I’m not a big fan of snow.

I don’t mind getting a dusting around Christmas Eve to set the mood for the holidays. And a little snow helps cover and insulate my septic field.

But otherwise I could care less if we got any snow during the winter.

Growing up in New Jersey, we rarely got any significant snow. Back then as youngsters it was a novelty for us to get a snowstorm. Most of us kids didn’t even have a sled, so our winter activity was limited to snowball fights, or building a small igloo if there was enough snow.

No one had a snowmobile or a snowblower. There wasn’t really much need for either. Although recently I’ve seen news reports of some pretty big “storms.” They probably call five inches a storm.

Now on the farm, snow just makes it harder to get things done outside. I’ve got to put everything away, or else it gets covered and frozen to the ground. Neither me or my wife, Rita, like to drive in the snow. And getting from the house to any of the outbuildings requires shoveling a path.

But one benefit I’ve found over the years to having snow is how it allows me to see where the wild animals have been. I know hunters use footprints to track animals. I don’t hunt, but I am curious about what’s been walking near the house at night.

We have a few laying hens that we keep in a chicken house. We let them out every day to walk around in their pen in the spring, summer and fall. The weather determines when they can be let out in the winter.

We also have a cat who strayed onto the farm about a year ago and adopted us as his family. He stays outside year-round. I built him a little house with a heat bulb for really cold days. We put out some food and water for him each day near the front door.

We also have a bird feeder hanging from a pine tree across the driveway from our kitchen. We fill the feeder a few times a week and watch the little birds stop by for a seed or two, then fly off to a nearby tree. They leave lots of footprints in the snow below the feeder, as do the numerous squirrels that scavenge for dropped seeds.

Other than that, any tracks I see in the snow are animals that live around the farm or close by.

There are dozens of deer tracks, which isn’t surprising since we see lots of deer in the fields a few times a week throughout the year. What is surprising is how close they come to the house – just three or four feet away from our living room window. The tracks start in a wooded area behind the house, pass right by the house, then head through the field to the neighbor’s property across the road. We even see flattened areas in the snow where the deer lay down at night.

Near the front door we can follow tracks where the cat has been walking during the night. He seems to be making his rounds to the machine shed, the barn and near the chicken house. I wasn’t sure if he’s been hunting or looking for a litter box. But the other day I found out.

Just by the north end of the machine shed I saw more tracks. The parallel footprints  are a telltale sign of a rabbit. The cat’s tracks are close by. So far I think the rabbit must be safe because I haven’t spotted any signs of a struggle – or body parts.

I’ve noticed signs of other small creatures in the chicken pen. They’re looking for remnants of chicken feed or cracked corn we sprinkle on the ground for the hens. I know a few of the tracks are from small birds like sparrows, because I’ve seen them fly through the netting on top of the chicken wire fence.    

But there are also small mammal-like footprints,  probably mice, rats or chipmunks that can squeeze through the fence.

Just over a week ago I noticed some unusual tracks near our front door in the same general area we feed the cat. I followed the tracks that morning and saw they led under the old granary, which is empty now. I figured it must be living there, whatever it was. I was hoping it wasn’t a skunk. I’ve had problems with them before, and I didn’t look forward to running into one again.

Then a few nights later I peeked out through storm door window and saw a little greyish-white animal trying to find some cat food. It was a possum. When I opened the front door, it looked up at me, then slowly walked away towards the granary.

I’ve also seen blue jays and crows near our compost pile, which is a good 200 feet from the house. The other day I walked out there and spotted some raccoon tracks.

I’ve also seen tracks that look like paw prints from a dog. I’ve seen our neighbor’s dog run through the property once or twice, so it may be him. But we’ve had coyotes in the area during the summer. One was about 30 feet from the house.

I haven’t walked much in our woods since the first snow of the season. But I can see lots of deer tracks leading along the path that way. There could be any number of creatures roaming the woods, and I’ll make it a point to get out there soon  and see.

Who knows? Maybe I’ll see some Bigfoot tracks.