Buck Track Matching

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<DK>
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Re: Buck Track Matching

Unread postby <DK> » Fri Apr 21, 2017 10:37 am

Great post Dhurtubise! I will be reading through your thread about Tracking books this weekend, excellent thread!
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=38983

I appreciate you guys setting me straight and I will try to apply the tips that you all have shared, alot of great info here. Really liked the feedback about the heart shaped tracks from everyone as well. I was a little timid to ask but plan to bump the thread w updates throughout the year. Hopefully I can catch up to the buck w multiple tracks and gather more intel to share w you guys for more feedback. I probably should have left some pics out of the topic...
Obviously for sure answers are very tough based on 1-2 bad pic so your guys' help means alot and I definitely will make sure I add a reference to the pic for size. Sorry about that, I just started keeping pics of tracks for myself and keeping them w bed footage for reference. Again I dont feel confident in my tracking yet...we dont get much snow here consistently and I mainly hunt all timbered hills so at this point for me these tracks are gold.

Is there anything better I can do to capture better track definition in pics? You guys said add a reference for size, but I mean more how to capture more details when its very subtle? Should I remove rocks/leaves/dirt and just try not to ruin anything or draw on the pic w outline of the tracks?

Thanks again
-Josh


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Re: Buck Track Matching

Unread postby JoeRE » Tue Apr 25, 2017 2:21 pm

KLEMZ wrote:This is a great topic Darkknight! The whole splayed track thing is a bit of a mystery to me. I understand that heavy weight causes tracks to spread, especially front tracks. But my own personal observations are that the largest, heaviest bucks I have hunted, have had huge heart/square shaped tracks, no splay while walking. I am talking about 4.5 finger wide (3.5") tracks in the beds, on the trails around the beds, with no splayed tracks anywhere. If they did splay they would be 5 finger wide tracks! I guess I look at splayed tracks suspiciously, thinking they might be inflating the actual size of what I think the animal will be. I trust huge heart shaped or square closed toe tracks more because of my personal experience.

Another comment...Once while spring scouting I found a trail that had huge tracks going both ways. One set was square and close toed, the set going the other way was splayed on every step. This trail was running up/down a 30 degree slope so I thought maybe the same buck but the slope caused his track to splay (I can't remember if the splay was walking uphill or downhill). Anyways, I set a trail cam watching the trail in April and picked it up in October, and had two different big bucks that showed on camera. So I guess my theory is that some bucks will not splay when they get heavy and some bucks will splay. Anybody have thoughts on that?

One more question...the bucks that do splay, are their hooves in a permanent, rigid splay position (like something is wedged between their toes), or do they flex back and forth from closed to splayed?


Klemz I 100% agree with your observations. Honestly I just don't see big bucks leaving wide splayed tracks unless they are moving faster than a "normal" walk. A fast walk/slow trot will start to splay tracks for sure. Also, the softer the ground the more tracks will splay out as they sink in.

I think all hooves flex depending on all these factors. I agree it depends a lot on buck weight not just speed and type of ground as mentioned about. I see more splayed tracks BEFORE the rut than AFTER the rut...bucks can loose 10-15% of their body weight in the month of November. SO: wide splayed tracks are really complex and hard to estimate what it "should" be. All reasons to be careful with wide splayed tracks.

I also agree look at the toes when trying to ID a buck. Not the dew claws or how much its splayed. Look for where the buck pauses like where a cover transition (crossing a more open area), crossing an obstruction (such as fence), terrain change like crossing a ridge, or hitting a scrape. All these are my favorite spots to find a good slow moving or paused hoof print. That's where the outline of the track is most clearly visible.

Also, I really want to look at the front hooves because those toes tend to be more distinctive on an older buck. All those years of pawing acorns and scrape working. Walking deer leave hind hoof prints right on top of the front ones. Gotta catch him where he pauses and note the 4 hoof prints in a rectangle to see the front ones. Yes that takes a lot of study to figure out at first. Just take your time. Its ok to sit there staring at the ground for 10 minutes ;)

Josh here is what came to my eye.

Image[/url]

I like the front hoof that is visible in the upper right in this photo although it looks to be still from a moving deer the way it is dug into the ground. Big square looking track with rounded toes, looks pretty distinctive to me. Looks like he may have been moving slower then pushed off to move faster or the opposite. The rear track is the one all splayed out. Rear tracks often look longer and narrower, dew claws are more visible most of the time seems like, and splay out more because deer push harder against the ground with their hind legs - larger muscles back there.


Image[/url]
This one both tracks are really splayed out from fast movement and I can't draw any conclusions from it. You can tell he is moving fast from the skid marks - all those tiny cracks in the dirt result from his weight hitting the ground at an angle - IE running or trotting.


Image[/url]
This is a nice clean print from a standing deer Any idea front or rear hoof? If it was front, and I would lean toward that without knowing anything more. I don't see dew claws and yes some hind tracks are a bit more splayed even when standing (but no where near what the first 2 photos show), I would say its probably a different deer than the first of the 3 photos I copied of yours. Impossible to say if it is the same or different as the second photo those tracks are too splayed out. Frankly those tracks in the second photo could have been from a big doe heavy with fawns running through the woods for all I know.

If you keep at it man you will continue to notice more and more things. You are definitely on the right track pun intended!
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Dhurtubise
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Re: Buck Track Matching

Unread postby Dhurtubise » Tue Apr 25, 2017 2:42 pm

Darkknight54 wrote:Great post Dhurtubise! I will be reading through your thread about Tracking books this weekend, excellent thread!
http://thehuntingbeast.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=38983

I appreciate you guys setting me straight and I will try to apply the tips that you all have shared, alot of great info here. Really liked the feedback about the heart shaped tracks from everyone as well. I was a little timid to ask but plan to bump the thread w updates throughout the year. Hopefully I can catch up to the buck w multiple tracks and gather more intel to share w you guys for more feedback. I probably should have left some pics out of the topic...
Obviously for sure answers are very tough based on 1-2 bad pic so your guys' help means alot and I definitely will make sure I add a reference to the pic for size. Sorry about that, I just started keeping pics of tracks for myself and keeping them w bed footage for reference. Again I dont feel confident in my tracking yet...we dont get much snow here consistently and I mainly hunt all timbered hills so at this point for me these tracks are gold.

Is there anything better I can do to capture better track definition in pics? You guys said add a reference for size, but I mean more how to capture more details when its very subtle? Should I remove rocks/leaves/dirt and just try not to ruin anything or draw on the pic w outline of the tracks?

Thanks again
-Josh


Sometimes it helps to provide the outline. I shared this one a while back. It was a huge bare ground track and I had to help the guys see it better.

Image
JoeRE
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Re: Buck Track Matching

Unread postby JoeRE » Tue Apr 25, 2017 11:09 pm

Yea tracing the track out can help. I usually take several pictures of the same track from slightly different angles and compare them later - some show up better than others. Block sunlight out of the pic by standing on that side of the track, shadowing distorts images.

Also a reference helps judge size in pics. I use my hand but a pocket knife or similar small object like the shell that Dhurtubise showed does the trick probably best.

Anyway just some ideas Josh.


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