is no dust heap in front of the latter's, as the elk 

 apparently does not step off so clean. 



The bull elk always manages to walk with 

 tightly closed hoofs, at variance with the cow, 

 which lets the hoofs spread more. 



By reason of his weight and his habit of paw- 

 ing the ground, the points of the hoofs or toes 

 of an old bull become rather blunt, causing a much 

 rounder track than a cow makes; and in a big 

 track, like that of an elk, such features show up 

 conspicuously, while it would be a hard matter 

 to detect them in a much smaller deer track, even 

 on the best tracking ground. 



The dew-claws, being much thicker and blunter 

 in the bull than in the cow, are a certain dis- 

 tinctive feature, but their imprint can be seen 

 only in mud or snow, and there the other more 

 prominent signs of the bull track are, as a rule, 

 visible also and will be found more reliable. 



The young bull often oversteps the forefoot 

 track with the hind foot; therefore in case the 

 tracks do not register it is necessary to examine 

 the two individual tracks of one side. If the big- 

 ger track is in front, an old bull made it, and if 



47 



