Tracks in the snow

[dan]

I think a lot of people ignore the importance of off season scouting. You then hear some of these same people complain about others success who do do the scouting... They will say "he kills those deer cause he lives in some so called great state or place, or has better ground, but in reality killing big bucks is not an easy task in most places and success year after year (especially on public land) generally is directly related to the amount of scouting and work you put into it. One thing I really like to do at this time of year is after a fresh snow get on a big buck track and start following it. If you think about where the buck is going, what he is doing, and what the wind was doing when he was walking it can be a great learning experience. I have been amazed at following a track thru a public woods for nearly a mile without ever going past a good tree to put a stand in, kind of zig zagging around to avoid the trees... I have also been lead to some incredible buck hideouts that were so over looked I would of never found them without following the track.

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[austin1990]

That's something I've noticed most of you northern guys harp on a lot is scouting after a fresh snow and I am definitely jealous! We may get 2 inches of snow a year with a good 6" snow every 5 or 6 years. When it does snow I'm definitely in the woods, but you dont have much time to learn much before it's gone. In my instance I try to do as much scouting I can after a good rain and look for fresh tracks, same principle as the snow but probably not as effective.

[Dewey]

Snow tracking after the season is easily one of my favorite things to do. It’s really cool to follow a big ole’ buck and see what he sees and how he uses the terrain to his advantage. Good point on how they avoid bigger trees. The older bucks use travel routes that other deer do not. That’s really the most valuable info you can gain from snow tracking.

[Edcyclopedia]

Yup!

[Moose]

Wish we still had snow! Ice is out on the river so im gonna see if the fish are biting or id be scouting.

[tgreeno]

Snow tracking after the season is easily one of my favorite things to do. It’s really cool to follow a big ole’ buck and see what he sees and how he uses the terrain to his advantage. Good point on how they avoid bigger trees. The older bucks use travel routes that other deer do not. That’s really the most valuable info you can gain from snow tracking.

I totally agree! Following big lone tracks thru the swamps can be an eye opener. Especially if you already know the bedding in those areas. It kind of gives you the entire picture of how the bucks use the areas the entire year. It may even give you a good late season spot to setup next season.

[cspot]

That's something I've noticed most of you northern guys harp on a lot is scouting after a fresh snow and I am definitely jealous! We may get 2 inches of snow a year with a good 6" snow every 5 or 6 years. When it does snow I'm definitely in the woods, but you dont have much time to learn much before it's gone. In my instance I try to do as much scouting I can after a good rain and look for fresh tracks, same principle as the snow but probably not as effective.

There is a flip side to most situations. Only good thing is you don't typically get deep snow that can make parking and getting back into areas to hunt very difficult.

Where I am at we typically get some snow during the winter. This winter though we really have only had 1 snow that was good for tracking and it was only on a couple of days. We have been getting rain mainly or just skiffs of snow.

[austin1990]

That's something I've noticed most of you northern guys harp on a lot is scouting after a fresh snow and I am definitely jealous! We may get 2 inches of snow a year with a good 6" snow every 5 or 6 years. When it does snow I'm definitely in the woods, but you dont have much time to learn much before it's gone. In my instance I try to do as much scouting I can after a good rain and look for fresh tracks, same principle as the snow but probably not as effective.

There is a flip side to most situations. Only good thing is you don't typically get deep snow that can make parking and getting back into areas to hunt very difficult.

Where I am at we typically get some snow during the winter. This winter though we really have only had 1 snow that was good for tracking and it was only on a couple of days. We have been getting rain mainly or just skiffs of snow.

That's for sure! It ain't rained all week and water finally went down in the bottoms so I made a quick trip scouting this evening. It ain't snow, but ya can learn from following deer in mud. Really helps ya find those subtle high spots that without a flood you'd never notice being dry. Heres a prime spot I found earlier on a high slough bank. Looked like when the water was up the deer spent a lot of time on it grazing.

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[Machado]

Dan, have you noticed that the track “expands” as the snow sits or softens a bit? I got on a track a few days ago that seemed not super fresh and wondered if I may have been experiencing that factor.

[Trout]

I havent put a ton of stock in winter sign in our area the last few years. Our deer yard up, migrating from up to 10 miles away to winter in the cedar swamps. This winter has been a little different. We still have 3 or 4 feet on the ground in most places but it's been a very mild winter, and the deer havent yarded up so tightly as they usually do. They are still using some fall travel corridors which isnt normal and I think the ones they are using are the "good" ones. It kind of has me reclassifying corridors I thought of as primary as secondary, or vise versa.

On a related note to the southern guys envying the northern guys, I think it's funny cause I envy the guys who live a couple hours south of me where the deer dont yard up.

[Mopar1169]

Last weekend when it is 45 and sunny i got sick of repainting the house and decided to go for a walk. Walked 6 miles on a piece of state by my house. I back tracked both the bucks that I shot to where they were bedded. Looked at how my future setups were gonna be in that area. Found a couple new spots that were pretty nice also. Was nice to get some fresh air on such a beautiful day. I got one more area I would like to walk down yet. I started to walk it down the other day but got called away before I could finish.

[dan]

Dan, have you noticed that the track “expands” as the snow sits or softens a bit? I got on a track a few days ago that seemed not super fresh and wondered if I may have been experiencing that factor.

Yes, they will melt and break down and get bigger. With a good eye, and some experiance you can read that. A close look will give clues. Melted round corners instead of edges cut clean from a hoof, and details, rather than just icy tracks. One thing I highly recommend for anyone wanting to get good at tracking is to find a track you know is fresh, like thru your yard the night before. Take a close up high quality picture of it each day, and compare. Maybe lay a $1 bill next to it for comparison....

[Marshbuster89]

I agree 100%. I have definitely noticed them snake thru areas to avoid trees.

I think a very important, and to me-the coolest, part of off-season tracking is seeing how they navigate according to wind. That is a crucial part of the puzzle and that knowledge can make a huge difference come October.