I’m in northeast Ohio and I found these tracks in a ditch and they are about 2 inches around, is it just a big mink?

Looks like mink to me .

Mink

I’d say mink too.

Skunk

Looks like skunk to me.

Stinker

Skunk

Size and configuration seems wrong for a mink. I'd guess skunk too.

That side by side spacing of the feet is definitely not the stride of mink.

Funny how the tracks look like it's hopping. Im
used to seeing skunk tracks like this

I see that all the time with mink

Looks like mink from the way it's hopping.(squirrel are more elongated)
Follow em.and see where they go..set a trap and let it tell you what made them.

My money's on a mink

Good.luck and keep us.posted

I have never seen a mink leave a 2" round track. .
.

How close are you from the PA border? Fisher?

Two sets of Mink, one coming, one going. Definitely not skunk.
Turtledale, what kind of skunk do you have? Not even close to striped skunk tracks. Looks more like a cat to me.

2" round track meaning 2" across or the distance around the track? Big diffrence

Looks like an otter track to me.

Skunks have plantigrade (flat footed), 5 toe tracks in that size range, that look like that and are dirt common in Ohio, so I would guess they are skunk tracks.

Keith

X2

I agree with the, follow them part. You will probably figure out what critter it is by following them and you will learn more about their behavior.

Small Coon

Hard to believe there are that many trappers on here who don't know what animal made those tracks.

When a mink is in travel mode his back feet never go where his front foot has not been. Examine these tracks, lets look at the set on the right, the ones heading away from the photographer. At each set there is a big track and a small track, rotating sides as they go. A coon walks with a front foot and the opposite side back foot to each duo of tracks which is what is shown here.

Block that area off stick a 120 in it . Show everyone that's a MINK !!!!

Lay some sticks across leave a tunnel opening. BOOM

That ain't no coon track

Bruce,that bottom left track looks alot like a coon track.

Coon

Bruce,that bottom left track looks alot like a coon track. [/quote]
Diffrence in size between a coons front feet and rear feet rule this out as a coon.

Coons tracks in snow

Raccoons, especially smaller ones will commonly ball their toes up and don't let them spread out when walking in snow. They also tend not allow thier back heels to touch the snow. One of those footprints shows a long toe impression indicating raccoon to me.

Coon

100% backyard striped skunk tracks Brian. I catch quite a few in the first snows and then in mating season beginning of February. Have followed too many to count with these same tracks to their dens and trapped them.

Thanks turtle, maybe it's the deep snow that changes their typical gait. Walking instead of running? In my experience skunk tracks look more like this:

O
.O
..O
...O
O
.O
..O
...O
O
.O
..O
...O

It's obviously a domestic ferret, enjoying a vacation day trip to the country.

a racoomink

Best guess yet! Lol

If he follows them far enough they will go into open water ,I say its Mink and have seen and set for many here that are identical . snow pushes out especially that soft fluffy snow . Time to call in an expert and dispel the skunk idea . How about it Lawdog (Jerry Herbst )

SET
A
TRAP
Perfect spot.......

I don't think that's a coon track. And being in the 2 size it could be a fisher. Not sure if there are any fisher in your area.

Honestly using a pencil makes it hard to tell size. IS it a ciphering pencil or a hat prop pencil. Ciphering ones are about 4 in long and wet from licking them each time you cipher.

Mink

Maybe they are wolf tracks?

This thread is the perfect example to the point you can only learn so much about trapping on the internet and most of what you need to know you learn in the field from experience..... just as many wrong answers on the internet as right ones.

If ever in doubt about tracks, it helps a lot to follow them a good distance to see what the animal does.