Buckmaster7600

Yes and no, I would never go slow enough trying to stay behind does in hopes of a buck cutting them off. I don’t have that kind of patience. If I’m having trouble finding a track worth taking I will take a track that I know isn’t a buck I’ll shoot or even a doe track in hopes of it leading to a track worth taking. As far as distances I hate tracking the middle two weeks in November, I’ll still do it if I have snow but I know the odds are against me from the beginning. That time of year when the rut is kicking off bucks travel so many miles in a day that they’re hard to catch up to. There’s been days when I get on a track early in the day go 10-15 miles on it and when I get off the track at 3 or 4 to head to the truck I’m further from him than when I started. In the beginning or the end of season bucks travel way less and are much easier to catch up to in a day. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I’ve gotten a bunch of questions and there seems to be some interest around here on tracking. While I sit around on my thumb with no tag until muzzleloader I figured I would try and answer some questions and try to pass on some information to those that are interested. Everyone please feel free to add to this as well! First off I’ll start by saying I am not a good tracker, I’ve killed my share of bucks while tracking but most of those bucks died because I can shoot not because I can track. I continue to learn everyday I’m out there. Growing up my father hunted the big woods and I loved it. When I got old enough to hunt I sat in a lot of tree stands and I enjoyed it but I always looked forward to our trips up north. My father always said that tracking didn’t work and the only way to kill deer in the big woods was to still hunt or do drives so that’s what I did but I always tried to track if I had the chance. I killed my first buck tracking when I was 16, it was a nice buck that I shot in his bed but I now know I did everything wrong on that hunt and just got lucky but it lit the fire. At 18 I went into the Marine Corps and always saved my leave for hunting season but my father no longer hunted up north and we started going to Ohio and doing more and more stand hunting. Although I love any kind of hunting I was bored quickly even tho I was shooting some nice bucks. After 8 years in the Marines and a handful of deployments hunting didn’t do it for me anymore I still hunted but I didn’t have the drive I had before. One day I decided to head north by myself and caught a good track, I tracked him all day but never saw him. I then realized I had found what I had been missing. The adrenaline rush and the hyper focus that I thrived on in the military was found again in tracking. That day also made me realize that I was fat and out of shape. I also realized that some of my mental and physical issues I was dealing with that hindered me while sitting in a stand didn’t bother me while tracking if anything they helped me. While I’m tracking there’s only one thing on my mind, the depression and physical pain never crossed my mind while I was tracking. Tracking is one of the easiest forms of hunting, all you have to do is find a track then catch up to him. Anyone can track, its way more about mental focus and mental toughness than anything else. Staying on the track not worrying about getting lost or how far from your rig you are is the hardest part for most people. Tracking also requires the least amount of time. You don’t need to scout, you didn’t need to plant food plots, hang stands or setup blinds. All you need is some snow and the determination not to quit. We are lucky to live in a state with some huge chunks of public land that we can hunt. Tracking also requires the least amount of gear. All you need is dry boots, comfortable clothes, compass “that you know how to use”, map, maybe a gps. A small survival kit is a good idea as well. I’m going to start on gear and if there is interest I’ll go into other aspects. Gear- As I already said the gear list is very small. The most important thing about tracking is being mobile I carry very little while I’m tracking just the bare essentials that fit in a small fanny pack. I never carry a backpack because I think they make too much noise and slow me down too much. Really I could carry everything I need for a day of tracking could fit in my pockets but I like to bring a couple sandwiches so I wear a small fanny pack. For boots I wear Lacrosse 18” grange if it gets down in the teens I’ll wear the 18” Burlys with the air grip tread. The Grange have no insulation and are like wearing slippers. I always take the little foam insoles out because I want to be able to feel every branch under my feet. The burlys are a little heavier and stiffer, they’re harder to feel things under your feet but do have a small amount of insulation, I also take the insoles out of those as well to help with the feel. For pants I wear wool, I have tried a lot of different pants because wool pants are heavy but I haven’t found anything else that works as good as wool. Wool is quite especially when you’re walking through small whips that “slap” off synthetic material. For shirts I’ll wear fleece flannel until it starts getting cold then I switch to a wool shirt. The fleece is nice because it’s lighter but gets cold when wet. It’s very rare that I get cold enough to wear a beanie but I usually have one with me just Incase. I usually just wear a baseball hat. If there’s snow on the trees I always wear a very light fleece neck gator not for warmth but it prevents snow from going down the back of my neck when it falls off branches. For base layers I wear Marino wool. If it’s above 20 I don’t wear a base layer under my wool pants colder than 20 I wear light Marino wool. On top I have a couple different weights usually wear the lightest one unless it’s real cold. Unless it’s down around zero and I add a vest I only ever wear 2 layers. Socks are one of if not the most important article of clothing for a tracker because you need to keep your feet warm and they also have to stay up on your legs while walking. There’s nothing worse than when socks are sliding down your feet while walking. I wear smart wool ski socks they are knee high and never move, they make them in two different weights. I usually wear the lighter ones unless it’s real cold. I will only hunt with them for one season then they become work socks because the elastic wears out and they will start to slide down your foot. Guns- I’ve probably carried 30 different guns while tracking and still haven’t found the perfect one. My favorite are the Remington pumps but they have their flaws as well. The important thing is to be able to shoot what you choose and be able to tote it all day without it tiring you out. One of my good buddies is an excellent tracker and he carries a browning Abolt in 7mm mag with a 26” barrel with a big heavy scope. It’s not what I would call ideal but he’s comfortable with it and has killed a pile of bucks with it tracking. Me personally I want short and light this year I killed my buck with a Remington 760 in 35 Remington. But I’ve killed deer tracking with autos, bolts, levers and pumps and they all work if you do your part. Sights/ optics- I go back and forth on this constantly, this year I killed mine with a peep sight but while I was shooting I was wishing I had a scope. It’s personal preference they both have their pros and cons. The two biggest cons to scopes are their weight and keeping the snow out of them. Peeps or open sights are awesome to carry because they weigh nothing and don’t catch snow and branches while walking, but they are harder to shoot accurately with and they don’t help you seeing the branches/trees between you and the buck like a scope does. As of now I hunt with both a low powered scope with as close to 1X as possible is my preference but when there’s snow on the branches or if it’s snowing I carry a gun with a peep sight. One thing I’ll add is that while tracking inevitably you’ll have to cross a stream or river. One thing I do to help this is I blouse my boots. I use a heavy rubber band and tuck my pant legs under the rubber band above my ankles on the outside of my boots. This does two things it keeps the bottom of my pant legs from freezing into clumps of ice it also keeps water out if I’m crossing water that’s higher than my boots. With wool pants and my boots bloused if the water is below my pockets and I hurry across my feet stay dry, my pants will be wet but not enough to run into my boots. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Definitely not too late. Be careful going used make sure you can take it apart at the store to make sure it’s been taken care of. For a couple hundred buck you can get a new CVA wolf new and they are a very good muzzleloader, that’s what I have for a spare. For powder I recommend blackhorn209. Nice thing about muzzleloaders is that you can order them online and often get very food deals. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I started it all this time and I should know better but he makes it so damn hard! I’m sorry fellas. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What better holiday, starts with deer hunting and finishes off with family food and football. It’s my favorite holiday by far! Hope everyone has a great time enjoying it with friends and family!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Congrats to your old man, he certainly put his time in! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I’m going with the latter! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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You’re the show numbnuts, can’t eat popcorn when you’re the star! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sweet, looks cool man! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What’s the tape for? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I see you’re still toting that taped up shotgun, how’s the mount holding up? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wmu where you shot it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I’m not sure what the conservationalists part means? I switched to copper bullets for the hooter to tooter performance. Haven’t found a lead bullet that retains weight like copper. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I’ve never noticed any bucks I’ve tracked day after day that Had a dedicated bedding area, usually just lay down when they’re tired I’ve never had one bed anywhere near the same spot day after day. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Big woods deer eat when they’re hungry and bed when they’re tired. All the hunting I’ve done in the big woods I’ve never found a dedicated bedding area. In that picture that’s where they’re eating beech nuts, they could bed there as well but that’s definitely where they’re eating. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A couple years ago I switched to only shooting copper bullets. For the 35whelen 180gn tsx handloads. 35rem 200ish grain customized barnes tsx. Have to drill out a 225gb bullet because Barnes doesn’t produce a bullet that will expand at the 35rems velocity’s. I recovered 2 bullets from my buck this year and be was absolutely perfect 4 petal Barnes expansion the other wasn’t expanded at all and was very deformed but I think that bullet hit a tree before the deer. My 44mag carbines i shoot a Barnes 200gn handload. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yea, sounds like a nice place to live. I’ll definitely be looking into moving down there! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Never gotten one on me while carrying one, I’ve actually never saw a tick on a deer in the ADK’s I know they’re there but never found one on a deer. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hardest parts getting them up there then it’s way easier than dragging, when you’re ready for a break just sit on a log or stump so you don’t have to keep getting them on there. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If there’s snow, you scrub the innards with snow and it’s not bad at all. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If it’s already on tour shoulders they’re easy to flop in truck. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That’s another reason I don’t live in “Middletown” not that I know where the hell it is. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Exactly in my opinion it would take a real schmuck to go on property that they don’t own or have permission to be on. Someone owns it pays taxes on it why the hell should they have to post it? I don’t have a posted sign or my name on my trucks and if they’re in my driveway the keys are in the ignition yet it’s not okay for someone to just come take it without my permission so why in the hell do people think it’s ok to go on land that brings to someone else there’s no difference. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk