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Posts Tagged ‘snow tracking’

Deer Tracks

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

A great way to spend a few hours learning how different animals use the terrain is to get out and follow their tracks in the snow. Just by following their tracks you can learn what they are eating this time of year, where they prefer to bed down for the day or if they are still mating. You can also find out if any predators are following them as well as get a good idea of the sex of the deer. At this time of year a single solitary set of deer tracks in shallow snow that have scuff marks between the prints will most definetly be those of a buck. Splayed track will also point toward the identification of a buck.
If you follow the tracks long enough you will eventually come across the animal and possibly get a glimpse of them running away. Pay close attention to what the tracks were doing before this happened. If there is high ground that the tracks are heading toward or they are heading for thick brush or a thick stand of evergreens means they will probably be bedded down there. If the tracks start to make an arc toward one of these areas that also will tell you that they are positioning themselve to bed down and watch their backtrail for approaching danger. Deer just don’t randomly lay down and rest there is always some prep work they use to assure they can spot danger and have some reaction time to flee the area. Animal tracking can be a fun, educational way to spend a few hours out in the woods. Give it a try, I’m sure you’ll find it a rewarding experience.
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