Tracking books and other references

[Dhurtubise]

Couple of trackers from Marquette Michigan: the Weigold brothers. Of note- when they jump a buck, their approach is completely different. They run after him to try and catch him looking back.

http://www.outdoorlife.com/articles/hun ... whitetails

I've done well over the years tracking. When I jump a buck out of his bed while tracking, over the years I've come to handle it one of two ways. If I noticed that the buck browsed/fed(this is your que to be ready as he is most likely about to bed) before bedding, which most do, and I determine that he was not bedded very long before I jumped him, I will take a break and let him settle down. Biologically, that buck wants/needs to chew his cud, if he has not had sufficient time to do so, he will bed back down. Take a break, have a snack, see which way he his headed and use your Hunting beast knowledge to best determine where he will most likely bed back down. I would Give this buck a break before continuing. On the other hand, If I jump a buck out of his bed and I can tell he was bedded for a while an completed his digestion, this animal can and will most likely will cover some ground, in this scenario it's time to pick up the pace and get after him. One thing I've notice about buck in the first scenario (one that I expect to bed back down) is that many times they will approach their next bed site with the wind at their back, if you have a hunch where he may he may be headed and the tracks start to confirm it, I would plan an alternate approach. I don't know if its from being tracked before by humans or another predator, but I've seen a lot of big bucks respond to tracking by entering hill country with the wind at their back until they hit the thermal tunnel. Once they know they are being followed, every move they make seems quite brilliant. Directly following a track of this nature becomes futile at best, best bet is to circle around and cut his track else where, I usually circle to the top of the associated ridge line to determine if he crossed, sometimes you will cut his track in the thermal tunnel. A common phrase that I hear from a lot of successful tracks is that, the hunter wasn't successful because he knew what he was doing, they were successful because the buck made a mistake.

I'm bumping this thread because I will be working on it over the coming month.

I'm also taking the opportunity to highlight this post by Dan T which I find extremely well communicated and illuminating. I particularly appreciate how he has blended the foundations of both hunting methods - tracking and Beast Hunting (bedding and wind)- to augment his effectiveness. This is something I'm continuously working on.

I'd like to hear more from you; it looks like you have a lot of valuable knowledge to contribute.

Daniel.

Thank's for the kind words. I'd love to talk tracking. All of my hunting is based off of tracking and tracking the previous year. I track to hunt and I track to learn. Always both in season and to learn in the off season. There's a lot of wilderness up here and deer are the best way to learn. They will show you all you need to know. Tracking as a hunting technique is one topic and using the information gained while tracking for future archery stand/ground hunts is another. Some times I'll do a hybrid of both at the same time. I would be happy to discuss any or all, tracking itself has a lot to cover. How to determine which track to take, this alone has a lot to take into consideration, in the end you want to choose a heavy buck preferably with a good set of head gear, and one that can be killed. All of these things can be determined fairly swiftly. How to interpret all of the sign, not just the track. The track itself can be misleading, no pun intended. How to proceed forward, speed(when to move fast when to move slow), direction, when to stay on the track when to go off it, why and how for all of the previous. "beast" knowledge, good knowledge of preferred bedding, how deer utilize terrain and thermals, will all help speed up the deciphering and planning a head on the fly when tracking. Much of what I read about deer habits and locations holds true to what I see a buck take me through in the north country. The biggest piece of tracking advice I can give when tracking a buck to kill a buck, is know when to walk away. Not as a strategy, but walk away all together and find another track. You have to know how to pick not only a good one in size and age, but you must also pick one that can be killed that way. And with in hour abilities. I think one of the biggest mistakes people make is just getting on the fresh track of a big buck and following him all day is how it happens, and if it don't repeat. Some get lucky. But not all bucks can be tracked, be it their personality, life experiences, terrain or combination of those. Some bucks can be killed tracking and some bucks can not. And lets face it, just like any other hunting techniques their will be varying abilities with in. So choose a track or a buck that can not only be killed this way, but you can kill this way. Determining that is the first step and it's a hard one. The good news is everything you need to know is right in front of you. I can talk forever about tracking/killing and tracking as applied to future archery bigwoods "beast" hunting. Maybe questions would be best.

Thanks for the tremendous post. It would be hard to write more condensed and rich synopsis of what constitutes tracking and it's full scope of benefits. You know, I have a real hard time leaving a big track once I'm invested. I've tracked them over several days and I always feel like my chances are getting better as I get to know the buck. I haven't killed one of these yet... I never thought that some bucks are invulnerable to a tracking approach but it makes sense. I look forward to your contributions.

[Dhurtubise]

After re-reading the posts to see where the thread had left off, I see that we kind of left it at the beginning part of choosing the right track to take up.

By the end, we were debating the overall size of the print left by a mature buck. We determined the value of the 4 finger track as most of us measure between 3-3.5" between the first knuckle of the pinkie across to the index. Invariably, a track that size should have been made by a mature buck. Equally useful were the corresponding lengths of various shells - the 30-06 being 3 3/8" long down to the 243 measuring 2 5/8". Since we can't always hope to find a real 4 finger track because of their rarity, we have to accept a smaller track to follow sometimes.

Overall the literature relates that 200 lb bucks (pre-rut) will have a hoofs a hair under 2 3/4" and this should constitute a mature buck worth tracking.

So what is left to cover about choosing and understanding your track?

1)We still haven't explained how a deer lays down it's tracks- at least not clearly enough to my liking. It's covered in all the tracking books with some slight differences of opinions on the details. What do the experts say and what have we observed?

2)I think the the overall track needs to be broken down completely. What aspects will help us sex and size deer?
- The relationship between concurrent hoof prints on the same side (stride)
- The relationship between a print and that on the opposite side (width)
- The relationship between where the front hoof falls as compared with where the rear hoof.
-The shape of the individual prints. How they differ from one another and what it tells us about its maker.
-The general path taken by the animal and what this tells us.
- Other aspects of the tracks that relate to a deer's behavior and what information it gives us.
- Deer pellets and pee.

3) How old is that track. When was this track made and is it worth following. How can we know?


After that, the topics relating to the deer's hoof prints should be pretty much covered unless I'm forgetting something. We can then delve in some of the skills and strategies required to successfully track down a big buck.

[Dhurtubise]

How does a deer lay down tracks and why is this important.

It's best to first take a look at deer actually walking to fully understand it. In the following video, between 35 seconds and 1:15 there is a very clear sequence of the deer walking cycle. Pay particular attention to where exactly the rear hoof falls in relation to the front hoof on the same side. You should be able to see the rear ones fall pretty much right into the front print.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmjDA2BJvRc

And next - in this instructive video, a man discusses deer tracks in relation to a deer's front and rear hooves. He very clearly illustrates how a deer's front hoof is larger than it's rear hoof and offers a very good explanation as to why this is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M659B0JqH1Q

Why is this important? When you see a walking track, if you take the time to observe it carefully you will notice that as a general rule, there is always two prints in each slot. Furthermore, the smaller print is always more clearly defined than the larger print because it was deposited after and thus obliterates the details of the print laid before it.

If you aren't aware of the mechanics of the walking deer, you might just be fooled into thinking that there are two deer following one another (a smaller one following a larger one). When I started following deer in the snow, I would make this faulty assumption. Keep in mind that this type of behavior is one that often happens when the snow gets a little deeper. Deer will often step in the tracks that are already laid down as means to conserve energy.

Not all deer are built the same. Generally though, smaller deer will have a leg length to body length ratio greater than larger deer will. What I am trying to say is that the smaller deer will appear to have longer legs with respect to their size as compared to larger deer. How does this effect where the rear print fall with respect to the front one? If the legs are longer, the front leg should be able to reach further back and the rear one further forward. The resulting print will be that of a rear print inside and a little forward of the front print. You should be able to see only one tip of the toes - because the rear hoof was laid over the tips of the front one. Conversely, the bigger deer with the leg/body length ratio being less, will deposit its rear hoof slightly behind the tip of the front hoof and both tips will be visible. Since does are generally smaller than bucks, this gives us a means to differentiate (or sex) that track.

I know this all sounds a little complicated, sorry about that. The best source I have come across to illustrate the hoof placement is in Paul Carter's Book - Tracking Whitetails - Answers to your questions. I can't remember Blood or Benoits referencing it.

To illustrate, here is an image I captured from google books - "A to Z Guide to Whitetail Deer and Deer Hunting", by Randall Gilbert:



I think this illustrates well the consequences of what was discussed, however exaggerated it might be. In reality, what we normally see is a much less pronounced forward and rearward slip.The key is to look for one or two tips of toes showing.

-------------------------------
There is another aspect to the track that helps differentiate the doe from the buck. A big buck will tend to have big broad shoulders and smaller hips in relation. Conversely does will have wider hips than shoulders. The consequence of this is that the buck's rear print will slightly inside the front slot and a doe will have it's rear print slightly outside of the front one (from the perspective of the center-line)

This was brought forward by Larry Benoit in his first book - How to Bag the Biggest Buck of Your Life and it may have been described in the other two books written by Towsley. Paul Carter illustrates it the best in his book - Tracking Whitetails. Hal Blood skips over this in his books and in a recent interview with either the Whitetail Watch or Big Buck Registry podcast he said he didn't believe it to be true. Is this because he chooses such big tracks it's irrelevant or is it because he relies on behavioral clues? Or is he right that both does and bucks will walk with either pattern? Either way he is at odds with the other trackers and the usual consensus is in agreement with this model. Lets maybe take a closer look this season and see if we can pull derive some definitive conclusions of our own?

Anyways- Here is how it shakes out:


This is what I prepared for a doe track. Left side. I had a hard time finding a good picture on the internet. Apparently no one stops to take pictures of doe tracks. Almost everyone was of a buck track.



This is for the buck - Left side again.

[<DK>]

Great post!

Btw I saw something about possible upcoming Hal Blood podcasts coming? It said something about episodes but no information about when. Was curious if you have read anything recently? Sorry if this has been posted already...

[Dhurtubise]

Great post!

Btw I saw something about possible upcoming Hal Blood podcasts coming? It said something about episodes but no information about when. Was curious if you have read anything recently? Sorry if this has been posted already...

No. I haven't heard. I think a podcast series with him and his team of trackers would be invaluable. I know he is about to release a book as per his website. I posted about that a few weeks ago.

I hope you're right.

[magicman54494]

How does a deer lay down tracks and why is this important.

It's best to first take a look at deer actually walking to fully understand it. In the following video, between 35 seconds and 1:15 there is a very clear sequence of the deer walking cycle. Pay particular attention to where exactly the rear hoof falls in relation to the front hoof on the same side. You should be able to see the rear ones fall pretty much right into the front print.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmjDA2BJvRc

And next - in this instructive video, a man discusses deer tracks in relation to a deer's front and rear hooves. He very clearly illustrates how a deer's front hoof is larger than it's rear hoof and offers a very good explanation as to why this is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M659B0JqH1Q

Why is this important? When you see a walking track, if you take the time to observe it carefully you will notice that as a general rule, there is always two prints in each slot. Furthermore, the smaller print is always more clearly defined than the larger print because it was deposited after and thus obliterates the details of the print laid before it.

If you aren't aware of the mechanics of the walking deer, you might just be fooled into thinking that there are two deer following one another (a smaller one following a larger one). When I started following deer in the snow, I would make this faulty assumption. Keep in mind that this type of behavior is one that often happens when the snow gets a little deeper. Deer will often step in the tracks that are already laid down as means to conserve energy.

Not all deer are built the same. Generally though, smaller deer will have a leg length to body length ratio greater than larger deer will. What I am trying to say is that the smaller deer will appear to have longer legs with respect to their size as compared to larger deer. How does this effect where the rear print fall with respect to the front one? If the legs are longer, the front leg should be able to reach further back and the rear one further forward. The resulting print will be that of a rear print inside and a little forward of the front print. You should be able to see only one tip of the toes - because the rear hoof was laid over the tips of the front one. Conversely, the bigger deer with the leg/body length ratio being less, will deposit its rear hoof slightly behind the tip of the front hoof and both tips will be visible. Since does are generally smaller than bucks, this gives us a means to differentiate (or sex) that track.

I know this all sounds a little complicated, sorry about that. The best source I have come across to illustrate the hoof placement is in Paul Carter's Book - Tracking Whitetails - Answers to your questions. I can't remember Blood or Benoits referencing it.

To illustrate, here is an image I captured from google books - "A to Z Guide to Whitetail Deer and Deer Hunting", by Randall Gilbert:



I think this illustrates well the consequences of what was discussed, however exaggerated it might be. In reality, what we normally see is a much less pronounced forward and rearward slip.The key is to look for one or two tips of toes showing.

-------------------------------
There is another aspect to the track that helps differentiate the doe from the buck. A big buck will tend to have big broad shoulders and smaller hips in relation. Conversely does will have wider hips than shoulders. The consequence of this is that the buck's rear print will slightly inside the front slot and a doe will have it's rear print slightly outside of the front one (from the perspective of the center-line)

This was brought forward by Larry Benoit in his first book - How to Bag the Biggest Buck of Your Life and it may have been described in the other two books written by Towsley. Paul Carter illustrates it the best in his book - Tracking Whitetails. Hal Blood skips over this in his books and in a recent interview with either the Whitetail Watch or Big Buck Registry podcast he said he didn't believe it to be true. Is this because he chooses such big tracks it's irrelevant or is it because he relies on behavioral clues? Or is he right that both does and bucks will walk with either pattern? Either way he is at odds with the other trackers and the usual consensus is in agreement with this model. Lets maybe take a closer look this season and see if we can pull derive some definitive conclusions of our own?

Anyways- Here is how it shakes out:


This is what I prepared for a doe track. Left side. I had a hard time finding a good picture on the internet. Apparently no one stops to take pictures of doe tracks. Almost everyone was of a buck track.



This is for the buck - Left side again.

i do not agree with the track identification info. every deer is different and their tracks are all unique. also, their track will be different if they are tired or rested. i have seen huge bucks with a narrow stagger and young bucks with wide stagger. how they set their feet can be dictated by so many - combo of- factors. tired, fresh, agressive, sore, injured, etc.
i judge a track on width and weight applied. also i judge a SERIES of tracks, not individual tracks. i often follow a track several hundred yds to a 1/4 mile to decide of i eant to take it. in that stretch i also look for how he walks ( a brute will alway take a straight line and easiest path) i also look for clues to antler size. if its a good track and he goes between two trees 12" apart i will back off.

[magicman54494]

oops, forgot something important,
a brute buck will not follow other deer tracks. he might for a very short distance but then he goes on his own. this is key in determining if a deer is dominant. a lesser buck will walk right down a dominant bucks track for a long way. this makes it easy to determine which of two tracks is the more dominant one to follow.
this is important to remember when setting up a tree stand. dont expect a dominant buck to walk down a well worn deer trail.

[Dhurtubise]

Great post!

Btw I saw something about possible upcoming Hal Blood podcasts coming? It said something about episodes but no information about when. Was curious if you have read anything recently? Sorry if this has been posted already...

No. I haven't heard. I think a podcast series with him and his team of trackers would be invaluable. I know he is about to release a book as per his website. I posted about that a few weeks ago.

I hope you're right.

This is great! From their FB page:

[<DK>]

oops, forgot something important,
a brute buck will not follow other deer tracks. he might for a very short distance but then he goes on his own. this is key in determining if a deer is dominant. a lesser buck will walk right down a dominant bucks track for a long way. this makes it easy to determine which of two tracks is the more dominant one to follow.
this is important to remember when setting up a tree stand. dont expect a dominant buck to walk down a well worn deer trail.

This is great info bc just since iv just started paying attention to tracks in general, it was noticeable right away that a mature animal takes his own paths.

[Dhurtubise]

[quote="magicman54494]

i do not agree with the track identification info. every deer is different and their tracks are all unique. also, their track will be different if they are tired or rested. i have seen huge bucks with a narrow stagger and young bucks with wide stagger. how they set their feet can be dictated by so many - combo of- factors. tired, fresh, agressive, sore, injured, etc.
i judge a track on width and weight applied. also i judge a SERIES of tracks, not individual tracks. i often follow a track several hundred yds to a 1/4 mile to decide of i eant to take it. in that stretch i also look for how he walks ( a brute will alway take a straight line and easiest path) i also look for clues to antler size. if its a good track and he goes between two trees 12" apart i will back off.

Yeah. I was alluding to a lot of this type observation when I was referencing Blood and I planned on discussing more about this later.

I know that not one of the aspects we discussed so far will hold true all the time. For example, I've tracked a Doe a few years ago who's track was bigger than the buck I killed last year. But I think if you look at these notion on a statistical basis, they all have their merrits. A bigger animal is more likely to have bigger hooves, longer stride, wider chest and gait, stay clear of tight openings etc. The overall picture is still one of a big buck even if some of those elements are ordinary.

I have very much appreciated this insight on the evolving track with level of weariness. It's not something I've personally noticed, but it makes a ton of sense and I may have overlooked it. I have you quoted earlier in this thread with this very notion.

Thanks for contributing MagicMan. We missed over here.

[magicman54494]

Thanks for contributing MagicMan. We missed over here.

you are welcome, i dont post alot because i am very busy but i am around. im always willing to offer input.

[<DK>]

Great post!

Btw I saw something about possible upcoming Hal Blood podcasts coming? It said something about episodes but no information about when. Was curious if you have read anything recently? Sorry if this has been posted already...

No. I haven't heard. I think a podcast series with him and his team of trackers would be invaluable. I know he is about to release a book as per his website. I posted about that a few weeks ago.

I hope you're right.

This is great! From their FB page:

Awesome! Those will be some keepers for sure. Glad the info I read is true. Really lookimg forward to that.

[Dhurtubise]

Also with respect to Hal Blood, I am eagerly anticipating his new book that is scheduled to be available anytime now on his http://www.bigwoodsbucks.com/ website. This was discussed on one of his most recent Podcast appearances. It was the one for The Big Buck Registy back in January, I think.

I too am looking forward to the release of this book. Thanks for the note, and good hunting to you!

Hal Blood has his impending book realease announced on his http://www.bigwoodsbucks.com website (finally). It shouldn't be long now.

Big Woods Bucks are taking pre-orders as indicated by BigwoodsMN on another thread. 20$ gets you a copy.

Tracking Whitetail Bucks - Stories from the Trail in the Big Woods

Pre-Order Hal Blood's Book - This book will be shipped just in time for tracking season. Pre-order price is $19.99 plus shipping.

https://www.bigwoodsbucks.com/Products/ctl/ProductDetails/mid/442/ProductID/21



https://www.bigwoodsbucks.com/Products/ctl/ProductDetails/mid/442/ProductID/21

[<DK>]

oops, forgot something important,
a brute buck will not follow other deer tracks. he might for a very short distance but then he goes on his own. this is key in determining if a deer is dominant. a lesser buck will walk right down a dominant bucks track for a long way. this makes it easy to determine which of two tracks is the more dominant one to follow.
this is important to remember when setting up a tree stand. dont expect a dominant buck to walk down a well worn deer trail.

The Hal Blood podcast opened my eyes a little. The fact that mature bucks are more aware of predator pressure. Which could be another reason for this trend?

[<DK>]

Dhurtubise, I searched thru all the pages but I still didnt find the Hal Blood BB Registry link? Its late... sorry if I missed it. It was a great listen and made me re open the thread. Great job here man!

*Hal Blood Podcast BB Registry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWZKMH9LPMU