Poop or Prints? Better indicators?

[BOOTS!]

Hey all, was out scouting today and found to different FSR's with Deer signs on them.

The first was a steep switch back road up a mountain. Along the sides were numerous berry patches (salmon berries?) and a water bar here and there along with one large cut block. There was a LOT of bear scat, but i found several dried out piles of deer droppings.

The second was actually along a main branch, I got out to check out a cool looking vista and observed deer tracks in the soft dust beside the road. I followed them as best I could bust lost them when the road went rocky.

So, which is a better indicator? Lots of dried out poop or fresh looking prints?

I also so a whole bunch of grouse today, mostly hens with growing chicks. And one colour phased bear, he was red-brown on top with black legs. Very cool looking!

[358win]

Prints can tell you alot. Size, depth of track and direction. They also are good indicators of age if you keep in mind the past weather (last rain etc.)

[peashooter]

The best sign is tracks with the perpitrator still in them. For example the color phase bear. Seriously tracks are a good starting point but when you find a herd of deer, follow their patterns and food sources. Look for the cover where they may be bedding.

[pearljam]

you cant have poop with out the tracks........ you just might not be able to see them. if you were man tracker you wouldn't have a problem.

[CanuckShooter]

One thing to keep in mind: poop makes better soup than tracks.:wink:

[ytlogger]

you cant have poop with out the tracks........ you just might not be able to see them. if you were man tracker you wouldn't have a problem.

Never see MT checking poop of his 'prey'. Probably the sidekicks job.

[landphil]

I've been in areas with ample poop and prints, yet not seen anything, and seen animals without first seeing poop and prints. Often times you'll see animals where or when you least expect it. I suspect you are looking for an area to frequent come hunting season, in which case, more of both is generally good, especially when fresh, provided the poop/prints match up to your intended prey.

[RJ]

I'd say when it comes to either, the fresher the better. The animal could be quite a distance away if either is old

[BOOTS!]

A bit of common sense seems to apply here. (unlike my piss poor gramar and spelling last night)

Piles of droppings and foot prints only show what -has- been there.

What I am getting at though is that when you see a significant ammount of droppings in one area, fresh or otherwise, is that a good area to hunt or do fresh tracks mean you ought to follow them and try to find where the deer went?

To me, the significant ammount of droppings mean that not only are deer in the area but that they're spending time in the area enough to leave said piles.

[daywalker]

It all depends droppings tell you yes there is deer and that is about it. Tracks as stated above can give you a direction and realitive size of a deer but can be pretty hard some times. depending on were you are looking elevation wise just remember that come later in the season the deer are going to move. Especially heavy snow fall. Poop and lots of it is never a bad sign same with tracks but they usually go hand in hand. One can tell you one thing and the other something else.

[eaglesnester]

My son just came back from safari in South Africa hunting buff and lion. He said that his trackers were simply amazing. They could tell how long ago the critter was there, how old, how big, what direction, what sex. They could tell all of this from a combo of scat and tracks. Now these guys are true hunters for sure. The little pinko white man with the big gun must be a joke to these skilled men. They probably have big time laughs over the campfire at night about the stupid stuff that the white hunter pulls.

[bad arrow]

If the poop is fresh (experience will tell you the freshness) and there is several piles and lets say its around noon when you find it, I would choose a location downwind and plan an ambush for just before dark or perhaps the following morning. Tracks tell you that game is in the area but poop tells you where they have been feeding or where they are going to be feeding. A deer for example, that comes out to feed is alot less likely to be aware of his surroundings if he's confident in his feeding spot making it easier to make a nice clean kill. During the rut you might not find very much poop as a rutting buck wont be eating very much if at all so then tracks become more important. good luck

[hoochie]

One time I had to ponder the poop and the tracks. Had I come across an area where there had been many deer? or was it an area of one, two or a few deer over a long period of time? Lots of poop and tracks all over this one small patch. I learned that it was a few deer that visited often as apposed to a large number of deer all at once.