how to read the bush

[dino]

I know Im gonna take a beating on this one. I'm wondering if anyone will help us guys out who are trying to learn to read the land for game. When I first started to hunt I never really had any training on how to see how old a track is, so I cut the shin off a deer and started to make my own tracks and watched how they looked over time. Ive learned some other tricks since then, hopefully some of you can share some of your trade secrets.

[husky30-06]

it can be very difficault to read "fresh" tracks. the best way that my Dad always taught me was to first off, compare them to your fresh track. after that, for mud of course whether it is dry and how dry, wet weather check the leaves around the print for moisture. in the snow, look for fresh snow in the track or if the track is frozen. My self I try to find an animal that is in the track and check its condition over time to see what it does.

[M.Dean]

When you see deer in your travels hike over to where they were standing and look at the track. Try to compare how that track looks to ones that you've see before. Note, if they ran, the dirt behind the track how pronounced it is, the little lumps are still fresh, not flatten down from the weather, look for leaves or dirt etc in the tracks, that tells you it's been there a while. Look for the sharpness of the track, weather will round the track off some, in snow a older track will increase in size and round off, if you see a track in the snow with a bit of dirt behind it,on top of the snow with no sign of sinking in yet some thing spooked the animal and it bolted, it should be near by. If it's raining, snowing or blowing it makes it a little easier, look for debris in the track, if there's lots, it's long gone. It gets easier to tell a fresh track from old with time and the amount of tracks you take the time to study, it's fun and challenging, and if done right can be quite rewarding! Good luck.

[Jelvis]

dino-papalino----> chow, it's the class clown Jellyroll <---
This could be the mother of all threads---reading the bush
R U kidding me?
I wrote the book on readin writin and rithmatic ahue.
First--Know the land-know your prey.
Second--Be in good mental and physical shape.
Third--Walk in the bush you will be hunting all year round
Fourth-Topo it, hike it, learn it, time it, measure it-hit it!
Fifth---Walk trails made by deer
Sixth--Walk exact same route, read it, know it, and mark it, time it, and then hunt it.
Seventh-Remember where you saw the deer and sign.
Eigth--on and on and on
As your thread weaves a tapestry, by next fall we'll have a rug. lol
Jel- Silver threads and golden needles-papalino's-cya sooner.

[Buckmeister]

dino-papalino----> chow, it's the class clown Jellyroll <---
This could be the mother of all threads---reading the bush
R U kidding me?
I wrote the book on readin writin and rithmatic ahue.
First--Know the land-know your prey.
Second--Be in good mental and physical shape.
Third--Walk in the bush you will be hunting all year round
Fourth-Topo it, hike it, learn it, time it, measure it-hit it!
Fifth---Walk trails made by deer
Sixth--Walk exact same route, read it, know it, and mark it, time it, and then hunt it.
Seventh-Remember where you saw the deer and sign.
Eigth--on and on and on
As your thread weaves a tapestry, by next fall we'll have a rug. lol
Jel- Silver threads and golden needles-papalino's-cya sooner.


Hey Jel, have ya been hittin the eggnog tonight? ;-) Your in fine form.
Buck-Jelly

[dino]

dino-papalino----> chow, it's the class clown Jellyroll <---
This could be the mother of all threads---reading the bush
R U kidding me?
I wrote the book on readin writin and rithmatic ahue.
First--Know the land-know your prey.
Second--Be in good mental and physical shape.
Third--Walk in the bush you will be hunting all year round
Fourth-Topo it, hike it, learn it, time it, measure it-hit it!
Fifth---Walk trails made by deer
Sixth--Walk exact same route, read it, know it, and mark it, time it, and then hunt it.
Seventh-Remember where you saw the deer and sign.
Eigth--on and on and on
As your thread weaves a tapestry, by next fall we'll have a rug. lol
Jel- Silver threads and golden needles-papalino's-cya sooner.
I hear ya jelly roll, I do all the above. I even keep a journal of the time of day the weather what I see what I dont see.I cant tell you how many animal poops I squesed before I could reasonablly age it.
One of my lessons Ive learned is to always watch the leed doe and wait to see if she looks behind. Keep em coming guys this is will be a good thread for us bush hikers.

[Buckmeister]

I find it easier to read sign when there has been flucuations in the temperature thruout the day. I find it hardest when the temp is an even keel (i.e. fairly warm, above 10 degrees C). When it's warmer, a fresh track is hard to tell from one that is several hours old.
As the days go by, a track will appear more dried out. Just like a pile of fresh dirt appears "oxidized" after a day or so. Dig into that pile with a shovel and dirt inside looks fresher or moister.
Find a game trail where the deer travel quite regularly. Visit it every day if you can for a couple of days and study a particular spot. Come back on subsequent days to the same spot and you should see and tell the difference between the older tracks that you studied and the more recent ones that are there since you visited last.

[husky30-06]

Hey Jel, have ya been hittin the eggnog tonight? Your in fine form.
Buck-Jelly
no kidding!!!!!!!:-P:-P:-P:-P:-P

[guest]

Look for a sign .... with bush all around it ...... saying enter here..... no exit....... culdasac.
CT

[dino]

My first year bow hunting elk I would brush a game trail the night before and check on it in the morning.If I saw fresh tracks, I would set up a tree stand. Oh ya , a trail cam helps too:razz:

[goatdancer]

Fresh snow every night really helps....

[Mr. Dean]

I go around and ruin tracks as I make my way out. I then compare what I see the next morning and use that as a 'baseline'.... I then ruin all these on my way in and keep a sharp lookout for new ones coming back out, late in the day.

By now I should have an idea of what the fresh ones look like, for that type of weather and ground of the area, at that time. I then start leaving them alone (unspoiled) and keep making comparisons....

I have found that 'rating' track is a very dynamic thing. Tough to call how old a "cold" one is.


Hope this makes sense???

[lip_ripper00]

[quote=Jelvis;382859]dino-papalino----> chow, it's the class clown Jellyroll <---


Hey, get you own avtar!!:razz:

[hunter1947]

When you See a track and it looks like it was just made like the hoof you cut off a deer and put it on the ground ,then after a rain or snow storm when you see a track that looks the same as the one you made with your cut off hoof then you know it is fresh.

Look for cob webs in the track if so it is not fresh as for tracks in the mud that have water filled into them and the water is as dirty as the mud that is inside the track from what ever animal made them there fresh.

When walking along or across a stream bed when dry outside you see weather that has dropped off there hoofs onto the rocks you know that the an animal had just crossed this stream.

When there is a snow storm and you are hunting if the snow stops and you don't see no snow in the tracks they are fresh.

In the dry dirt if it has not rained for a long time and you see tracks in different places around ,it is very hard to tell how old these tracks are ,but if you do see lots of tracks in the dry dirt ,they the deer or other are in this area.

What I do sometimes is if I find a well used trail I will sprinkle some light flour on the trail that they are using then I will go look at it the next day and see what kind of tracks are in the flour.

As you know you can only do this if there is no rain in the forcast.

[doubled]

This is all part of the game. Good thread, good questions. As Jellhead said, know the land, know the prey. You just gotta spend time out there to learn and understand it, simple as that.

[dino]

How about looking for freshly broken twigs or deadfalls across a game trail with the bark freshly knocked off by the animals hoofs. Tracks are the easiest way to look for sine but their are more.
I believe the bush is always talking to the seasoned hunter and that you can always tell if and what type of game is around.

[Jelvis]

A real good hunter can drive slowly to get to a hunting spot and if it's a moose sized animal especially, you can feel it's presence. By--dejavue symptom like feelings like
1. This country is like that spot I got one b4---memory.
2. That mountain looks just like one where I got one b4
3. This spot just looks like a winner---recognize habitat.
4. I can just feel there's an animal in here--confidence.
Why? Cuz you know what your looking for and seen a spot like this, and it held animals, why?
a. Lots of feed
b. Water to drink for animal life.
c. An area where game uses for travel, between two hills
d. At the ends of a long lake where animals go around
e. Jelvis hunts there must be good. lol. J/J PP
Learn to read the bush--by listening, looking, walking then repeat and you will see the same stump you first thought was an animal, or hey there's something there that I did'nt see b4, it's a ?
Repetition and know how work hand in hand.
This coming season will be the best so far!
Jel-plan your leh picks combining moose and deer etc.

[dino]

How about the wind. I use a little squirt bottle with odourless baby powder in it. Give a little squesse and you can easily see which direction its going.

[bckev]

Time in learning to listen to your gut is huge. I don't know how many times I knew I was going to see something before I saw it. ( I always conveniently forget the times I had that feeling and didn't see anything.)

[Jelvis]

-----I hunted with a fella who had a rifle for deer and a scope that must ah cost him a thousand bucks.
He had a piece of 3 inch thread hangin down under the front of his barrell to gauge the winds direction.
My point there's more than one way to skin a buck.
Jelly the BUCK STOPS HERE! lol. Read it, live it, love it.

[waistdeep]

I like to drink my coffee and have a bagle in the morning as I drive along looking for tracks. Some times I see a very fresh track with a deer actually standing in this track. I just put down my coffee and shoot the buger right there, then I phone for some reinforcements and when they arrive we look for the tracks to find the deer lying dead in them. We follow our tracks out of the woods draggin the deer and whoala!!! our truck.

yep, reading tracks takes great skill

Merry Christmas

[Caveman]

Something else to think about is if you know the terrain, where is this track going? Is it leading to food or to a bedding area. This will also lend a hint on how fresh the track maybe. In snow I pay real attention to all tracks I cross, then if back tracking whether something has crossed mine. As said, you're looking for debris or loose snow, dry over turned dirt as opposed to what is around it. Wind direction, no matter how slight, will dictate travel. Patterns change with the wind. Don't follow the track step for step. Parallel it in half circles. Deer like to keep track of the trails they travel, so I like to be 25 yards or so off the trail so not as noticable following the track. Definately way easier in snow, but if you can determine the general direction you will be successful.

[Jelvis]

Rock bluffs, knobby hills, higher portion of a ridge is where you'll see deer under usual use, but mitigating factors also involved, what time of the season, what type of deer? Snow depth, hunting pressure @ the time, rut, numbers of animals in the area, clearcutting a honey hole, access changes, beetle kill, wind, you could spout off all night long so what's the summary here.
Read the bush--a novel--a mystery--a fiction--fact-learnit!
Jellness here's to your wellness--CHEERS! have another 1. lol

[dino]

Ok Jelly how do you determine how old a bed is or a wallow of a moose or elk.Do I look for how bad it stinks? How fresh are the droppings? Try to see if the bed is warm compared to the surrounding area. Give us a hint my hunting guru.:razz:Oh ya I forgot with no snow around thats to easy.

[Fisher-Dude]

Rock bluffs, knobby hills

I thought Rocky Bluffs and Knobby Hills were old beer drinkin' buddies of yours Jelly?

[Caveman]

I thought Rocky Bluffs and Knobby Hills were old beer drinkin' buddies of yours Jelly?

Uncle and Girlfriend I believe.........:p

[NaStY]

I read "bush", one hair at a time......

[Dirty]

Reading bush is like reading between the lines. They both take another aspect to make them work. Reading between the lines takes your mind. Reading bush takes your sense of smell. At any rate they both take the discretion of the observer before taking any action or making any conclusions.

Dr.Dirty

[Jelvis]

Remember that real old saying, "I can't see the forest for the trees." What does that famous saying represent in simpler terms?---anyone.
Jel-I can't see the forest for the trees? Answer in simple terms.

[Jelvis]

dino---I honestly don't know a heck of a lot about the elk wallows or moose wallows and how fresh. But if you see evidence of an animal track in shallow water and there is mud floating around off the bottom---fairly fresh.
Time of rut is constant and will increase noises and sightings of wild animals cuz they travel more looking for partners and become more vocal and loco.
When you find a bedding area well used and see where an animal laid, sit down on that spot and look and see what the animal would see, over the topography.
Just a tip or two to help on reading the bush---
Jel-cya soon-what about moon phases? So much on your plate.

[dino]

Remember that real old saying, "I can't see the forest for the trees." What does that famous saying represent in simpler terms?---anyone.
Jel-I can't see the forest for the trees? Answer in simple terms.
Dont look to hard for something when its probebly right in front of you.





Hey jelly I know about getting the view from an animals bed. I hear ya, especially with muleys. Usually over looking below and usually near the top of a knoll or rock bluff or high in the timber above feeding areas Ive seen deer in the alpine bed down so high up that their is no vegetation around just rocks and where the deer tracks end the goat tracks begin. I do find beds in areas where their very visible, and seem to be poor vantage points so Im assumeing their probebly does? I also notice something else, during the rut, I swear that I can sometimes smell a buck while hikeing. Its probebly just me being to excited but it I do sometimes see bucks soon after. Does this ever happen to you or anyone else out there.

[hunter1947]

Ok Jelly how do you determine how old a bed is or a wallow of a moose or elk.Do I look for how bad it stinks? How fresh are the droppings? Try to see if the bed is warm compared to the surrounding area. Give us a hint my hunting guru.:razz:Oh ya I forgot with no snow around thats to easy.

When you find a wallow that looks used I take a stick and stir the water up if the water does not change in color then it has been used within that day.
The tracks leading to the wallow as for leaving gives you a big idea how long ago the animal was there.

[Jelvis]

If you smell the musky pungent odor of a buck it could be where he was making a rut scrape with his front hooves in the dirt and leaves and needles then urinating in it and making an odor all deer will have to smell if they cross his area.
Smell is used by animals and sometimes we can smell the odor too. ah ah he he lol.
Jel--listen look and smell-read the pungent odor. Check it!

[hunter1947]

If you smell the musky pungent odor of a buck it could be where he was making a rut scrape with his front hooves in the dirt and leaves and needles then urinating in it and making an odor all deer will have to smell if they cross his area.
Smell is used by animals and sometimes we can smell the odor too. ah ah he he lol.
Jel--listen look and smell-read the pungent odor. Check it!

Good point jel ,smell and don't drink the wallow water :biggrin:.

[GoatGuy]

If you smell the musky pungent odor of a buck it could be where he was making a rut scrape with his front hooves in the dirt and leaves and needles then urinating in it and making an odor all deer will have to smell if they cross his area.
Smell is used by animals and sometimes we can smell the odor too. ah ah he he lol.
Jel--listen look and smell-read the pungent odor. Check it!

What kind of deer jelly?

[Jelvis]

Whitetails do more ground scrapes than mule deer but muleys will make em and use a dance with his back legs grinding and p ing, kinda a yearly thing around all of November, whitetails use ground ruts more apparently.
Whitetails rut two weeks later than muleys according to the popular belief.
Plus deer have glands by the inside of their eyes which excrete glandular dillusions of supreme street fighting abilities to scrap it out with other bucks their same general size and aggressiion.
Glands between their hooves too.
Jel-Glandular excretions-

[dino]

OK jelly got another one for you. When hikeing and I jump a couple of deer "muleys" I watch to see where they go and I notice that they tend to run for cover back to where they just were. I think its like they are thinking "lets go back to where it was safe, run and hide and see if were are being fallowed " This is when I decide to try and flank in the direction where I think the landscape is safest for them.Head them off at the pass as it were. thats if I saw a shooter worth going after. Have you or do you ever do this?

[Jelvis]

Hey dino, if I see a nice buck and it goes in a certain direction, I go slow, check wind. A big buck will be inside the cover or at least into the edge of cover behind bushes. He'll run a ways curl back a bit and stop. A young buck will stop sometimes in the thinner bush and give himself up by ignorance.
I think your talking about making a circle to get a look. Mule deer like to keep you in sight, all the time and if you hide and they lose you, they get nervous and start making distance. So if they got you pegged don't hide let them watch at you go real slow.
Deer tend to go up for safety, or a big buck can lay on the edge of a ridge and down he goes into the thicket bye bye.
Know the ridges cuz they are travel routes for mule deer.
Know your country and know your prey.
Escape routes, crossovers, migration trails, feed trails to bedding etc. All important if you know where active deer trails are and what their function is. Then you and a hunting partner can set a buck up and when he runs from you, he runs into your partner or vice versa.
Jelly Bean-study the bush.

[Walksalot]

A whitetail make scrapes because it is a territorial animal. It comes back to check the scrapes periodically to see if a doe came calling as the doe will urinate in the scrape to attract the buck. I have watched whitetail bucks bed down wind of it's scrape and air scent it. This is why hunters set up beside a scrape line using a ground blind or tree stand. The problem with scrape hunting is if the buck finds a doe in heat it will stick like glue to that doe and a hunter can sit over a scrape line for a long time before the buck has finished with the doe and returns to it's scrape line. The direction the dirt is flung tells the hunter the direction from which the buck entered the scrape.

Mule deer , however, are nomadic and the buck strikes up a love them and leave them mission and they can travel a great distance. Many times I have watched a mule deer buck rub it's back tarsal glands together while grunting but I have never seen them make scrapes. Mule deer use migration corridors when going from their summer to winter ranges. This usually starts in October and goes through to December. As the snow accumulates in the high country the exodus intensifies. This is why hunters go after the mule deer in the late season as the bucks, as they enter the rut, search these corridors for receptive does and throw caution to the wind at this time of year.

[Jelvis]

----------Read it, study it, write it, live it, and then test it.
--and then we'll all pass the test on how to read the bush.
-What do you see in the bush-that tells you the hunter where the deer are?
--Write it, we'll read it then test it-like Sir Walksalot did.
Let your fingers tickle the key board and tell it like you read it.
Jel-you write it we'll test it. CHOW!

[Bowtime]

I have found it is important to know an area. If it's a new area, study maps. Try to predict where they might be. How they travel. Where they go. Why they go there. Food, water.
I have learned when you are looking at a track, they are weather dependent on how much they will help you. Frosty mornings, fresh snow, raining. Try taking measurements so you know what size track your looking for in the future.
I find it more important to follow a track (even if it's not fresh) to find a rub or scrape. This will tell you more about the size and moods of an animal.

[Jelvis]

Bowtime---you can read and write. You said,-------
1. It is important to know an area.
2. Study maps
3. Make educated predictions on the deers travel route.
4. Where are the deer going?
5. Locate food and water
6. Weather plays a big part in reading tracks
7. Take track size comparisons for a learning tool.
8. Follow tracks to locate rubs or scrapes.
Eight excellent points to help read the bush.
Jel--Dino's impressed with all 8.

[Jelvis]

Somebody else going to help write how to read the bush.
Your trix and your method to read the bush like a paper back novel --
We gotta know your observations and how you get those animals by reading the bush -- what do you see ? --
How about a sentence or two --- tricks and know how --- 2 read --
JP --

[gary murray]

I know Im gonna take a beating on this one. I'm wondering if anyone will help us guys out who are trying to learn to read the land for game. When I first started to hunt I never really had any training on how to see how old a track is, so I cut the shin off a deer and started to make my own tracks and watched how they looked over time. Ive learned some other tricks since then, hopefully some of you can share some of your trade secrets.
I never had any training either. I was born in Scotland, raised in England and moved here at 13. Most of what i learned was trial and error. Didn't have a dad or grandfather that hunted to show me and it was years before i got my first deer. The only thing i could suggest is get out there before the season and walk the deer trails. Observe tracks and rubs along with droppings. If you see some deer or any other game for that matter, sit down and watch them. Go online and type in lets say whitetail deer and you'll get a bit of info on them from their habits and food.

[dino]

I ve been setting up trail cams lately and learning more. I feel like its cheating but I dont have the luxury of living close to the mountains. One more thing ive learned is how nocturnal the bucks are. Ive got pics of bucks only at night and how the mule deer do pattern, not as reliable as a whitey but they do pattern.The next time out setting up the cams its going to be in thick timber above a draw to a feeding area.

[silvertipp]

just watch man tracker all the info you need

[hunter1947]

Here is what I look for when hunting a animal of my chose ,tracks ,rubs ,runways ,water ,bedding areas ,scats ,food all tell me that the animal I am hunting is in this area.

When I set up my tail cam I have to find all of the above things mentioned before I put it in an area.

[Jelvis]

Reading the tales of the bush -- tracks are very important -- if you see what appears to be fresh tracks then the deer might still be in the general area -- deer droppings if fresh are a greeney moist color not black and dried out -- find a deer trail that goes across a slope and follow it until it kinda fades out and then slow down and see where the deer disperse to -- they fan out usually on a flat spot near water or buck brush -- this area is where you should pay attention cus you could find a bedding area --
Jel -- read it -- explore it -- remember it.

[Jelvis]

Any other readers out there, reading the bush for bucks.
I say read the ridges and topography and plan a hunt by what you see.
Jel .. Help dino write a book ..

[carnivore]

The freshest tracks are the ones that the deer is still standing in!!!:-D

[Mr. Dean]

One more thing ive learned is how nocturnal the bucks are. Ive got pics of bucks only at night and how the mule deer do pattern, not as reliable as a whitey but they do pattern.

I believe both comments to be true.

Better than 'average' DO seem to like the dark. I have also found deer in the pre season, standing in the exact same spots, at the same time of day, a full month later [yes, same deer too].

But that is early season, not so sure when the frost starts setting in heavy.....

[sawmill]

Here is what I look for when hunting a animal of my chose ,tracks ,rubs ,runways ,water ,bedding areas ,scats ,food all tell me that the animal I am hunting is in this area.

When I set up my tail cam I have to find all of the above things mentioned before I put it in an area.

Post some pics from that there "tail cam " Wayne:mrgreen::mrgreen:

[Jelvis]

Who else is a good reader? Show us a trick or two to read the bush better for hunting animules.
Read us a bedtime story about reading the bushes for deer and other wild creatures.
Jel .. Dino approves this message ..
Hint .. When you learned how to read English what things did you first learn
It's the same thing reading the bush? Guess ............................................?!?!

[srupp]

hmmmm ....one thing I keep coming back to over and over and over again..was something that Jim Zumbo mentioned when he came through "the Pond" many years ago..

We "see" but dont connect the dots...and years later I agree more and more...The SINGULAR most important question is 'WHY"

When you see bear hair on a strand of fencing wire..? why?? why here?? why was he/ 'she crossing here?

when You see the deer tracks heading anywhere..WHY here??what was the animal doing ? why here?? why now?? why why talk it out the basics..cover terrain..bedding..food..water escape terraine..preditors..

why why why..it is suprising what you really do know..when you take the situation apart piece by piece asking why why why..

success through expeience...every time you ask why and you ANSWER more of the puzzle you learn.,. and next time you will draw back on this one and you progress..

I ask why the tracks are there?? why are they the pattern>???? running?? wandering ie feeding?? pushed ?? or calm?? why?? food items associated with deer feed?? why?? headed to water?? why headed up to a ridge to sleep?? why then ""??when you ask why you examine everything you have previously learned and know and put it into the equation...

I remember a place that I hunted moose..and drew a tag again but all the moose tracks were showing signs of running and fast movement at night...why?? why should the moose go nocturnal?? and then be running..at night?? the tracks were 'normal" showing typical impressions not deep imprints with scattered dirt from high speed running..but normal walking stride...

so what was happeing ?? why were they now running after dark?? why??

preitors?? but no animals wolf or other tracks did I see.....

so the next night I went and sat on a ridge and watched the area...and I saw the preditor... several trucks of poachers working the night shift while I was asleep in my trailer they were out harvesting;' for sustenace" !!!!!!...had a chat with 3 truck loads of individuals..

One truck had a BED FRAME on the back of the truck box and a couple off individuals sat facing the sides with 2 "LADIES" with big lights...


why solved the question even when the answer wasnt the one I expected..

Steven

[hunter1947]

Road below you you hike up hill but don't go over the top when you want to head back its down its down hill all the way back to the road can't get lost LOL.

[Big Lew]

-----I hunted with a fella who had a rifle for deer and a scope that must ah cost him a thousand bucks.
He had a piece of 3 inch thread hangin down under the front of his barrell to gauge the winds direction.
My point there's more than one way to skin a buck.
Jelly the BUCK STOPS HERE! lol. Read it, live it, love it.

I don't have a thousand dollar scope, so it wasn't me you saw, but I have always put 4-5 inches of flossing thread, fluffed out, on my rifle barrel tip, and on my bow....it can detect the slightest breeze, and more importantly, keep me up to date on swirling winds.

[Big Lew]

I practiced a lot in my earlier years of hunting, using a good deal of the information others have already posted. In dry areas, where tracks can look fresh for several hours, I get down close and watch the track very intently for a couple of minutes. Quite often you will see a bent blade of grass, or a small bit of debris move....if so, it's been made within 20 min. or so. "Jel" mentioned that mature mulie bucks like to keep you in sight if you haven't spooked them. So true, I have located big bucks bedded on high ridges overlooking flats and near the tops of ravines, with no way of sneaking close enough for a shot. I have been successful in getting close enough by slowly and steadily walking out in the open as if I didn't know they were there and was going past them, but at an angle that would get me close enough for the shot.

[dino]

I hear ya! But if you can practice shooting out 5 - 700 yards your options start to get better. I see those bucks every year up in the rocks and soon they will have more to worry about.

[Jelvis]

You fellas got it, dino and big lew, the rocks, the rocks. (Rocky Mountain) mule deer.
They love rocks and rocky slopes with some big trees to get under.
If you can shoot far with surety then yah why not? Those rocky slopes get treacherous for humans when they are wet with rain or worse fresh wet snow and if you follow a big buck down a steep slope on rock you better know what your doing every step of the way.
Read the rocks, read the trees, read the slopes, look under the trees from a distance with glass during the year. You will see the deer but getting there is a whole nother story.
Jel .. Read and learn

[pappy]

Good thread, I have always watched what the local deer are doing around the houses in different situations ( weather, when theres a predator hanging around and seasonal changes) to help me anticipate what they could be doing in the places where I can shoot them. That was on the island, so its a little different hunting for the rest of B.C. Its still something to learn from and apply to other species of deer.

[dino]

How many of you out there can tell if the type of animal your hunting is in your immediate area or not when you see no tracks or droppings? I personally dont need to see these usual clues but it is always nice to see. Lots of area I hunt has very little sine but that doesnt mean their not there.

[MichelD]

Something I learned a long long time ago from my dad was to look at the road bank if you're heading into a new area.

Road hunting for tracks is what it is. It's only one small tool in the tool box, but if there's any game in the area at all, they will cross the road eventually and you can tell if it's frequent or just occasional.

It can give you a clue where to stop and start really looking off the road.

[Big Lew]

Something I learned a long long time ago from my dad was to look at the road bank if you're heading into a new area.

Road hunting for tracks is what it is. It's only one small tool in the tool box, but if there's any game in the area at all, they will cross the road eventually and you can tell if it's frequent or just occasional.

It can give you a clue where to stop and start really looking off the road.

When using this method to determine if deer have been, or are in a specific area, you have to also get out and have a good, close look. Tracks that have been there for a very long time can look fresh from the window of a vehicle. You can tell much from these tracks. Are they only heading in one direction (migrating) Are tracks of about the same age and reasonably fresh, going both up and down the bank (good possibility you're in the right area) Are the tracks mainly from does and fawns (you're likely in a nursery area, and will see mostly does, fawns, and forked spikes) And best of all, are there a lot of tracks going both ways in a concentrated area (a natural funneling, and a great place to try your luck, especially if you can pick a stump or something with a view and sit for awhile.

[Jelvis]

Reading tracks is an experience that someone wiser will pass on with hands on track evaluation in a natural deer or moose habitat setting.
When you first learn and get curious about hunting big game and go with a real hunter with decades of bush knowledge he or she can teach quick on the spot.
How old is the track, which way is it going, how big is the animal, how deep was the track in the earth, what was the earth surface like for texture, snow or mud, gravel and sand all have their own texture with different amounts of moisture too.
Tracks tell you, there was an animal standing right there, wow I'm here now, where are they all hiding at this time.
Deer droppings is what I like to see, fresh, and lots cuz a deer can go every three hours or so.
If they are real fresh you are close to a deer.
Jel .. Be curious about your prey, learn where they live and dwell .. then b there ..

[Jelvis]

I read the bush literally because I buy the newspaper made out of the trees and bush.
Dino Pallameeno. lol, Chow Let's talk reading skills.
Jello Mello .. trails and ridges

[RayHill]

Time in learning to listen to your gut is huge. I don't know how many times I knew I was going to see something before I saw it. ( I always conveniently forget the times I had that feeling and didn't see anything.)

So true, I have got a few animals on the way out of the bush because I had a felling to go and check a spot.

[bosca]

Hey dino, if I see a nice buck and it goes in a certain direction, I go slow, check wind. A big buck will be inside the cover or at least into the edge of cover behind bushes. He'll run a ways curl back a bit and stop. A young buck will stop sometimes in the thinner bush and give himself up by ignorance.
I think your talking about making a circle to get a look. Mule deer like to keep you in sight, all the time and if you hide and they lose you, they get nervous and start making distance. So if they got you pegged don't hide let them watch at you go real slow.
Deer tend to go up for safety, or a big buck can lay on the edge of a ridge and down he goes into the thicket bye bye.
Know the ridges cuz they are travel routes for mule deer.
Know your country and know your prey.
Escape routes, crossovers, migration trails, feed trails to bedding etc. All important if you know where active deer trails are and what their function is. Then you and a hunting partner can set a buck up and when he runs from you, he runs into your partner or vice versa.
Jelly Bean-study the bush.

Jel...I'm relatively new to the site so I read a lot more than I write and I don't know who's shot what or how many or how big but I have to say that when I manage to cut through the mumbo jumbo Jellyisms there are some very fun de mental truths within. Good advice from you to the up and comers. I can sure tell you have put in the time in da bush.
Cheers

[Paulyman]

I said it before and I'll say it again. Thanks to Jel 2 years ago I got a moose up north with my Uncle. He said exactly where I should concentrate my search for a moose and sure enough we got one.
Jel...I'm relatively new to the site so I read a lot more than I write and I don't know who's shot what or how many or how big but I have to say that when I manage to cut through the mumbo jumbo Jellyisms there are some very fun de mental truths within. Good advice from you to the up and comers. I can sure tell you have put in the time in da bush.
Cheers

[rides bike to work]

If the tracks you are following are heading up hill then there's fresh poop chances are the deer is going to bed down if the tracks turn and start paralleling the hillside the deer might be watching you already take avoid look around check your wind and plan a stalk .

What about wind direction and how that's effects deer travel patterns on one trip we noticed when the wind was blowing down in the morning the deer were down low on the mountain then by the afternoon the wind direction changed blowing up hill and the animals were all at higher elevations by the third day just by the wind we new the general elevation to look .

[dino]

If the tracks you are following are heading up hill then there's fresh poop chances are the deer is going to bed down if the tracks turn and start paralleling the hillside the deer might be watching you already take avoid look around check your wind and plan a stalk .

What about wind direction and how that's effects deer travel patterns on one trip we noticed when the wind was blowing down in the morning the deer were down low on the mountain then by the afternoon the wind direction changed blowing up hill and the animals were all at higher elevations by the third day just by the wind we new the general elevation to look .

I hear ya, I see that behavior with elk and muleys but not with moose or whiteys. Ive seen whiteys come up from the bottom to feed and go back down again.