If I saw those here in WI, I'd guess otter in a heartbeat.

Those tracks show the animal Is dragging It's feet and since there Isn't a tail drag I don't believe It's a otter.
And a badger would be showing more claws so I don't think It's a badger.

Fisher gets my vote.

It's puzzling that there are no slide or tail drag marks in that distance but the tracks look more otterish to me than they do fisher. Also strange that it is so far from water. I am enclosing a couple of sets of fisher tracks that I photographed by my house for comparison. Notice that the tracks are more in line when it bounds rather than side by side in your photograph and the tracks do not drag in the similar amounts of snow either.

What's the length of the stride? That will cut down on the options.
Could It be a skunk? Skunks have 5 toes.

What about marten? Seems like the terrain would suit them better other than the elevation, and looks similar to the Marten tracks I see around here all the time. They have that same bounding offset pattern like those do.

coon

I don’t see any webbing between the toes. I don’t think otter. I guess fisher.

Due to the strange looping gait maybe a ringtail cats first encounter with snow?

I looked up some pine martin tracks on the ol interwebs and i may change my tune now, for one the tracks are bigger than i figured they would be and two the stride matches better. Any thoughts martin trappers? Tracks size was similar to a copenhagen can, stride 1.5’ to 2’ approx, this was two years ago.

Stride is about right for a marten but size is way to big. I just looked at a set of tracks last week in soft an on crusted snow about the size of a half dollar on crust and dollar in soft. Also when bounding rear foot lands on front foot track and right and left side are very close to each other with one side slightly ahead of the other. When walking the front track is very round with short toes and claws, back track is elongated somewhat like the rear foot of a snowshoe rabbit but much rounder in front end of track. Don’t know what the OP track is but habitat is way wrong for the marten we have here not nearly enough trees. Only guess I have is wild ferret but I think there feet are similar in size to marten.

You don't have a buddy that bought the little fake track makers from FNT and is running around on your line making funny jokes. I am just saying if i actually had friends that lived and trapped around me i "might" do something like that.

I did some research-its coon tracks.

After some additional track ID research myself I still say ringtail as the arid habitat fits the situation as well as the tracks.

Agreed.

BraskaYoter, we have marten on occasion in Dawes and Cherry County but they are always offset tracks as they bound through the grasslands, and these tracks don't look like a bound.

It's always tricky to identify tracks online

woot woot

I believe pcr and Boco are right.I have seen plenty of coon tracks that looked just like that.The pattern is easier to see in snow.Mustelids seem to be more consistent as to which foot is forward,in this gait.

I have noticed that a coon track in the mud and a coon track in snow look quite a bit different. Seems when they walk in the snow they don't place their rear "heel" down at all and seem to walk higher and tighter creating a smaller print than usual. Saying that though i wasn't thinking coon when i seen the pic first. I went the same direction you did thinking the abnormal.

set a trap and lets find out.

You are correct.The first time I saw one like that,I thought fisher,as well but we don't have them.

It could be a coon. I just goggled coon tracks and they showed some In the snow and they pretty much match up.