Cave Mountain | A Real Arkansas Story of Survival & Place
Something about the Ozark Mountains in autumn invites a touch of mystery....
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Arkansas is full of wildlife, but you don’t have to see an animal to know it’s been there. From a muddy creek bank in the Delta to a trail through the Ozarks, or even your own backyard, the best clues are sometimes right under your feet. Looking for animal tracks can add another layer of fun to a hike, camping trip or hunting trip, and you don’t have to head deep into the woods to find them. Tracks turn up in gardens, along gravel roads, beside ponds and creeks, and even across a frosty deck in the early morning.
Some of the best times to look for tracks in Arkansas are after a rain, when trails, dirt roads and creek banks are muddy or on the occasional morning when a light snow covers the ground. Damp sand along an Arkansas river or lake can hold prints well, and frost can temporarily reveal an animal’s path across a porch, deck, or patch of grass. Once you start paying attention, you may be surprised by how much wildlife moves through an area when no one is watching.
Animal tracks rarely look like the neat illustrations in a field guide. A foot can slip in mud, toes may not register clearly, or one print may overlap another. An animal’s speed and direction can also change a track’s appearance. That’s why it helps to look at more than one print and pay attention to its size, shape and the pattern of tracks around it.
Knowing how to identify tracks can satisfy simple curiosity, but it can also be useful. A gardener may want to know what’s eating the vegetables, while a hunter can use tracks to learn what animals are moving through an area. Hikers and campers may simply enjoy knowing who else is sharing the trail and looking for tracks is a great way to get kids to slow down, look closely and notice signs of wildlife they might otherwise walk right past.
Let’s investigate some of the animal tracks you’re most likely to find in Arkansas yards, forests, fields and around the water.
White-Tailed Deer
Who is it?
White-tailed deer are found throughout Arkansas and are one of the animals you’re most likely to find evidence of, even if you never actually see the deer.
How big are they?
Adult tracks are generally about 2 to 3½ inches long, though size varies considerably by age and sex.
Where can you find them?
Look in yards, gardens, fields, wooded trails, creek bottoms and muddy areas near ponds and streams.
Track Tip: A running deer may leave marks from the two smaller dewclaws behind the main hoof.
Learn more:
White-Tailed Deer in Arkansas
Raccoon
Who is it?
Raccoons are common throughout Arkansas and live everywhere from deep woods and wetlands to neighborhoods.
How big are they?
Front tracks are usually about 2 to 3 inches long, and hind tracks reach roughly 3 to 4 inches.
Where can you find them?
Creek banks, lake shores, muddy trails, wetlands, drainage ditches, yards and areas around buildings.
Learn more:
Arkansas’s Night Forest
Virginia Opossum
Who is it?
The Virginia opossum is Arkansas’s only native marsupial and a frequent nighttime visitor to yards and wooded areas.
What do the tracks look like?
Both feet have five toes, but the hind foot gives it away. Its opposable inner toe sticks out to the side, almost like a thumb.
How big are they?
Tracks are generally around 1½ to 2½ inches across.
Where can you find them?
Yards, woods, creek bottoms, gardens and muddy areas near water.
Learn more:
Opossums in Arkansas
Coyote
Who is it?
Coyotes are found statewide in Arkansas in rural, suburban and even developed areas.
What do the tracks look like?
Coyote tracks have four toes, a central pad and usually visible claw marks. They are oval rather than round.
How big are they?
Most are roughly 2 to 3 inches long.
Where can you find them?
Fields, pastures, wooded trails, logging roads, creek bottoms and the edges of neighborhoods.
Track Tip: Domestic dog tracks are often wider and rounder, and dogs tend to wander more. A single print isn’t always enough to tell the difference.
Learn more:
Arkansas Coyotes
Bobcat
Who is it?
Bobcats are Arkansas’s most common wild cat and can be found statewide.
How big are they?
Usually around 1½ to 2½ inches across. Bobcat and coyote tracks can be similar in overall size, but their shapes differ noticeably. Cats usually retract their claws, so claw marks are rarely visible in bobcat tracks.
Where can you find them?
Forests, rocky areas, fields, creek bottoms and secluded trails.
Learn more:
Bobcats in Arkansas
Red Fox and Gray Fox
Who is it?
Arkansas has both red and gray foxes, but you can’t easily tell their tracks apart.
How big are they?
Usually around 1½ to 2½ inches long. Their prints are like miniature coyote prints.
Where can you find them?
Woodland edges, fields, pastures, trails and rural yards. Gray foxes are especially associated with wooded and brushy habitats.
Rabbit
Who is it?
Eastern cottontails are common across Arkansas, while swamp rabbits are more closely associated with wet bottomlands and swampy areas.
How big are they?
Long hind prints can reach about 3 to 4 inches, depending on the rabbit and the surface.
Where can you find them?
Lawns, gardens, fields, brushy areas, forest edges and bottomlands.
Squirrel
Who is it?
Both eastern gray squirrels and fox squirrels are common in Arkansas.
How big are they?
Most prints are roughly 1 to 2½ inches long, with the hind feet larger than the front.
Where can you find them?
Yards, parks, forests and almost anywhere with mature trees.
Hog tack photo courtesy of Texas Wild Hog Control.
Skunks
Who is it?
Striped skunks are prolific throughout Arkansas. The state is also home to a smaller, elusive population of spotted skunks.
How big are they?
Tracks are generally around 1½ to 3 inches long.
Where can you find them?
Fields, woodland edges, farms, gardens and yards.
Learn more:
Skunks – Arkansas’s Stinkiest Residents
Nine-Banded Armadillo
Who is it?
The nine-banded armadillo is a familiar Arkansas resident and often gives itself away with the cone-shaped holes it digs in soil and leaf litter.
How big are they?
Generally around 1½ to 3 inches long.
Where can you find them?
Lawns, gardens, forests, fields and woodland edges.
Learn more:
Armadillos in Arkansas
American Black Bear
Who is it?
Black bears occur in Arkansas, with particularly important populations in the Ozark and Ouachita mountains and the state’s lower White River region. Arkansas was once known as “The Bear State.”
How big are they?
Front prints are often around 4 to 5 inches long, while hind prints can reach 7 inches or more. Bear prints can look surprisingly similar to a human footprint.
Where can you find them?
Forested areas, mountain country, remote trails, muddy roads and creek crossings.
Learn more:
Bears in Arkansas
Feral Hog
Who is it?
Feral hogs are a destructive, non-native species found in portions of Arkansas. They are invasive and can cause significant damage to property and farmland.
How big are they?
Adult tracks are typically 2 to 3½ inches long, though large hogs can leave bigger prints. Hog tracks are usually rounder and more splayed than deer tracks.
Where can you find them?
Forests, bottomlands, fields, agricultural land and areas near water.
Look for:
The surrounding ground may tell you more than the footprint. Hogs root through soil while feeding, sometimes leaving large areas looking as though they’ve been tilled.
Learn more:
Wild Razorbacks of Arkansas
Wild Turkey
Who is it?
Eastern wild turkeys are found across Arkansas.
What do the tracks look like?
Turkey tracks have three long toes pointing forward, with a shorter rear toe that may or may not register.
How big are they?
Adult tracks are about 3½ to 5 inches long.
Where can you find them?
Forests, fields, pastures, woodland roads and muddy trails.
Learn more:
Wild Turkey in Arkansas
Photos courtesy of Wildlife Illinois.
American Beaver
Who is it?
Beavers live along waterways throughout Arkansas. Beaver dams and gnawed trees are telltale signs of their presence.
How big are they?
Front prints may be only 2 to 3 inches long, while hind prints can be 5 to 7 inches long. Front prints look like a tiny hand, while hind feet are webbed.
Where can you find them?
Creeks, rivers, ponds, lakes, wetlands and wooded waterways.
Learn more:
Arkansas Furbearing Rodents: Beaver, Nutria, Muskrat and Groundhog
North American River Otter
Who is it?
River otters live around Arkansas’s rivers, creeks, lakes and wetlands. Otter slide marks on a muddy bank are often a more visible sign than prints.
How big are they?
Tracks are usually around 2½ to 4 inches across. Their feet are webbed but may not show clearly in prints.
Where can you find them?
Riverbanks, creek banks, lake shores, wetlands and muddy areas immediately beside water.
Learn more:
River Otters in Arkansas
The next time you head down an Arkansas trail, walk along a muddy creek bank or notice a set of prints crossing your own backyard, take a closer look. You may not catch a glimpse of the animal that left them, but learning to recognize its tracks can give you a pretty good idea of who passed through. The more you look, the more you’ll begin to notice just how much wildlife is moving around Arkansas every day.
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