anyone track deer anymore??

[sneakem]

I just wondering how many people still can and do effectively track deer. I know that I find a lot of big bucks tracks before I ever see the deer itself. Tracking can be an effective tool in hunting large bucks. Big Deer find ways to obscure themselves from the world but they just can't cover up there tracks however. I guess what I want to know is how many people know how to track, to tell diffence between bucks and does tracks, aging tracks or if you think its a waste of time?

 

[outtabreath]

Its not the easiest thing in the world, but it sure is fun. I'll read anything that comes along about tracking. There is alot to know. Last year I started to follow a buck track that was bigger than the rest of the tracks I was seeing on the trails. There were times that it was hard to tell which one to follow, but I kept picking it up again. I followed it into a shallow ravine , and as I came down into the bottom I saw a little pine tree, shredded ( with all the bark laying neatly on top of the snow). I knew I was getting close. Another 100 yards and I busted a nice 8 point, Or he busted me. He was less than 50 yards at the time. I was carrying a bow. Needless to say, No deer. But, from that moment, I was hooked. This year I went elk hunting for the first time and tracked elk right to their beds. We saw them before they saw us. Getting better at this. Good luck, and pass on any tips.

 

[sneakem]

I guess not that many people track anymore or maybe theres no interest. Its really suprising how much you can tell from a track. There was a great tracker that once said "If somebody moves something in your house you notice it, when somebody moves something in the woods, I notice it." I guess its really a lost art. Good to hear that somebody still does it. It can be a part of a great hunting arsenal of skills along with spotting and stalking.
sneakem

 

[kirkl]

I will do it if the tracking conditions are there, thats how I killed my buck this year, I was walking back to my truck and came across fresh buck tracks in the dirt, I walked over the hill following his tracks and he was bedded in the sage brush, could just see his horns, He would of probably made it through the season except his tracks gave him away, He was living in some thick stuff and I think he came out to lay in the sun, wrong thing to do on his part.

 

[FAIRCHASEBEN]

Sneakem ,
Not only do I enjoy tracking deer whenever possible but I'm also teaching my sons how to track deer , read sign etc.
We are however the minority I'm afraid , It's becoming a lost skill.

These days most kids are being taught hunting skills such as how to idle your ATV while stalking , proper fuel level estimation , throttle thumb fatigue and the most important hunter safety requirement ; the helmet .

Sad part is , those kids are missing out on the best part of the whole hunting experience ; the actual hunting itself !
All because their fathers (not the kids) are too lazy to get off the machines and walk .

 

[sneakem]

I agree. There a lot of skills that hunters possess. Anymore it is hard to find anyone that follows in the true tradition of hunting. Too many people these days are more obsessed with putting a rack on their wall, rather than honing their skills as true outdoorsman. Too many people have become "killers" not "hunters". Its sad to see a legacy passing and the people that supposedly support it do nothing about it. Not enough focus on the things that really matter, not just how to take a book animal.
Sneakem

 

[Hoosierbuck]

Anybody ever read about the Benoit family from New England? Tracking deer is their bread and butter. Granted, it's whiteys in the snow, but they have many interesting observations. There are a couple books out, one of them is called, "Big Bucks the Benoit Way."
HB

 

[RLH]

if you don't at least try and track bucks, especially muleys, you're missing out on a good experience. i'm no famous tracker, but have picked up a thing or 2 from a couple guys that are, or were, as good as anyone ever was. buck i shot this year, i tracked to his bed, over a 3 or 4 mile stretch that took him several days to travel. it's a long story, but it was fun and my heart is still poundin' from the rush i got when they spooked at about 20 yds. best thing about the situation was that my youngest son was with me and he had just complained outloud, wondering, "what are we doing here"? he couldn't understand why we were in such an awful place, then the bucks jumped. now he wants to know everything there is to know about tracking. tracking in the snow or in sandy country is one thing, tracking in rocky broken desert is real rough sometimes. too much to go into here, but it is a worthwhile effort. good optics, extreme long range rifles, trail cameras, chute planes, etc. have reduced tracking to a lost skill. too bad too.

 

[dakotakid]

When game is scarce and tracks are plenty then tracking becomes your only option. Its fun, and forces you to learn the deers habitat and habits.

Mike

 

[264Magnum]

i'm not very good at it, but i sure have fun trying. i don't have enough time to make it out and get real practice, but i have managed to get a couple different critters by tracking them. the places i hunt are mostly soft dirt or clay and that makes it all the easier for me.

 

[Chef]

Yeah I've skimmed through the books by the Benoit family. They got their stuff down. I lose tracks quick when I find them. Can't follow them too far before I misjudge where they go. I have a lot of fun practicing but don't get much. I came across a huge elk track in fresh snow once. Followed it to a bunch of game trails in the canopy. Lost it and circled back numerous times. Working up my patience for it. It took me a while to work up my patience while glassing too, but that's another story. I was usually to eager to see what was over the next ravine!

Post up some tips...we are all reading!

Chef
"I Love Animals...They're Delicious!"

 

[supersider34]

First off I think tracking is honed in anyone.Its the predator instinct in a person. I follow tracks to get a idea where the game is heading. I have been with other guys and tracks stand out. Not just tracks but routes. Broken limbs upturned dirt or whatever. tracking is the easy part. Picking up a trail after they get off the trail onto pine needles or rocks is where it is all about. Bent grass. Tracking is pretty easy to do. I hunt desert and hunt elk in the mountains. Knowing when the deer or elk leave a game trail and cross over into harder ground. There is a ton to know about than just tracking. There habits where they go from and to. It is a huge game that if played right then the outcome is fulfilling. Look for coloring of rocks that an animal goes into to hard ground. Rocks give way to insight of where the track should be.Sun worn rocks to dark from not being in the sun leaves evidence. There are tons of things but do agree most people will just try the old driving and looking. Or find a game trail sit it or whatever.
I read up earlier in the post about following in the snow. WOW how hard would that be? Dang tracks stand out there with no problem. If you have the stamina and endurance then anyone can follow tracks in the snow. To easy. If you find a fresh track then you will come upon an animal in the snow.
As for what I read earlier about some people losing the insight what hunting is all about. I hunt for horns on mule deer and my pics show that. I am not here to brag or think I am better than anyone else but dont put words or other hunters into categories where someone else justifies why they hunt different than others. Hunting is hunting. If everyone had the same oppurtunities to hunt and had the same bucks or bulls they would harvest bigger animals. I have a good area and know the potential of bucks I hunt. I track bucks and I know the area and where I find tracks of the same bucks. So tracking is the beginning of the hunt. It is a great asset in the arsenal of hunting. I want to be better and get better the more time afield. I spend a ton of time afield and will get better.
Good luck and be safe out there.

 

[Smokepole]

I've tracked deer and elk after I've shot an arrow in them, but I'll have blood to follow. This year with my son, we were in Colorado, I was showing him the differences between new and old tracks, bucks vs. does. We came upon a bucks track and we began to follow. I told him it was real fresh and we should be ready. We had been following the track for about 200 yards through cedar and sage when we jumped him. The buck kept the trees between him and us and my son didn't get off a shot. Unfortunately, it was getting dark and we were unable to keep following him.

I've always wanted to learn the art of tracking. Reading articles of tacking big bucks in the sand in Southern Utah and Northern Arizona has for years intrigued me. Of course tracking can take place just about anywhere.

If anyone is willing to have a pupil tag along with them, I would really like to learn!!

Smokepole

 

[boneaddict]

I was on a monster this fall. His track was about the size of a good elk. It was drizzling rain and he was right in front of me. I could hear him go over logs and when he walked through the rocks. All I need was a good extra 20 yards and he would have been mine. I followed him a long ways, until he came to a clear cut and he went straight up into the ciff rock. If he would have walked out into that cut, you'd be seeing some record book field photos. Next year.....