EISPIRATEN

Yes, but it has more to do with the season changing than you being out earlier. Bobcats do a lot more marking when they're mating, and though it's a bit early for that, you might have a little bobcat love goin on where you hike.

But yeah, I've seen a lot more scat recently too.

Very interesting. That might explain the two bobcats I ran up on a few days before noticing all of the scat.

It looks like they're all done with their love making because the number of scat has dramatically decreased within the past two weeks.

And while we're on the subject of scat I came across some HUGE scat on the in the Santa Monica Mountains this past weekend. There was at least six on the same trail and most of them were pretty fresh and didn't have any berries in them. I wish I had put something next to them for a size reference but here are a few pictures anyways.

What do you think coyote or dare I say COUGAR?

Oh my. That's some big poo.

For some reason, the coyotes up there put out some big stuff. Without the 'scrape' I'd say it's coyote, but cougar is possible. The last photo looks more cougar-ish to me than the first two.

Is it the tapered end, segments, or shape that makes the last one seem more cougar-ish?

OK, I'm laughing at how detailed this is, but: The segments, and arrangement look cougar ish to me. Tapered ends is a coyote thing, but of course if you ate a pile of fur it would be expected that it would come out this way regardless of anatomy.

Coyotes tend to have a long 'log', where the cats make a pile of blunt ended segments.

Poo Feng Shui, if you will.

All three are likely coyote.

Scale reference would be helpful, like the shoe or hiking pole/basket of the hiker-photog, but we get some sense of scale:

pic 1: footprint (size unknown and variable, but odds-wise at least an adult size 8 (M)

pic two: leaves of the California live oak

Size and features c/w C. latrans

pic 3: again with a Calf. live oak leaf for scale (note the spiky edge). The scat has a high proportion of hair, less likely with cougar in this area, which will tend to be more selective about their intake (and with larger prey; different meat/organ vs hair ratio). Without a better exam, hard to be sure about the hair source, but more likely smaller prey--rodentia, squirrel, rabbit, which coyote especially will tend to consume with less discrimination. This bulk of indegestible hair also is a reason for the larger volume of the stool specimen.)

Cats will also consume such small prey "snacks" nearly in entirety, but their hair-filled scat will be of larger diameter for an equal bulk of volume than the yotes.

As an aside, the local urban coyote population, well-fed on garbage, fallen fruit, pet food and careless pets, have different scat patterns than their country cousins. And the country cousins will think nothing of coming down a couple-or-three miles to good eats, then retreat to wherever they feel comfortable. (dens in the nearby riverbed!)

(make that careless pet *owners*)

kind regards,
arocknoid

Great, I'll remember this Poo Feng Shui for my future adventures.
I have to say, I love poo so much that its always slowing me down on the trail. I have so many pictures of poo that one day I'm going to make a big poo collage and frame it.

You call that scat? Pfffft....


Size 12.

Thanks for the detailed explanation arocknoid. How would you describe the texture/look of cougar scat that's not the hair part?

Also, this coyotes home is in Point Mugu if anyone was wondering.

HikeUp, you hit gold!

The biggest poo I have yet seen was this today.


Definitely not as big as the one in your picture haha

Found these beauties yesterday morning in Altadena foothills. Any IDs? I thought the first might actually be a lion.

Last picture definately looks like a pile of bear poop. First two I'd guess are cougar crap, but not sure; is that hair sticking out of it, or weedy bits?.

There was some grass in there. I didn't poke around to check for anything else.

Those are all bear scat piles. The first is mostly grass - the new, green grass that's growing right now is surprisingly high in carbs, and protein, even. The second pile looks like that bear was eating manzanita berries, which are just starting to ripen.

The size and shape of the first bunch is about right for mountain lion, but their scat will never have that much grass in it (if any) and I haven't ever seen one go on pavement - they're a little more, uh, discrete than that. (Says the girl talking about poop).

Would you like a plastic bag with your poop?

I found several piles of poop near each other at a bedding site. But they don't look like typical deer droppings, so I'm thinking bear or cougar. Or a mix of both. What do you think?

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Definitely not deer. I agree with your guesses. I’d lean towards bear.

I'm guessing bear. Carnivore scat should have pointed ends.

I'm told this is gray fox scat. Enjoy!

Anyone? I'm thinking bear, a healthy, well-fed bear. The scat was still soft and moist, though it had rained 1.5 days prior. The texture was smooth and color dark. Looked like a bunch of broken briquettes.

I think this thread needs to float to the top once again. Not sure why.

Probably more fox poo, I'm guessing. Found in Eaton Canyon on top of a rock.

Bear poo found in Eaton. Looks like it's cherry-gobbling season.

I found this gem along the Idlehour Trail.

Fresh piles found on the Idlehour.

Sometimes I hit the jackpot and Eaton Canyon is filled with scat.

Found this beauty recently while heading up the Idlehour. On the way out someone had stepped in it and messed it all up. Doh!



This one I found earlier in the month.

Oh yeah!

It's almost like bears like that place