Tracking snow...

[dan]

With all this snow fall in the midwest lately, how many have been taking advantage and tracking deer? I think its a great way to get good at tracking, and learning things like what bucks are feeding on now, where they are bedding in winter, there travel roughts thru your property, there escape roughts from there beds, etc...

[G3s]

I took my son out last week and did a bit of tracking, I figured it is a great time for us to learn together how to get better at it. Difficult to say the least! I am going to head out and try a big cat tail marsh this week. I will take pics as I go.

[BigHills BuckHunter]

Going out looking for sheds today. But What I will also do is walk my routine routes to my stands then check what the escape routes are for the bucks once I kicked them up. I dont know escape routes on my land that well yet besides one kick up point so it will be fun.

Also looking for a track with a chipped hoof on the left side.

[Chris Conroy]

I walked the local public area, and it's a very big section of land. I was amazed at the amount of coyote tracks and how scarce the deer tracks were. Almost all of the tracks I found were in one small centralized area, and they had the trails pounded into the mud underneath. Most of the trails went into cattail stands right along the river. Next weekend I will wear waders and check that area for high ground. The areas I hunted during archery season didn't even have a track in it since the last snowfall. I did see quite a few people tracks back in there and actually talked to a woman that was shed hunting. I was surprised at all the human sign back there because of the distance, difficult terrain, and freezing temperatures. At least it showed me places to avoid during hunting season.

[ Post made via Android ]

[Darin]

Ive been out a few times after the snow falls. Some of my tracking has led me deep into spots I overlooked.

[BigHills BuckHunter]

Looked for sheds this morning but there is so much snow I turned it into a scouting mission.

I will post pics and the story about my scouting in the Scouting thread in a few minutes. Very interesting findings.

[Dewey]

I really enjoy getting out this time of the year and follow deer trails to see how they travel and try to locate bedding areas not just for bucks but all deer. Not all buck beds will be used all year round but I have found some of my best primary beds over the years from snow tracking during this time.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Spysar]

I follow the tracks around here once in a while.

If your following for scouting purposes you can learn a little, but around here, the deer yard. So all the deer will come from where they normally are during hunting season, and gather up in yards as a survival technique. So what your seeing dosen't really help too much for a hunting situation. The deer move off the high ground, and move into river valleys, and hemlock forrests. You are either going to see all or nothing for tracks.

I will say this. A few deer can make a ton of tracks. The best way to take an inventory on how many deer are around, is to go on fresh snow. If you wait too long tracks will be everywhere, giving a false sense of how many deer there really are.

It's a lot different here, than it is in the midwest I bet.

[Uncle Lou]

I keep following coyote tracks for a bit, and trying to learn more of their haunts. But I was talking to a friend of mine today and reflecting on what we could have improved on up north this past year on deer.

Timely post/reminder

[JoeRE]

I do go follow deer tracks around a bit whenever there is snow but generally I am a bit burned out from tracking them for three strait weeks in Iowa's late muzzy season so I don't put on the miles like I do then!

I like tracking yotes too this time of year. I have tracked a few down and jump shot them - they don't think about their back trail much, probably because they are a predator.

[MOBIGBUCKS]

I'm the southerner here No snow just rain around here.

I'm jealous of you guys that get to consistently hunt and scout in the snow. We get some snow down here but not much. I think we have 4.7 inches since january 1st...LOL