Learning to Track Bucks?

[hunter_mike]

I am by no means any kind of tracking expert but I realized last weekend when I was tracking in the snow that it is easier to follow tracks in an area where there is a lower deer density than a high one. I was following the track of a doe (antlerless hunt) that had 2 fawns with it and every time the deer crossed the path of other deer I would lose the track cuz there were tracks scattered all over. At one point, a bucktrack merged with the doe tracks and he gave a short chase. I tried following but their tracks were trotting and got lost in an area with no snow. I went back to the fawn tracks, followed them for about a hundred yards and the doe track merged back with them.

[magicman54494]

I am by no means any kind of tracking expert but I realized last weekend when I was tracking in the snow that it is easier to follow tracks in an area where there is a lower deer density than a high one. I was following the track of a doe (antlerless hunt) that had 2 fawns with it and every time the deer crossed the path of other deer I would lose the track cuz there were tracks scattered all over. At one point, a bucktrack merged with the doe tracks and he gave a short chase. I tried following but their tracks were trotting and got lost in an area with no snow. I went back to the fawn tracks, followed them for about a hundred yards and the doe track merged back with them.

Up north bucks go from bait pile to bait pile. Have fun sorting that out!

[PLB]

I am by no means any kind of tracking expert but I realized last weekend when I was tracking in the snow that it is easier to follow tracks in an area where there is a lower deer density than a high one. I was following the track of a doe (antlerless hunt) that had 2 fawns with it and every time the deer crossed the path of other deer I would lose the track cuz there were tracks scattered all over. At one point, a bucktrack merged with the doe tracks and he gave a short chase. I tried following but their tracks were trotting and got lost in an area with no snow. I went back to the fawn tracks, followed them for about a hundred yards and the doe track merged back with them.

Up north bucks go from bait pile to bait pile. Have fun sorting that out!

X2! Baiting needs to be banned but it will never happen. My Dad cut a HUGE buck track on the last day of rifle season. We got a couple inches of fresh snow so he took a ride. He followed that track from daybreak until 330pm. My two uncles joined in and posted out ahead of my Dad. The buck pulled every trick in the book but my uncle got a crack at him at 250 yards crossing a powerline. Even though he missed, my uncle said he saw huge antlers at that distance. The rest of us including me were too burned out from 8 days of hard hunting to go out the last morning. My Dad said had the whole crew been posting, we would have killed the buck easily. My Dad said tracking that buck in fresh snow was the greatest day of hunting he has ever had!!!

[ Post made via Android ]

[hunter_mike]

Up north bucks go from bait pile to bait pile. Have fun sorting that out!

After trying to follow that buck for just 50 yards at a trotting pace I could imagine that could just make your head spin! would still like to try some more tracking this winter and probably will even after season is over just for scouting.

[hunter_mike]

X2! Baiting needs to be banned but it will never happen. My Dad cut a HUGE buck track on the last day of rifle season. We got a couple inches of fresh snow so he took a ride. He followed that track from daybreak until 330pm. My two uncles joined in and posted out ahead of my Dad. The buck pulled every trick in the book but my uncle got a crack at him at 250 yards crossing a powerline. Even though he missed, my uncle said he saw huge antlers at that distance. The rest of us including me were too burned out from 8 days of hard hunting to go out the last morning. My Dad said had the whole crew been posting, we would have killed the buck easily. My Dad said tracking that buck in fresh snow was the greatest day of hunting he has ever had!!!

[ Post made via Android ]

Now that story is making me very restless for this weekend!!

[exojam]

I went ahead and ordered 'How to bag the biggest buck of your life' from Amazon. It should be here on Friday. I figured why not go into brain over load with that and watching Dan’s DVD’s again.

James

[headgear]

Thanks for all the input guys, just order the Benoit book. I really think this will be a fun way to hunt deer and at the same time learn more about my area.

[Tadmdad]

BlyIt's late, been a long day at work. But this is a good topic, try to add some thoughts.

As I read Magics post on the buck he killed in the UP, besides being a well written storyline of his hunt. Think their is some very good things to be learned. IMO tracking is the most difficult tactic to master and takes years to be consistent. On the surface you may think reading a few books, watching DVD's, having some discussion and your good to go. Magic may make it sound easy to some of us, I can assure it is not.

Couple things with Magic's post that stood out.

Even being familiar with the area, first thing was to size up other hunters and pressure, baiting, etc before ever hunting. Covering area and looking for the right buck to track. Timing when to start tracking, when conditions were right. Signs of what the buck track was teaching, flatfooted, ducking between trees indicating rack size, meandering/feeding before bedding, when to slow down and pay attention-going into creep mode. Those things are learned from experience.

A discussion not to long ago, was about when to track. Can think of several times tracking a good buck, only to have another hunter kill the buck I was tracking. But was doing this during rifle season, when the most hunters were in the woods. Late season, muzzleloader when very few hunters are in the woods is better for tracking. Also when the rut is done or winding down, when the bucks tendencies aren't to travel miles in search of does, where you can't catch up with them in a day of tracking. Also being miles away from the truck or camp and not being uncomfortable or feeling lost, can be hard for alot of people.

Long day.....time to crash.

[ Post made via Android ]

[Hodag Hunter]

Tad's post is well written and filled with good advice.

Here's my two cents......head to the snow now before it accumilates too much and grab a good track and go.

Stay with that one and only track all day.....maybe only takes you for a half mile maybe takes you for 5 miles, but stay with that one track all day long. Keep notes and report back.

Next day do it again.

Mark your truck with the GPS, carry fire and a compass and have fun.

[headgear]

Solid advice tad, no doubt is won't be easy and it could take me many years to decades to master, I expect it to be extremely difficult. However, I do think it is a style that suites me, I have the endless land and motivation and likely plan to give this a go late season during muzzeloader, no doubt going rifle season could easily lead to me driving bucks to other hunters. I might even save a few vacation days and hit the woods mid-week when I can have the bucks to myself.

[dan]

One of my North woods tracking hunts really frustrated me cause I kept following the tracks into bait piles and the hunters would start screaming at me or threatening me for ruining there hunt... It frustrated me a lot. What never dawned on me till talking with Magic about it, was that my big problem was that I tried tracking on opening weekend when in actuality weekdays, or later in the week I probably would of ran into less hunters.

[dan]

Another good point, is those whom are aspiring to become great trackers can shorten the learning curve by tracking in the off season without a weapon. Its also a great way to learn about the habits of the big bucks on your land...

[headgear]

Another good tip Dan, I actually did a little trackign with the muzzy this season. The tracks were not fresh but I found 2-3 new bedding areas this way. It really is a great tool to learn about deer, even if I don't nab a buck tracking for many years I think I can gain some very valuable intel on how the bucks use the area I hunt.

[Dewey]

Another good tip Dan, I actually did a little trackign with the muzzy this season. The tracks were not fresh but I found 2-3 new bedding areas this way. It really is a great tool to learn about deer, even if I don't nab a buck tracking for many years I think I can gain some very valuable intel on how the bucks use the area I hunt.

This is how I found most of my good bedding areas while post season scouting. No better way to learn than following a bucks tracks to see how and where he travels. I should really start tracking after opening weekend of gun season to make rifle season more exciting again. I can totally understand the amount of work that goes into it but that part never bothered me and would make it that much more satisfying in the end. I never was one for doing things the easy way!

[exojam]

I have a question and some may think it is dumb but I must ask. How do you find deer tracks when the ground is covered in leaves and things? The only way I saw deer tracks this year was when there was a little patch of open soil (which in the fall of NE is not much) and by finding a scrap before them. Is it different ways of finding them depending on what part of the country you live in? Thanks.

James