Definitely a Squatch

The snow was just too crystalline to hold that small of footprint but were rounder than long. There were raccoon track not far away and they showed some rear foot pads and their walking gait. Our red squirrels are too small and I got to back trail a little today. The trail along the water course(not tree to tree like squrl) and went from snag to snag as mink do. Earlier tracks also had not side markings and no kill markings so the side markings must have been from something it was carrying that it couldn’t keep above the snow or maybe it was doing something really wild with its tail for a ways. Just most of the time mink tracks in snow I find though very much in pairs like these loping one front foot/rear foot mark is somewhat diagonal rather than so side by side. If they are marten it would be a VERY rare passing and of great note to me. I could only trail it about the half a mile it follow the watercourse thru my property. The stream enters from and exists into properties who forbid tresspass(even though water is public here I don’t need to stir those pots without good cause, sad but reality)

A mink with something awkward to carry, likely would not have typical foot placement or gait.

I also agree with waggler about it likely bring a bird but I used to live north of mora and there are occasional marten caught in the area and i personally seen one hit on the road near Braham several years ago while on my way to work I even turned around and went back to check because I didn’t believe what I had seen, I later checked the past DNR registration of where marten have been caught and every few years one is registered from Kansbec county

Though hard to see in these pics the footprints where animal not bird in any way. I agree marten is not impossible in my area(having seen one myself years ago) but even all the marten tracks I have seen have never showed the atypical side marks as these. Or fisher that frequent area(but most often present four distinct footprints). Just an interesting record in the snow that isn't obvious in its origin to me and I haven't seen before. Of the 1/4 ml of trail I was able to follow it the side marking where only present for about fifty yards as it crossed the open stream from snag pile to snag pile as mink most often do. As intriguing to me as the first group of sliding otter tacks in the snow I seen. Its not always easy to visualize a 2D record of a 3D world.