-Dec-15
Raccoon with no tail.
From: KJC
15-Dec-15
Tracks in the snow?
From: MNRazorhead
15-Dec-15
There was about 3-4 inches of snow on the ground, but it didn't last long so no tracks.
From: Bohunner
15-Dec-15
Long-haired Minion
From: GF
15-Dec-15
I think I see the white spots on the backs of the ears which woud say bobcat, but then I think I see the black mask which says coon.
Dark halo around the back-side kinda looks like the dark-tipped fur of a coon, and Don's pic of a cat shows white under the tail, which is surely missing in this pic.
Overall, probably a tailless coon would be my bet. Plenty of squirrels running around bobbed after not-quite-completely avoiding getting run over by a car....
From: LINK
15-Dec-15
Coon. I've never seen a bobcat shaped like Rosie.
From: MNRazorhead
15-Dec-15
I think that a tail-less coon is probably the best guess. But I have many pics of coons and deer close to each other and none reacted like the next several pics from this camera. Tails completely up and flaring out, high alert stance when they sniff the track. Weird.
From: MNRazorhead
15-Dec-15
Maybe a feral miniature pot-bellied pig? I better get out there, there may be BACON involved!
From: Glunt@work
15-Dec-15
I'm sticking with bobcat. They only show white on/under the tail when its raised a bit. They can get pretty round in winter.
From: GF
15-Dec-15
Razorhead - I noticed that in the first pic...
Cat in the pic just above has exactly the right tail for your first pic as well. Kind of odd that this cat is flat on his feet, though... Maybe just taking a quick break....
From: MNRazorhead
15-Dec-15
Glunt, That picture you posted has me wondering because it really would look like my pic from the back. Remember there was 3-4 inches of snow out there, too, so his legs would have been sinking in that far. This isn't bobcat country, but you don't have to go more than a couple hours north to get into some. I've never seen one in 30 years living here, but we didn't have any turkeys 30 years ago, either, and now they are thick. Could be a first, and it explains the deer's reactions.??? I'll try to post the next couple pictures showing the deer's reactions tonight.
From: petedrummond
15-Dec-15
Long lega long neck its a..........deer!
From: Junior
15-Dec-15
Yea blowed up it looks like a deer...saw this post this am! I saw a deer but didn't see bobcat or coon.. (Thought my eyes were getting bad so I kept my mouth shut!
From: deerman406
15-Dec-15
Its Kevin!(Minion) Shawn
From: woodguy65
15-Dec-15
Polar bear cub
From: Junior
15-Dec-15
Nah its a coon
From: Topgun 30-06
15-Dec-15
I'm surprised you guys can't tell that it is one fat old raccoon. His head is turned enough to the right to see the masked faced of that overweight bandit!
From: WV Mountaineer
15-Dec-15
It's a coon. God Bless
From: MNRazorhead
16-Dec-15
Here are the next two pictures from the camera. I've never seen deer react like this to a raccoon. I've had many pics of them in the same area just ignoring each other. What do you guys think? I can see it being either a tail-less coon or a bobcat. When I blow-up the original I think I can see a bobcat face and ears looking at the alert doe in the distance, but not sure. Is there any way to easily enhance or sharpen a jpg pic?
From: MNRazorhead
16-Dec-15
Next pic. EDIT: Ooops, wrong one. This is one of my future walking deer sausages out there.
From: MNRazorhead
16-Dec-15
Here it is.
From: bowriter
16-Dec-15
Small doe. That was my first, immediate impression. Then, I looked at the rest of the pictures and wondered how anyone could mistake that for anything but a deer? And how could you sayitwas walking away from the camera. Lots of confusion about theis.
From: MNRazorhead
16-Dec-15
I enhanced the contrast and brightened it a bit. I think I can see an outline of a head looking at the doe and it doesn't look like a coon head when I blow this one up. At this point it looks like a crouching bobcat to me. Take another look at this one, John, the enhanced contrast helps bring it out. What do you think?
From: SteveB
16-Dec-15
Bobcat for certain.
From: Duke
16-Dec-15
Bob. A stout one at that.
From: deerhunter72
16-Dec-15
Bobcat
From: Norseman
16-Dec-15
Wold!!!
From: kota-man
16-Dec-15
Head looks like a coon, butt looks like Bobcat...I'm going with "Bobcoon".
From: Kodiak
16-Dec-15
Bobcat.
That ain't no tail less coon. LOL,
From: MNRazorhead
16-Dec-15
No, not the Wold!! LOL, that was a great thread.
From: JRW
16-Dec-15
Chupacabra.
From: WV Mountaineer
16-Dec-15
I never considered a crouching bobcat. Might very well be one. God Bless
From: Norseman
16-Dec-15
Crouching bobcat, hidden dragon.
From: MNRazorhead
16-Dec-15
Smalls(Norseman), you're killing me!
(I thought the same thing when I typed it.)
From: Styknstrng
16-Dec-15
Here kitty kitty!
From: Inshart
16-Dec-15
Looks a lot like a porcupine
From: Copey
17-Dec-15
It looks like a deer to me
From: Kodiak
17-Dec-15
I looked again, zoomed in... it's just a coon. Face clearly visible and defined.
I was wrong when I said bobcat.
From: Woods Walker
17-Dec-15
If this were in Louisiana I'd say DEFINATELY a coona**....but it's MinneSOH-TA.
From: patdel
17-Dec-15
I say bobcat. I've seen more than one coon with no tail though. The big old boars have bobtails once in a while. I caught a few that way and dogs treed a few more. Bob tail. No ears a few times as well.
From: Jethro
17-Dec-15
Pointy nose, black mask, rings around short tail. Its a coon.
From: Woods Walker
18-Dec-15
Did it crap on your deck? If so then it's DEFINATELY a 'coon!
From: MNRazorhead
18-Dec-15
Woods, No crap on deck. I wish I could hunt off my deck since that is where I see the biggest bucks every year, but that's another story. This is out in the middle of nowhere farm country.
It snowed a bit again last night and it is going to be cold for the next couple days. I plan on hunting out there this weekend and will watch for any more tracks since this seems to be a stumper with about half and half between coon and bobcat.
From: bowriter
19-Dec-15
LMAO...I thawt you wuz atalkin bout the dear.
From: BOWNBIRDHNTR
19-Dec-15
coon.
From: Topgun 30-06
19-Dec-15
From: Topgun 30-06
19-Dec-15
If you enlarge the picture, it's very easy to see the pointed nose and mask on that coon's face, as it is turned just enough to the right to see that it isn't a Bobcat. I did a lot of night coon hunting with dogs when I was younger and I have to say that is one big Mother!
From: Rockbass
19-Dec-15
Deer.
From: Topgun 30-06
19-Dec-15
From: Rockbass Date: 19-Dec-15 Deer.
We aren't talking about the deer that is very obvious in the photo. We're looking at the furry critter in the lower left hand 1/4 of the photo.
From: MNRazorhead
19-Dec-15
Here are some coons out at this spot and from the same camera. See how dark they are compared to this? I also think part of what you are seeing as a pointed nose is actually the cheek fur of a bobcat sticking out. If you see the bobcat face it is aligned perfectly to look at the doe. If you see a coon face with the pointy nose it is turned more sharply and isn't aligned with the deer. Last, I've never seen deer react to a coon track like they are in the following pics, and it would have to be a coon with an amputated tail... I am more convinced it's a cat. Didn't see any tracks out there tonight but did have a doe within 15 yards of my ground blind but the wind shifted 180 degrees suddenly and that ended any action. Murphy strikes again this year, and he has been busy this year.
From: WV Mountaineer
19-Dec-15
I'm still going with the my original guess of coon. God Bless
From: Clutch
20-Dec-15
short tail coon
From: MNRazorhead
13-Mar-16
Finally got another picture. It's a bobcat. Cool! First one I have seen around here.
