Tracking

[Buckmaster7600]

Also.
When do you know when to slow down and start paying more attention? Or r u so good that you dont and just shoot them when they take off..

I wish I was that good! Problem is usually when you jump a deer when diddling through the woods I never see the deer, just come on a bed and get mad at myself for not seeing the signs that they were going to bed down.

When they slow down is another topic that could be 50 pages long. I always look for something different. After following a buck for 1/4 of a mile you learn a lot about him. The way he walks, terrain he follows, terrain he avoids etc. After following the buck for a while you are going to have his stride, stagger and print engrained in your head so when he does something different it should stand out to you. Anything out of his normal walk is a sign he may be slowing down.

There are obvious things you have to be always looking for such as feeding whether he’s pawing in the snow or nipping a bud or eating moss or mushrooms off a tree. Another obvious thing you have to for is a change in direction. Usually a buck will have some kind of a general direction they’re heading. So if you’ve been on his track for a couple miles heading north and for no obvious reasons he turns 90 degrees and heads west you need to put on the breaks and start looking for signs of him keeping going or other signs the hell bed. 95% of the time a buck will feed and piss before he beds down. The problem is by the time you see that it might be too late because he’s probably already gone from his bed. You need to be able to pick up on the small subtle signs before he does those things.


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[Billdogge]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Any terrain features you head to first when looking for a track? 

[nybuckboy]

Now that’s hunting. Wish my legs could take it I’d go to the Catskills and give it a try. 

[Buckmaster7600]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Any terrain features you head to first when looking for a track? 

I’m not very techy but I tried doing this on a map to show the way I try to follow terrain in areas that I think a buck would cross. I try to avoid areas where I would think a buck would follow because if you’re walking the same route a buck would because you can be 10yds from his track and not see it. I always want to put myself on a path to cross his expected travel route.

 

I almost always start heading up if at all possible, I don’t like being low for a couple reasons. Number 1 I don’t like being wet if I don’t have to be and number 2 most bucks will bed up high if they can and aren’t with a doe. Although a lot of people think people make deer nocturnal I don’t think this is the case at all. Most of the deer I’m hunting have probably never seen a human before yet they do most of their traveling at night. Ideally I always want to cut the track on his way back up to bed in the early morning not on his way down likely the afternoon or night before.

 

this is a route I would take if I was hunting this mountain tomorrow with tracking snow.

 

 

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[rachunter]

I wish I was that good! Problem is usually when you jump a deer when diddling through the woods I never see the deer, just come on a bed and get mad at myself for not seeing the signs that they were going to bed down.

When they slow down is another topic that could be 50 pages long. I always look for something different. After following a buck for 1/4 of a mile you learn a lot about him. The way he walks, terrain he follows, terrain he avoids etc. After following the buck for a while you are going to have his stride, stagger and print engrained in your head so when he does something different it should stand out to you. Anything out of his normal walk is a sign he may be slowing down.

There are obvious things you have to be always looking for such as feeding whether he’s pawing in the snow or nipping a bud or eating moss or mushrooms off a tree. Another obvious thing you have to for is a change in direction. Usually a buck will have some kind of a general direction they’re heading. So if you’ve been on his track for a couple miles heading north and for no obvious reasons he turns 90 degrees and heads west you need to put on the breaks and start looking for signs of him keeping going or other signs the hell bed. 95% of the time a buck will feed and piss before he beds down. The problem is by the time you see that it might be too late because he’s probably already gone from his bed. You need to be able to pick up on the small subtle signs before he does those things.


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You pretty much described what I saw yesterday following a track when I got on the second mountain the deer start moving around a little different then the straight line he was on feeding and going to the bathroom. I found what looked like a bed on a little rise with a single set of tracks walking away. That’s where I stopped and called it off.

Feeding

Bedding

Walking away


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[rachunter]

On 11/26/2019 at 1:36 PM, Buckmaster7600 said:

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

How are the ankles on the grange boots? I had a pair of lacrosse boot a while back and remember the ankles where tight and a pain to get off. Unfortunately I can't find them around here to try them on.

[Buckmaster7600]

How are the ankles on the grange boots? I had a pair of lacrosse boot a while back and remember the ankles where tight and a pain to get off. Unfortunately I can't find them around here to try them on.

They’re tight to get off but that’s why they’re the best boots I’ve found for walking. A boot board is almost a must.


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[Buckmaster7600]

With muzzleloader starting and most of the state having snow I figured I would throw some more up here that might help someone giving it a go this week.

You don’t need thousands of acres to track and kill a deer, I’ve tracked deer on 20 acre chunks and killed them but you have to go about it differently. 2 of the 3 bucks I’ve tracked and killed on small chunks of land were bucks I saw while sitting and didn’t get a shot at and got on their tracks and killed them. The other one I jumped from his bed heading in after daylight, I Waited half an hour and tracked him and killed him in his next bed. All 3 of these bucks were late season with a muzzleloader.

If you’re going to track on small parcels you don’t need to worry about covering the ground you do in the big woods. You want to be going at a snails pace from the start because you are most likely only going to get one chance at him/her on the property you’re hunting. Hunting on small parcels is the only time I will ever still hunt to find a track. In the big woods it has to be one or the other, I always tell people that still hunting for a track is like having a wife and a girlfriend at the same time, might seem like you’re doing good for a while but it almost never ends well because you won’t cover enough ground to find the track but on a small chunk of land the last thing you want to do is go jogging through the middle looking for a track. Just still hunt your way through and if you find a fresh track take it even slower and you have a good chance of catching up to it.

If/when you bump a deer when tracking it many think it’s the end of the hunt, in my opinion it’s just round 2. If I’m tracking and I jump the buck I think it helps both me and him. He then knows I’m after him but I also know I’m not far behind him. If you jump one that you’re after and don’t get a shot or if you do shoot but aren’t sure you hit him. Sit down, play a game on your phone, eat a snack do what ever you have to do to stay there for 20-30 minutes. Then continue on this time of year especially deer won’t go far! 5 years ago in the Catskills on the last Tuesday of season I killed a 10pt that I jumped 11 times and missed twice before I killed him and he went less than a mile and half from where I cut his track. Bucks are tired this time of year they want to eat and sleep in the middle of November if you jump one there’s no telling how far he’ll go before he eats or beds down again.

Crunchy snow- a lot of people think you can’t still hunt or track on crunchy snow and it’s not the case at all, probably half of the bucks I’ve killed tracking have been on crunchy snow including the 10pt in the Catskills. When the woods are crunchy everything sounds loud, in my experience I think deer are way less on edge when there’s a crunchy snow and they stay in their beds a lot longer waiting for your approach because you aren’t startling them. They’ve heard you coming for a long way they know where you are and they know how long they have before you’re close to them. Go a little slower and stop more often is the only thing I change when tracking in crunchy conditions, no animals in the woods walk half a mile without stopping except predators. So every 5-8 steps stop for a few seconds it sounds much more natural and seems to bother deer much less.

Good luck and keep the questions coming!


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[JALA RUT]

BM7600, this is a great thread. Thank you

[ATbuckhunter]

Great thread! Id love to try this next year during the muzzleloader season. Ive already had so many questions answered and the ones I havent had answered i think can only be answered with experience 

[Buckmaster7600]

Great thread! Id love to try this next year during the muzzleloader season. Ive already had so many questions answered and the ones I havent had answered i think can only be answered with experience 

Like most things in life you have to mess up a bunch of times to figure it out. You just have to learn from the mistakes and try not to repeat them.


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[ATbuckhunter]

2 minutes ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

Like most things in life you have to mess up a bunch of times to figure it out. You just have to learn from the mistakes and try not to repeat them.


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Ill be trying it out during the long island gun season and ill definitely be making a ton of mistakes

[rachunter]

On 12/5/2019 at 7:32 PM, Buckmaster7600 said:

.

How do you know when your catching up to a buck? i'm heading up for the new year and want try out some tracking[not hunting] I also got opening day here on long island and if there's snow i'll be tracking.No snow i'll be still hunting.

[Buckmaster7600]

How do you know when your catching up to a buck? i'm heading up for the new year and want try out some tracking[not hunting] I also got opening day here on long island and if there's snow i'll be tracking.No snow i'll be still hunting.

Other than the obvious “warm shit, warm not frozen bed, etc, you have to pay attention to every detail the track is giving you. The most important thing is to pay attention if the deer is changing its direction or is feeding. 95% of the time a buck will turn 90 degrees after taking a piss before he beds down during the rut, later in the year it’s much harder because they aren’t traveling and do a lot more milling around.



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[rachunter]

Do like tracking during the rut or after? I’m setting up next years vacation


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[Buckmaster7600]

Do like tracking during the rut or after? I’m setting up next years vacation


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I like tracking when I have snow, if I have snow and a tag I’ll track. Opening day until nov 5 and nov 25- end of season are great for tracking because they aren’t going as far looking for does. That also makes it harder to find a track but if you do find the track you have a way better chance of catching him. Nov 5-25 the tracks are easier to find but you may get on the track at 7 go 10 miles and be farther behind him at 4 than you were at 7.

If I only had 1 week it would be the last week because best chance of snow. If two weeks then the last 2 weeks etc.


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[The_Real_TCIII]

Watching this guys videos reminded me of your thread and gives a decent idea of what your hunts are like, very cool stuff!

 

[Buckmaster7600]

Not a lot of info in this video but it really shows that crunchy snow is nothing to worry about, just crunch up to them and kill them.

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[Buckmaster7600]

For those of you that are already tracking or are interested in it now is the time to be honing your shooting skills.

 

I shoot one of me deer rifles at least weekly. I’m lucky to be able to shoot in my back yard. I know many don’t have that ability but you can still be practicing properly at a public range.

 

The drills I did this week was 3 shots at a 10” steel plate at 50yds from a carry position. My carry position is my hand right hand wrapped around the receiver. As a left eye dominant right handed person that shoots left handed this is what I’ve found to be most comfortable and fast.

 

A have a very basic free shot timer app on my phone. I averaged just under 4 seconds from beep to 3rd hit at 50yds. You don’t need steel targets a paper target will work the same, the only difference if I miss a shot I shoot until my 3rd hit.

 

I shot 2 boxes of ammo. The first box was single shots. From carry position to shot. The second box was the 3 shot drill. It’s a great drill for this style of hunting, I highly recommend it. It works on many aspects of getting the shots off when tracking.

 

I’m working on getting a camera to start filming some of my range work to add to this thread.

 

 

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[dbHunterNY]

It's been a long time since hunting bigger woods. still I think about using shooting sticks. i'm torn. I've use them still hunting all the time with success in less remote terrain. I think the walking stick aspect and stability if you need it off set weight.  I remember a lot of time deer would be coming down ridges and it's pretty far shot without being next to a tree to rest against. @Buckmaster7600 know anyone that uses them tracking in big woods?

[Buckmaster7600]

It's been a long time since hunting bigger woods. still I think about using shooting sticks. i'm torn. I've use them still hunting all the time with success in less remote terrain. I think the walking stick aspect and stability if you need it off set weight.  I remember a lot of time deer would be coming down ridges and it's pretty far shot without being next to a tree to rest against. [mention=4789]Buckmaster7600[/mention] know anyone that uses them tracking in big woods?

No, I don’t know anyone that uses them. What do you do with the sticks when a buck jumps up 20yds from you? I’ve never worried about the long shots because I’ll have time to get ready and most times I’m carrying a gun with iron sights, 150yds is as long as I want to shoot. 150yds is a shot I’m perfectly comfortable taking trying to get a bullet in the middle of a deer without a rest. If I have time to set up shooting sticks I have time to take a kneeling position or lean against a near by tree for added support.


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[rachunter]

I've been practicing since deer season closed.I finally gave up on the open sights.I can't get a good quick shot out passed 50yrds. I set up my 3030 for lead and practice with that and plan on using the .35 I picked up.

I'm also trying to tighten my Ruger 3006 loads.I'm more comfortable with the bolt over the pump or lever guns.

I know where coming into summer and I should be thinking about fishing.but i'm pumped for this up coming  deer season. 

[squirrelwhisperer]

I only have a limited shotgun season in January. I use a Savage 220 bolt action 20 ga slug gun. I would imagine there wouldn't be much time for follow up shot (if needed) if the deer is on the move. What really stinks is that last year we had NO snow. Hopefully this year will be different. I really wanna give this a try. 

I also have a Marlin lever action in .35 rem. If I ever get upstate, I can give that one a try for this. 

[Buckmaster7600]

I've been practicing since deer season closed.I finally gave up on the open sights.I can't get a good quick shot out passed 50yrds. I set up my 3030 for lead and practice with that and plan on using the .35 I picked up.
I'm also trying to tighten my Ruger 3006 loads.I'm more comfortable with the bolt over the pump or lever guns.
I know where coming into summer and I should be thinking about fishing.but i'm pumped for this up coming  deer season. 

By open sights do you mean open sights or a peep sight? Also what do you mean by good shot?

I personally hate the standard open sights not because I can’t shoot them well enough but because they cover too much of my target and it’s surroundings. A peep gives you a lot more open sight picture to be able to see branches and sampling etc.

If you’re constantly hitting a pie plate at 50yds that’s more than good enough!


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[rachunter]

By open sights do you mean open sights or a peep sight? Also what do you mean by good shot?

I personally hate the standard open sights not because I can’t shoot them well enough but because they cover too much of my target and it’s surroundings. A peep gives you a lot more open sight picture to be able to see branches and sampling etc.

If you’re constantly hitting a pie plate at 50yds that’s more than good enough!


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I’m using a peep sight. I can hit a 12” target at 50yrds. No problem it’s when I move out to 100yrds. Thing get inconsistent. With a low powered scope(1.5) I do much better.

This is a 50yrd target. The way I practice is I walk up to the target and snap the shot like rabbit hunting.


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