Track question

Walking or trotting? I don't see much dirt slung forward so I assume it's walking. There's a bedding area about 50 yards from this track. It appears to go in and out of the bedding area quite a few times a day. All tracks from it look pretty much the same. I'm trying to learn tracks better.

I may be wrong, but I was always told if you see the dew claws in the back they are running.

That's the same thing I was always told but I read in a book about a month ago that it also depends on the deer's weight but like I said, I'm just trying to learn a little. It almost has a trail going in and out of this area and all of the tracks look almost identical to this one.

Dew claws are a sign of soft ground, or heavy weight. Toes being spread, usually means a deer is running.

I regard that track as belonging to a deer (probably a buck) that was walking or standing. IMO that is not a running track

Curious as to why he would always trot in and out of there, unless it's just because this particular spot is a little funnel between cover.

This

horsechitt....

Really? Okay....I am about 99.99999% convinced that track is not from a running animal. Also 99.99999% convinced that you are full of horse shucks if you are ignorant enough to think that is a running track.

Guru vs Newby

and I am 99.9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999% convinced that are a 12 year old girl.....

My thoughts exactly. Some folks should less typing and more reading.

Guru of what? Spending an inordinate amount of time on an internet forum? Instead of coming back at me with a "I respectfully disagree", I get the extremely intelligent reply of "horse chit". I've said things like that before to people before I turned 16, and usually I meant it exactly like it sounded. Once I grew up and became an adult, moved out of my parents basement and became a little educated, I soon started to at least consider other peoples opinions.... If for no other reason than the fact that MINE is not the only opinion out there.

The dirt appears to be very damp yet there is no earth disturbed around the track, not even a crack. Once again IMO that track was made by a calm animal walking or standing on damp to wet earth.

No need to get all worked up fellas. I just wanted some other opinions of a deer peddlin' in my sanctuary.

Well then dang sure don't listen to me. My opinion is equine excrement.

I've never seen a deer and rarely a real track....

It'll be O.K.

Boxman, its a no win situation for you. After you've been around awhile you'll understand. carry on.

Oh yeah that's old split toe the 30 point buck

It's not a walking track.

HUGE buck!
The weight of his rack is causing his hooves to splay and bend his joints to the point that his dew claws are digging into the ground.

Hunt there as often as possible......right there!!!!

I'd hunt there. I doubt an 80 pound doe made that track.

Yes huge buck! Oh, Have you ever really watched deer to see what they're doing and went to look and see what kind of tracks they made? Obviously not! Oh and not directed to hogwild.

BUT, do not put a camera anywhere around there.
It will scare him and he will avoid the area for the rest of his Life. And, no corn.....or he will go Nocturnal.

Just wait for Opening Day and sit there all day, every day, until you get a chance to kill him.

This and also don't hunt within 300 yards of a food plot. Everybody knows bucks don't come anywhere close to a plot in daytime.

can you eat those tracks?????

Honestly under further review why would the dirt be craked on each side as if to be slid forward? Hmm?

The ground cracking is due to the combination of the sheer weight of the rack and also indicates that it was done while the sun was shining on the ground and thereby drying it.

GREAT job of scouting.....HUNT IT!

Didn't even think of that hw forgive me of trying to deture the hunter from such trophy. I guess I just didn't want anyone else to kill a big buck.

It is OK.......you will eventually reach the illeet level and not only understand such things......but, also desire to see others kill World Class bucks!

you reckon that deer will make BooneanCrockett?????

Tonight I will pray for ileetness among other things and I think this deer will bust Booneandcrocker wide open!

He 'might' make it as a non-typical........good bit of deductions.

Have you not noticed that the right 1/2 of the hoof sunk deeper than the left. That is a tell-tale sign that his rack is heavier on that side.

Geez....bunch of rookies!

The way I was taught I need to look at two ofthe tracks to tell exactly.

Keep practicing.....the devil is in the details!

Y'all just about hit on all the points.

If there was evidence of ball drag in the dirt between the tracks you would know it was a buck.

You know what that's probably what caused the crack in the dirt!

he should use clorox to bring it in to bow range for sure

Wow.

Alright - serious answer. That deer wasn't walking, but it's not skintback running either. Somewhere in between. Trotting - whatever you want to call it.

And no guaranteed way to know if buck or doe. I've walked into coolers at deer camps, and the biggest "foot" in there will be a 120 lb doe. Also noticed some good bucks with noticeably small "feet".

.

That one almost made me choke on my drink.

pics taken this morning in a plowed greenfield, right after I SAW a 150# estimated weight buck leave these tracks....

slow walking


fast walking, almost a trot

As experienced as you are, you left out a size reference. I give you an "F".








God Bless,
David B.

give yer self an F David , ya don't need a reference to know if the animal is walking standing, or running. And I said it was a 150# deer.....

How ya been doing???

While he's no World Class Trophy. I checked the camera I put near the trail and this is what I got. I have about 20 pictures of him walking the same path a few times daily. Usually just after dark and right before dawn.

good looking buck, looks to be sixish?

I believe so, last year he looked about 5 or so. I was hoping this was one of his newer bedding areas. I took pretty good eight last year at this same small bedding spot. Not sure why but the older bucks love to bed in it.

I think you scared off the boxman. He must be in a box sucking his thumb whining about that mean old BhamFred. What do you know anyway? Its not like you ever lernt anything in the 20+ years as a game warden.

Somebody tell boxman to go play with his leggos and let the adults talk.

sumpter, I was talking to a fiend today about learning about deer. I stated that I had learned more in the last ten years about all aspects of deer than I had learned in the preceding 50 years. Difference is that I have been in the woods seven days a week, 365 days a year for the last 10 years. Working, hunting, observing...and working. If I have ANY powers of observation I ought to of absorbed SOME knowledge.

I will end this by saying a friend and I spotted a buck one night maybe 25 yards off the road. Both of us got a real good look. Both agreed that buck was waaaaaay old and would be hard to kill. I put him at the top of my list to hunt. First week of season I was guiding a 11 year old boy who just killed a nice buck when I saw this buck coming. I could not/wouldn't allow him to shoot it and I didn't want to kill a huge old buck while guiding him, as he had just killed his first buck. I let him walk off. I still judged him to be 7-8 years old.

Didn't see him all season and found him dead after the season. Tooth wear, judged by that property, showed him to be three/four years old. WTH??? I guess I should of absorbed more knowledge over the years..haha.

Good Lord give me a few more years I might gain some more knowledge about my favorite animal.....

How many observation towers do you have in your sanctuary?

hell ,,, bout all a track will tell you is a deer has been there .

i've seen little deer with big hooves and big deer with little hooves . wear on the hooves and the ground they walk on will make a lot of difference .

in some dirt a doe tracks will make you think a booner is living there .


talk a guy once , he showed be a set of tracks . said it was the biggest damn buck track he had ever seen . it was a hog track . lol

Been busy, but good!!

God Bless,
David B.

that was wet soft ground when it was made...i would say walking

Can someone please tell me something about these tracks, they are all over my freshly planted plots.

Looks like someone went piddlin' and found a sanctuary! In all seriousness, I wish my plots had 25% as many tracks as yours.