Bear print in CNF

[rbduffer]

Hey Guys,
I was scouting the CNF in San Mateo Canyon in a very thickly covered, semi dry creek when I saw prints from deer, raccoon, mountain lion and then this one. Does anyone else think this looks like a bear track? The interweb tells me that there has not been a confirmed sighting since 2001. Any of you seen anything, or what do you make of this track?
Thanks for any input.

 

[Bonejour]

No hind foot prints?

 

[ilovesprig]

Appears to be soft sand. So, there should have been nail marks....5 toes looks like it shouldn't be a big cat....How big were they and were there more.....Bear tracks front & back are different.

ps.....Had this conversation with a biologist (SB/Riverside Co.) at the super bowl party....Rare that bears cross over Int. 10....He also stated, they've never released problem bears in the CNF.

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[SD Mike]

My fault, guys. I was breaking in my new boots.

 

[ilovesprig]

Hey Mike.........Even your boots have the claw marks.........

 

[rbduffer]

Appears to be soft sand. So, there should have been nail marks....5 toes looks like it shouldn't be a big cat....How big were they and were there more.....Bear tracks front & back are different.

ps.....Had this conversation with a biologist (SB/Riverside Co.) at the super bowl party....Rare that bears cross over Int. 10....He also stated, they've never released problem bears in the CNF.

.

I first saw the track on Friday, (no claw marks), and came back on Saturday with my camera (and a bigger gun, just in case). The wet sand had degraded some in that one day, so I thought that the claw marks may have have degraded before I first got there. The track is about 4 1/2" square, I should have put a dollar bill down for scale. Everywhere else around there was either too wet or too hard for me to see more tracks. This track was an inch bigger than both of the 4 toed lion tracks I saw.

 

[Bonejour]

The Palm portion looks like the front paw of a cat, but too many toes for a cat. Maybe it's a birth defect. Everything else about it is cat-like.

 

[TaftHunter]

Like mentioned before the rear paws on bears are different from their front...


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[nicapopolis]

There were bear cubs found in De Luz sometime mid 2000s. There was some speculation that they could have got their through human intervention, but who knows. That could be the sow that gave birth to those de Luz cubs...

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[ilovesprig]

There were bear cubs found in De Luz sometime mid 2000s. There was some speculation that they could have got their through human intervention, but who knows. That could be the sow that gave birth to those de Luz cubs...

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Nick,

I think my friend mentioned that episode.....She was killed.....Leaving no females west of 10.....He said there were 2 males.

 

[rbduffer]

Thanks for all the input guys. Sounds like we got a cat with a thumb or the mystery ghost bear! I'll keep my eyes out.

 

[TRICER]

Most likely a chupacabra, that is the most logical answer.

 

[DrK]

Too clean and even...

 

[DanSanDiego]

Too clean and even...

I'll second that. Depth of print is very even.
As much as I'd love to have bear in Northern SD county. I think these are just my wishful thinking making impressions in the sand.

 

[D16hunter]

I don't know if that is a bear track but I've heard rumors of them on private property up near Julian


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[ilovesprig]

I don't know if that is a bear track but I've heard rumors of them on private property up near Julian


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There's probably been a couple in the last 100 yrs.....Remember, black bears are not even native to Big Bear. Introduced from Yosemite in 1933.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj75taTtvDKAhUnFqYKHfJWDRAQFgguMAM&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Flocal%2Fla-me-adv-bad-news-bears-20130805-dto-htmlstory.html&usg=AFQjCNHoY8aoi5j8ZbolmIlZ_YCNwTD20A


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[nicapopolis]

I don't know if that is a bear track but I've heard rumors of them on private property up near Julian


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I know there has been speculation in the past of areas north of Palomar Mountain.

I couldn't imagine them just hanging out on "private" property. There would be some overlap with the public lands and Indian reservations as well.

Trig you may know this, what are some of the bigger private properties in that area? A couple thousand acres? Or in the 10s of thousands?

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[Deleted member 27310]

maybe its this bear..
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2013/feb/04/black-bear-spotted/

 

[SurfNHuntSD]

maybe its this bear..
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2013/feb/04/black-bear-spotted/

Haha I was just gonna post if anyone ever heard anything about that.. I remember that when it came out. Pretty skeptical of a black bear cruising the Jacumba desert.

 

[Snake Charmer]

There was one shot on the reservation in Mesa Grande several years ago and one of the local ranchers up here has told me that is at least one in the Julian area. I've never seen any evidence of them where I live.