Deer Tracks

[nyantler]

Tracking is an age-old hunting method, but you do run the risk of basically putting on a drive for other hunters if you are bumping the deer too often. But then any kind of movement like still hunting runs that risk.

 

However, it is interesting right now at this time of year to get out there and learn what you can. Tracking never gets any easier than when the snows on the ground. And learning what everything you see means, can be a hell of an education in deer patterns, habits and movements.

Southern tier tracking is done differently than ADK tracking... deer travel and act much differently... down south there isn't really such a thing as bumping a deer too often... usually the first bump is your last... unless it is on a good size piece of state land with lots of room to hunt. I have had a couple instances where I have made some hunters days by pushing a nice buck right to them. Even helped one of the hunters track his down that he gut shot... found the deer, helped him get it out of the woods... It kind of made me feel good really.. I don't think the guy had ever seen a buck that big and certainly never expected to kill one that big. It was only about a 110 class 8-point, but to him it might as well have been the next world record... the guy's ear to ear smile and excitement was infectious... like watching a kid kill his first deer. I never really think or even care much about pushing deer to other hunters... I think I always have the notion in my head that I'm going to kill it first..

Edited December 26, 2014 by nyantler

[Terry]

That is were most of my experience lies, southern tier tracking. I have said before, you almost always have to kill the deer the first time you see it. When I track around here I move at the same pace as when I still hunt. Slow and deliberate.

[ForestWalker]

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[sampotter]

Where'd you get that chart? The tracks in the top right are something I've never seen in my life. I'd love to know where that idea came from. There's a lot of misinformation out there. I read in 3 different books in the last 2 weeks that a nice neat pee hole is made by a buck and the splatter is made by a doe. One author even said the neat pee hole is made by the buck when rub-urinating!

[Terry]

I've never seen that either

[G-Man]

Maybe that last track happens when a deers body is long with short legs??  wierd, shot a few bucks close to or over 200 lbs dressed , none had tracks like that...  must be bigger bodied that that i guess.........

[sampotter]

Maybe that last track happens when a deers body is long with short legs??  wierd, shot a few bucks close to or over 200 lbs dressed , none had tracks like that...  must be bigger bodied that that i guess.........

 

I think this would have to be the scenario.. The deer would be disproportionate, but I bet if you ever did find that type of track, the deer wouldn't be able to run as fast as a normal deer!

 

I guess the moral of the story is; just because it is in a book doesn't mean it's true.... I've never once seen a track like that, not even with the biggest tracks I've seen. In all the tracking books I have there are plenty of examples of tracks made by 200# + bucks and I can't ever recall something like that.

[Terry]

I guess the moral of the story is; just because it is in a book doesn't mean it's true....

Ain't that the truth

[sampotter]

There have been a lot of good tips so far. One thing for sure is you can't determine the sex of a deer by looking at the track alone. Nor can you tell how big a rack a buck may have just by looking at the track. About the only thing the track will tell you is relative size of the deer, which needs to be compared to other deer in the immediate area.

 

I've spent a lot of time looking for those picture book 200# + buck tracks like the Benoits find in Maine in ON. It took me a long time to realize that most of the mature bucks in the areas I hunt just don't weigh that much. The bucks I've killed in the Adirondacks dressed 191, 181, and 176. The 2nd two were later in the season, so they could have been 200ish earlier in the fall, but they just weren't hog-bodied bucks. There was a Lane Benoit podcast in which he mentions Hal Blood having trouble finding big buck tracks in the area of the Adirondacks he was hunting. Turned out, the bucks weren't just as heavy as he was used to although they may have had great racks.

 

On the other hand, you may be able to tell a bit about how old a deer is by the shape and condition of the track. Sharp, even prints generally mean younger deer. Rounded and/or uneven length toes should mean the deer is a little on the older side.

 

Rack vs track: as mentioned above, the track size alone tells you nothing about the buck's rack. There are a lot of examples of smaller than average-bodied bucks having huge racks.

 

As others mentioned about judging antler size while on a track- you can get an idea of rack width by watching how narrow of an opening a buck will pass through. Other clues left by the antler are obvious like rubs along the track, but more subtle ones are spots where a buck passes under a spruce bow and breaks off dead twigs with his tines. Also, when feeding in the snow you may see where the main beams made marks in the snow around the edges. Once in a great while you will see the imprint of an antler in the snow at a bed from when the buck rested his head. I think I've seen this once.

 

The best you can do as far as judging rack size while following the track is width and relative main beam length, but if I find myself on the track of a buck I already believe is mature based on hoof shape/characteristics I'm not really worried about the score of the rack. I have yet to be disappointed by a mature buck's rack.

 

By following tracks you can also find out the deer's general mood; horny, hungry, lazy, etc. Even small parcel hunters can learn a lot by following tracks on the properties they hunt, just do it with caution or do it after the season is over. Finding out how deer use your property and most importantly- where they bed can make a huge difference.

[nyantler]

w w

 

The best you can do as far as judging rack size while following the track is width and relative main beam length, but if I find myself on the track of a buck I already believe is mature based on hoof shape/characteristics I'm not really worried about the score of the rack. I have yet to be disappointed by a mature buck's rack.

 

This is probably the best  part of tracking... once you have an idea of the kind of track you like to follow... (and those of us that have tracked many bucks know exactly the kind of track that produces a mature buck)... you usually know long before you see that buck whether or not you're going to shoot him. I have yet to be wrong about the size of the buck I've been tracking... we all know nothing is 100%, but there are general rules that nearly always hold true about big buck tracks... It's one of those things where if you have killed a lot of mature bucks by tracking.. you know exactly what I'm talking about.

[Fletch]

Here are a couple this year



That starter is 4.25 inches long



Blue pee? The pic did not come out real well but it was distinctly blue.

Edited December 29, 2014 by Fletch

[sampotter]

Here are a couple this year

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1419892357.390674.jpg

That starter is 4.25 inches long

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1419892410.374643.jpg

Blue pee? The pic did not come out real well but it was distinctly blue.

 

Fletch -that track gets the heart pumping! Big, with uneven toes... mmmmm.....

 

The blue urine is from eating buckthorn berries. Here is a link to a response from the Ny DEC about blue rabbit urine:

 

http://www.dec.ny.gov/pubs/62212.html

[Terry]

Here are a couple this year

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1419892357.390674.jpg

That'll do!

[wildcat junkie]

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1419892410.374643.jpg

Blue pee? The pic did not come out real well but it was distinctly blue.

Buck suffering from "blue balls"?

[Fletch]

Fletch -that track gets the heart pumping! Big, with uneven toes... mmmmm.....

 

The blue urine is from eating buckthorn berries. Here is a link to a response from the Ny DEC about blue rabbit urine:

 

http://www.dec.ny.gov/pubs/62212.html

 

Thanks for the info, I was getting worried, thought my deer had started pissing windshield washer fluid!! lol

 

Yea that one track was smoking fresh. I could not have been to far behind him. Hope he made it. We had a big 10 wandering around but I do not think this was his track. It sure made me very alert on watch for a couple days!!

Edited December 30, 2014 by Fletch