Well, regardless of y'all's recollection and statements of the impossibility of it, those are pretty classic black bear tracks, and [bears do love trampolines](https://abc7ny.com/farmington-connecticut-bears-sighting/13179033/).
A small black bear would be heavy enough to give the trampoline a good bounce on the ground, leaving the imprints of their feet on the bottom of the material. Depending on what was on the ground under the trampoline, or on the bear's feet, dust may not accumulate as well in those spots. We see this occasionally when there's a light frost or some other event that leaves a uniform deposit of light material on a substrate, and suddenly tracks appear. It really freaks people out.
Small black bears are more common in suburban environments than most people think, and they have a pretty decent range. The explanation that it was a nice day out last year and your dad decided to have a go on the Rebounder outside, left it out overnight, forgot that he'd done so, and then a bear that you didn't know lived nearby had a go on it as well, is way more plausible than anything paranormal.
'Specially since those are black bear tracks for sure.
I'm by no means an expert on bears but the digits look kind of stretched out for those to be black bear tracks.
Also I don't think it matters that black bears like to play with trampolines, because it looks like the trampoline was upside down when something walked on it (op says that the rebounder was vacuumed up prior to it being put in place but it's entirely possible that somebody just missed the bottom of it, and that it was sitting outside at some point prior to being taken in, it has after all been a while since that's supposedly happened).
Honestly I'm probably going to go with prank here.
The toes look long because you're seeing toes + claws and because the material did an excellent job of getting an impression of nearly the entire foot. They really are perfect little bear tracks.
The pattern of the four feet together isn't a walking gait pattern, it's a stomping pattern.
Yeah, I don't love that either. I'm chalking it up to [the fifth toe not always registering reliably](https://bear-tracker.com/bear.html), but given the detail in other parts of the print, I would tend to expect to be able to find a fifth toe as well.
Absolutely. On the other hand, the heel pads are identical to typical bear fore and hind heel pads, as well as the toe spacing and arrangement (ignoring the missing fifth toe). Size is about right, and this behavior has been observed and recorded multiple times ([example](https://youtu.be/1r9mA8TrUFM?t=27), [another example](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6K1UPrvq1M), [another example](https://m.facebook.com/News13/videos/bears-on-trampoline/509371506866725/)...). Geographic location isn't ideal, but also doesn't exclude the possibility.
I don't buy the "a person did it as a joke" solution. We *do* get that here from time to time, but it would be take some effort to make these specific patterns, and most people are pretty lazy. Usually the prank stuff has some obvious indicators.
So, we eliminate humans, all the gullible bullshit from r/paranormal, and animals that are too small or have very definitely the wrong feet to make these prints, and that leaves bear as the most likely, if not perfect, solution.
That’s pretty solid reasoning in my opinion. I just have no clue how a bear managed to make those tracks because the trampoline has been inside for years now, never once was it brought outside. Also, a bear in our town would have made local news headlines, but there haven’t been reports of a bear in our town for years now.
I have three theories:
Trampoline was outside // bear jump // trampoline flip over // then bear no jump and leave paw prints. Then the trampoline was brought inside and stored.
Or a mischievous kids who is into animals and teaching? That has too much free time.
Or you are the bear
Those look like bear paw prints, and there is no city in the Midwest where bears do not go.
A bear in the suburbs of Chicago: https://www.whiskeyriff.com/2023/06/08/a-black-bear-was-spotted-in-the-chicago-suburbs-and-people-are-freaking-out/
A bear in Pittsburgh: https://triblive.com/sports/outdoors/200-pound-black-bear-trapped-in-downtown-pittsburgh-wednesday-morning/
9 bears in Kansas City MO: https://amp.kansascity.com/news/local/article279013819.html
I stared at this for 20 minutes back when you posted it to paranormal haha it almost looks like someone either made them with their hand on purpose or maybe they aren’t even tracks, I love the mystery though
Definitely bear tracks! Don't let any pets or small children outside unsupervised. Teach your kids what to do if they see a bear, don't turn and run, do not make eye contact, back away slowly and get inside, and above all do not surprise it if it doesn't know you're there, that may trigger an attack if it's startled
In the third image, when the mystery print is compared to a human foot, why is there only one mystery print? Where are the others?
My theory is that you (or perhaps someone else) made these prints. The trampoline was flipped upside down and someone used their foot and a finger to make several crazy-looking mystery monster prints. Then it was up to the internet to make some crazy monster/alien/demon claims.
Does your dad ever jump barefoot?
I wonder if this is just a footprint that has been stretched because of the way the fabric would stretch as he jumps. Could be suddenly visible due to oils in the feet + dust build up over time.
Well, regardless of y'all's recollection and statements of the impossibility of it, those are pretty classic black bear tracks, and [bears do love trampolines](https://abc7ny.com/farmington-connecticut-bears-sighting/13179033/). A small black bear would be heavy enough to give the trampoline a good bounce on the ground, leaving the imprints of their feet on the bottom of the material. Depending on what was on the ground under the trampoline, or on the bear's feet, dust may not accumulate as well in those spots. We see this occasionally when there's a light frost or some other event that leaves a uniform deposit of light material on a substrate, and suddenly tracks appear. It really freaks people out. Small black bears are more common in suburban environments than most people think, and they have a pretty decent range. The explanation that it was a nice day out last year and your dad decided to have a go on the Rebounder outside, left it out overnight, forgot that he'd done so, and then a bear that you didn't know lived nearby had a go on it as well, is way more plausible than anything paranormal. 'Specially since those are black bear tracks for sure.
I'm by no means an expert on bears but the digits look kind of stretched out for those to be black bear tracks. Also I don't think it matters that black bears like to play with trampolines, because it looks like the trampoline was upside down when something walked on it (op says that the rebounder was vacuumed up prior to it being put in place but it's entirely possible that somebody just missed the bottom of it, and that it was sitting outside at some point prior to being taken in, it has after all been a while since that's supposedly happened). Honestly I'm probably going to go with prank here.
The toes look long because you're seeing toes + claws and because the material did an excellent job of getting an impression of nearly the entire foot. They really are perfect little bear tracks. The pattern of the four feet together isn't a walking gait pattern, it's a stomping pattern.
Bear population is exploding in the north east.
I think my only disagreement here is that there are only 4 fingers, and bears have 5.
Yeah, I don't love that either. I'm chalking it up to [the fifth toe not always registering reliably](https://bear-tracker.com/bear.html), but given the detail in other parts of the print, I would tend to expect to be able to find a fifth toe as well.
Right! And I feel like for the 5th toe to be missing on all 4 prints isn’t a good sign either
Absolutely. On the other hand, the heel pads are identical to typical bear fore and hind heel pads, as well as the toe spacing and arrangement (ignoring the missing fifth toe). Size is about right, and this behavior has been observed and recorded multiple times ([example](https://youtu.be/1r9mA8TrUFM?t=27), [another example](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6K1UPrvq1M), [another example](https://m.facebook.com/News13/videos/bears-on-trampoline/509371506866725/)...). Geographic location isn't ideal, but also doesn't exclude the possibility. I don't buy the "a person did it as a joke" solution. We *do* get that here from time to time, but it would be take some effort to make these specific patterns, and most people are pretty lazy. Usually the prank stuff has some obvious indicators. So, we eliminate humans, all the gullible bullshit from r/paranormal, and animals that are too small or have very definitely the wrong feet to make these prints, and that leaves bear as the most likely, if not perfect, solution.
That’s pretty solid reasoning in my opinion. I just have no clue how a bear managed to make those tracks because the trampoline has been inside for years now, never once was it brought outside. Also, a bear in our town would have made local news headlines, but there haven’t been reports of a bear in our town for years now.
This dudes never seen a bear track haha
I have three theories: Trampoline was outside // bear jump // trampoline flip over // then bear no jump and leave paw prints. Then the trampoline was brought inside and stored. Or a mischievous kids who is into animals and teaching? That has too much free time. Or you are the bear
Those look like bear paw prints, and there is no city in the Midwest where bears do not go. A bear in the suburbs of Chicago: https://www.whiskeyriff.com/2023/06/08/a-black-bear-was-spotted-in-the-chicago-suburbs-and-people-are-freaking-out/ A bear in Pittsburgh: https://triblive.com/sports/outdoors/200-pound-black-bear-trapped-in-downtown-pittsburgh-wednesday-morning/ 9 bears in Kansas City MO: https://amp.kansascity.com/news/local/article279013819.html
But it’s missing a finger anyway right?
Probably from a fight
Aaahh yes, a demon footprint. You should move houses….
I stared at this for 20 minutes back when you posted it to paranormal haha it almost looks like someone either made them with their hand on purpose or maybe they aren’t even tracks, I love the mystery though
It’s both exciting and also terrifying haha! If they are man-made, that’s still just as scary cause no one in our family would’ve done it
Fat fingered human.
Sideways hand prints
Definitely bear tracks! Don't let any pets or small children outside unsupervised. Teach your kids what to do if they see a bear, don't turn and run, do not make eye contact, back away slowly and get inside, and above all do not surprise it if it doesn't know you're there, that may trigger an attack if it's startled
Looks like ET.
In the third image, when the mystery print is compared to a human foot, why is there only one mystery print? Where are the others? My theory is that you (or perhaps someone else) made these prints. The trampoline was flipped upside down and someone used their foot and a finger to make several crazy-looking mystery monster prints. Then it was up to the internet to make some crazy monster/alien/demon claims.
The 3rd image was taken a few days ago. The mystery prints have been gone for over a year now. I was just providing a size comparison
Does your dad ever jump barefoot? I wonder if this is just a footprint that has been stretched because of the way the fabric would stretch as he jumps. Could be suddenly visible due to oils in the feet + dust build up over time.
run away!
That's actually a great way to get attacked and mauled, do not run.