Difference Between a Bull and Cow Moose Track?

by Mike
(Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada)

I've heard that you can tell a bull track from a cow track because bulls leave a extra spike point behind their track and cows don't. Is this just a bunch of bull?



This is a hotly debated subject Mike, some people believe the same is true for deer. The short answer is 'yes', it is bull!

Moose Tracks


In my opinion, I agree with those who do not believe the dew claw marks left on the ground are a good indicator of the sex of a moose.

A better way to tell the difference between a bull and cow moose track is through the following observation.

Because cow moose or female deer give birth they have a wider pelvic girdle than males. Therefore it stands to reason the rear leg spread (the distance between the legs) will be wider than that of a male.

The tracks left behind by the female will show the rear foot as being set to the outside of the front foot, whereas the male footprint will be set in line with or slightly to the inside. In other words, when looking at the right hand side moose tracks the rear print will be (from a cow moose)on top of and to the right of the front track.

This method too has its inaccuracies. Immature animals that have not fully developed their bone structure will not leave the same sign in the soil.
Editors Update: Dr. Vince Crichton Certified Wildlife Biologist has informed me this is not true in all cases.

Similar Characteristics


The dew claw marks that you mention can be left by both sexes of moose. It really depends upon the terrain being traveled, the speed of movement and the size of the animal.

Obviously a larger and heavier animal will have bigger tracks and leave deeper impressions. The deeper into the soil a foot goes the more likely the dew claw will leave an impression.

We know that the male of the moose species is larger than that of the female, so seeing dew claw marks on the ground may lead us to believe they were left by a bull moose.

Bull and Cow Moose Tracks in Snow


Identifying the difference between a bull and cow moose track in the snow is going to be more difficult. Both animals, male and female are going to leave behind dew claw marks. You will need to study the tracks closely to determine which sex made the track.

T.R. Michels made the following observation about buck deer traveling in snow. He noted that because of the extra weight of antlers on the head and shoulders of trophy sized deer, the buck actually has to swing its front leg in a slight arc in order to continue its stride. These slight arc movements leave a drag mark in the snow.

I have not observed this this with bull moose but it could happen as well.

I hope this answers your question. ~ Mark

Comments for Difference Between a Bull and Cow Moose Track?

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tracks
by: TrueNorth

Cow and Bull moose tracks are easily identified in any terrain that makes an imprint. I have never heard of any of the posted ways to identify moose tracks. They are all pretty ridiculous.
Its all in the pee.
by: Cal

With deer I find the biggest indication of sex is the "set", how far apart the tracks are side to side. This indicates an animal with a wide chest, most likely a male. In the areas I hunt moose however, cows are protected and bulls are not, so often cow moose will achieve a larger size than all but the odd large bull... not much help if you are just desperately trying to track down a meat bull in the last weeks of the early season. So what I do when I'm snow tracking a moose is look for the urine spots, these tell all. With a cow the urine will be between her hind legs in a little round circle, often right on top of some droppings. With a bull it will be midway and oval in shape due to the trajectory, as well there will be some drops further back.

A few other quick references, a cow will usually do her business in one spot, while a bull will often "go on the go". This is not exactly concrete but it is true often enough that I always take note of it.

An animal that obviously avoids going through tight spots is probably carrying some decent antlers on its head.
Things our Grandfathers Believed
by: Steve Ryan Johnson

Hello. I have recently got into an online discussion on this topic. Apparently it's widespread belief that only male moose leave dew claw imprints. Since both male and female moose have dew claws, this does not make sense to me. Is there any scientific factual reason why a bull of the same weight as a cow would leave dew claw imprints while the cow would not? I suspect this falls into the category of "my grandfather told me this and he always got a moose so it must be true".
I suspect it stems from the fact that a mature bull outweighs a mature female. However to get from that fact to "only males leave dew claw imprints" is silly. A heavier moose will leave a clearer imprint as it sinks deeper. But that moose might be a 1000 lb cow walking beside a 800 lb bull.
Hand Me Down Ideas
by: ~ Mark - The Mooseman

I agree with you 100% Steve. I'm pretty sure the same will be said of all ungulates. The heavier animals will leave dew claw imprints whereas the lighter won't.
Has anyone ever seen a dew claw imprint left by a one year old bull? Unless the ground is soft, it's just not going to happen.

"Is there any scientific factual reason why a bull of the same weight as a cow would leave dew claw imprints while the cow would not?"
None that I am aware of.

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