Meadow Vole Scat and Tracks: How to Identify Them (Microtus pennsylvanicus)

Rodent droppings are small and dark; shape and size are the first cut (rice-grain with pointed ends for mice, blunt and larger for rats, oval pellets for squirrels and voles). Tracks show four toes on the front foot and five on the hind, and most rodents bound, so the larger hind prints land ahead of the front prints. Gnaw marks with paired incisor grooves are often the clearest sign. The measurements below for Meadow Vole are quoted from the wildlife agencies linked at the bottom of the page.

• Gait: Vole tracks are often visible after a light snowfall

• Surface runways: Vole surface runways through grass are about 1-2 inches wide, with nearby vegetation often gnawed down to ground level
• Bark gnaw marks (near ground level): Voles gnaw bark from various angles, leaving marks about 1/8 inch wide, 3/8 inch long, and 1/16 inch deep
• Shallow underground burrow system: Voles dig shallow underground burrow systems with multiple entrances, and often use mole tunnels as well

Voles are stockier with a shorter tail (usually less than a third of body length)

Voles often use tunnels dug by moles, which leads moles to be wrongly blamed for damage actually caused by voles

Put something of known size next to it (a coin, a pen, a boot) and shoot straight down in soft light; low side light brings out the shape of tracks in mud or snow. For scat, photograph the whole deposit and one close-up showing contents. Note where it was: on a log, in the open, on a trail, near water. The app suggests the likely animal; confirm with the size and shape notes above.