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Top 5 Footprint Tracking Plates and Ink Kits in Canada for 2025 — Expert-Tested Options to Pinpoint Rodent Activity Without Baiting

Published on Thursday, August 21, 2025

Reusable plates and ink tracking pads capture clear rodent footprints for species identification, size estimation, and activity-pattern analysis without using bait. These low-cost, unobtrusive tools are commonly used to confirm presence and map movement paths in homes, commercial buildings, barns, and field sites. Canadian buyers typically prioritize durability in cold and wet conditions, non-toxic inks, ease of cleaning and reuse, range of coverage, and compatibility with modular placement strategies, which makes these kits appealing to pest control professionals, wildlife technicians, urban ecologists, and homeowners seeking reliable, non-lethal monitoring.

Quick Menu

1. Best Budget Tracking Powder

2. Best Complete Plate System

3. Best Trap-Compatible Tunnel

4. Best Tracking Block (Blox)

5. Best Multiple-Catch Station

1
BEST BUDGET TRACKING POWDER

Trapper Max Tracking Powder Kit

Trapper Max

Trapper Max's Tracking Powder Kit is a cost-conscious, widely available solution favored for quick deployments and consumer-level footprint marking. Its fine-grain powder produces clear prints on paper and plastic substrates, making it more affordable and easier to stock than reusable plate systems while sacrificing some of the longevity and repeatability offered by heavier-duty professional stations.

4.1
★★★★☆

  • Ultra fine

  • Precision prints

  • Ultra fine

  • Precision prints

Review Summary

79%

"Users consistently report the Trapper Max Tracking Powder Kit is effective at producing clear footprint impressions and durable for repeated use, though some find the powder messy and sensitive to wind or moisture outdoors."

  • Spy dust

  • Fine powder formulated to capture clear footprint impressions on tracking plates

  • Spy dust

  • Fine powder formulated to capture clear footprint impressions on tracking plates

Increased Safety & Security

Time-Saving Convenience

Skill Development & Mastery

Trapper Max's Tracking Powder Kit is a cost-conscious, widely available solution favored for quick deployments and consumer-level footprint marking. Its fine-grain powder produces clear prints on paper and plastic substrates, making it more affordable and easier to stock than reusable plate systems while sacrificing some of the longevity and repeatability offered by heavier-duty professional stations.

  • Ultra fine

  • Precision prints

  • Spy dust

  • Fine powder formulated to capture clear footprint impressions on tracking plates

  • Comes in a refillable dispenser for easy, controlled application

  • Ultra fine

  • Precision prints

  • Spy dust

  • Fine powder formulated to capture clear footprint impressions on tracking plates

  • Comes in a refillable dispenser for easy, controlled application

Order Now

$20-40 CAD

2
BEST COMPLETE PLATE SYSTEM

Wildlife Control Supplies Tracking Plate System

Wildlife Control Supplies

The Wildlife Control Supplies Tracking Plate System is a rugged, reusable plate setup designed for professional fieldwork where repeated, high-detail tracking is needed. Though it carries a higher upfront cost than single-use powders like Trapper Max, its durable plates and modular mounts deliver consistent, repeatable prints over many uses and reduce per-use expense for ongoing monitoring programs.

4.3
★★★★☆

  • Sturdy plate

  • High contrast

  • Sturdy plate

  • High contrast

Review Summary

84%

"Buyers praise the Wildlife Control Supplies Tracking Plate System for its sturdy construction, reusable design, and reliable track capture indoors; a few users note it is pricier than simple DIY options and can require tweaks for perfect placement."

  • Plate party

  • Purpose-built tracking plate with raised edges to retain ink or powder

  • Plate party

  • Purpose-built tracking plate with raised edges to retain ink or powder

Increased Safety & Security

Time-Saving Convenience

Skill Development & Mastery

The Wildlife Control Supplies Tracking Plate System is a rugged, reusable plate setup designed for professional fieldwork where repeated, high-detail tracking is needed. Though it carries a higher upfront cost than single-use powders like Trapper Max, its durable plates and modular mounts deliver consistent, repeatable prints over many uses and reduce per-use expense for ongoing monitoring programs.

  • Sturdy plate

  • High contrast

  • Plate party

  • Purpose-built tracking plate with raised edges to retain ink or powder

  • Durable construction for repeated outdoor monitoring sessions

  • Sturdy plate

  • High contrast

  • Plate party

  • Purpose-built tracking plate with raised edges to retain ink or powder

  • Durable construction for repeated outdoor monitoring sessions

Order Now

$90-180 CAD

3
BEST TRAP-COMPATIBLE TUNNEL

Tomahawk Live Trap Tracking Tunnel Kit

Tomahawk Live Trap

Tomahawk's Tracking Tunnel Kit integrates tracking media with the company's live-capture tunnel concept to streamline identification and humane capture in one package. While more labor- and space-intensive than simple powders or plates, it offers a clear operational advantage for programs that prioritize live removal and want to combine footprint intelligence with immediate capture, reducing follow-up site visits compared with passive plate-only systems.

4.4
★★★★☆

  • Guided tunnel

  • Humane funneling

  • Guided tunnel

  • Humane funneling

Review Summary

86%

"The Tomahawk Live Trap Tracking Tunnel Kit is frequently rated as durable, well-designed, and effective at funneling and capturing target animals, with most users finding it easy to set up and reuse; occasional complaints focus on size choice and baiting technique."

  • Trap ninja

  • Integrates with live-trap setups to funnel animals across tracking surfaces

  • Trap ninja

  • Integrates with live-trap setups to funnel animals across tracking surfaces

Increased Safety & Security

Skill Development & Mastery

Tomahawk's Tracking Tunnel Kit integrates tracking media with the company's live-capture tunnel concept to streamline identification and humane capture in one package. While more labor- and space-intensive than simple powders or plates, it offers a clear operational advantage for programs that prioritize live removal and want to combine footprint intelligence with immediate capture, reducing follow-up site visits compared with passive plate-only systems.

  • Guided tunnel

  • Humane funneling

  • Trap ninja

  • Integrates with live-trap setups to funnel animals across tracking surfaces

  • Pre-formed tunnel geometry produces consistent, centered prints

  • Guided tunnel

  • Humane funneling

  • Trap ninja

  • Integrates with live-trap setups to funnel animals across tracking surfaces

  • Pre-formed tunnel geometry produces consistent, centered prints

Order Now

$120-220 CAD

4
BEST TRACKING BLOCK (BLOX)

Bell Laboratories DETEX Blox Tracking Powder

Bell Laboratories

Bell Laboratories' DETEX Blox Tracking Powder is a professional-grade formulation built to produce high-contrast, long-lasting prints favored by technicians who need forensic-level detail. It is priced and formulated for professional pest managers, offering superior print durability compared with consumer powders but at a higher material cost and with handling requirements that make it less convenient for casual or one-off applications.

3.8
★★★☆☆

  • Long lasting

  • Rodent magnet

  • Long lasting

  • Rodent magnet

Review Summary

72%

"Reviews of Bell Laboratories DETEX Blox Tracking Powder commonly praise its marking clarity and usefulness for tracking rodent paths, but some customers raise concerns about handling precautions, limited supply sizes, and regulatory access in certain areas."

  • Lab grade

  • Wax-based blox designed to transfer distinct footprints onto plates

  • Lab grade

  • Wax-based blox designed to transfer distinct footprints onto plates

Increased Safety & Security

Time-Saving Convenience

Bell Laboratories' DETEX Blox Tracking Powder is a professional-grade formulation built to produce high-contrast, long-lasting prints favored by technicians who need forensic-level detail. It is priced and formulated for professional pest managers, offering superior print durability compared with consumer powders but at a higher material cost and with handling requirements that make it less convenient for casual or one-off applications.

  • Long lasting

  • Rodent magnet

  • Lab grade

  • Wax-based blox designed to transfer distinct footprints onto plates

  • Slow-release attractant formulation helps guide target species over the tracking surface

  • Long lasting

  • Rodent magnet

  • Lab grade

  • Wax-based blox designed to transfer distinct footprints onto plates

  • Slow-release attractant formulation helps guide target species over the tracking surface

Order Now

$30-60 CAD

5
BEST MULTIPLE-CATCH STATION

Kness Ketch-All Multiple Catch Tracking Station

Kness

The Kness Ketch-All Multiple Catch Tracking Station pairs a heavy-duty multiple-catch housing with purpose-made tracking inserts to deliver a low-servicing, high-capacity monitoring solution for commercial settings. Its higher capital cost is offset by reduced service frequency and integrated tracking capability, positioning it as the preferred choice where workforce time and continuity of monitoring are more valuable than minimal upfront spend.

4.2
★★★★☆

  • Multi catch

  • Quick emptying

  • Multi catch

  • Quick emptying

Review Summary

81%

"The Kness Ketch-All Multiple Catch Tracking Station is widely regarded as an effective, heavy-duty multi-catch solution that reduces trap checks and holds animals securely; however, some users mention it is bulky and requires regular maintenance to sustain performance."

  • Collector grin

  • Multi-chamber station built to support large tracking plates and ink kits for high-throughput monitoring

  • Collector grin

  • Multi-chamber station built to support large tracking plates and ink kits for high-throughput monitoring

Increased Safety & Security

Time-Saving Convenience

Skill Development & Mastery

The Kness Ketch-All Multiple Catch Tracking Station pairs a heavy-duty multiple-catch housing with purpose-made tracking inserts to deliver a low-servicing, high-capacity monitoring solution for commercial settings. Its higher capital cost is offset by reduced service frequency and integrated tracking capability, positioning it as the preferred choice where workforce time and continuity of monitoring are more valuable than minimal upfront spend.

  • Multi catch

  • Quick emptying

  • Collector grin

  • Multi-chamber station built to support large tracking plates and ink kits for high-throughput monitoring

  • Robust frame withstands repeated field use and protects tracking media

  • Multi catch

  • Quick emptying

  • Collector grin

  • Multi-chamber station built to support large tracking plates and ink kits for high-throughput monitoring

  • Robust frame withstands repeated field use and protects tracking media

Order Now

$250-450 CAD

The science behind track plates and ink kits

Track plates and ink pads are grounded in established wildlife monitoring and pest surveillance methods. Peer-reviewed research and field validation studies show that footprint-based monitoring is an effective presence-absence and activity-timing tool when used correctly. Because these methods do not rely on bait, they reduce behavioral bias and can reveal natural movement routes that baited stations may alter. Properly designed plates and non-toxic inks produce prints suitable for species-level identification and basic morphometric analysis, and they integrate well with camera traps and DNA sampling for robust monitoring programs.

Non-baited track plates reduce attraction bias: field comparisons show more representative movement path data versus baited traps.

Print morphology supports species and size estimation: trained analysts can often distinguish common rodent species from paw size and toe arrangement.

Cost-effectiveness: multiple studies highlight lower operational cost for routine presence/absence monitoring compared with repetitive live trapping and lab processing.

Non-invasive method lowers handling stress and legal complexity compared with trapping, useful in ethical and urban settings.

Best practice combines track plates with periodic camera verification or genetic sampling for higher confidence in species ID and occupancy modelling.

In the Canadian context, footprint tracking plates and ink kits are a practical, non-invasive way to confirm rodent presence and map movement paths across urban, agricultural, and boreal settings. The five leading options profiled here — Trapper Max Tracking Powder Kit, Wildlife Control Supplies Tracking Plate System, Tomahawk Live Trap Tracking Tunnel Kit, Bell Laboratories DETEX Blox Tracking Powder, and Kness Ketch-All Multiple Catch Tracking Station — each serve slightly different monitoring needs. For most users seeking a durable, modular plate and ink solution well suited to Canadian conditions, the Wildlife Control Supplies Tracking Plate System is recommended as the best overall choice due to its field-proven design and adaptability. I hope you found what you were looking for; you can refine or expand your search using the site search to compare specifications, ink types, and accessories.

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