Hey meatseeker as you can tell by the responses tracks are not a reliable source to age deer. Two many variables to include such as body traits, ground density and water content etc.. If you are serious, I am guessing you are very new to this. Keep asking questions if that is the case. You may take some heat but its really the only way to learn.
A deer track means nothing. Like stated...200" whitetails can have small feet and a 60" whitetail could have big feet. splayed toes, dew claws...none of it matters. Now, ive heard of deer with a broken hoof that made tracking him individually easier, but thats a rare case. Also, the Benoits have made a name for themselves tracking deer, but they are a different breed.
I think the "size" of the track can be important, as well as length of stride and how deep into the dirt the track is can indicate you are hunting a heavier and therefore more mature deer. If you see a bunch of small tracks with only a little indent in the earth, and a bigger track that is pressed down deeper, you can assume that is the more mature animal. Hal Blood has some vids on youtube which are pretty good. But on the whole most people don't put a whole lot of stock into reading tracks as it isn't super reliable to the untrained eye(like mine), it is better to learn a bucks habits, keep an eye on the ground, try to find main trails and figure out where the deer are going, they are always looking to feed, drink, or bed down in safety. Figure out where they are bedding, where they like to go for food, and the routes they take to get from Point A to B. This will help you become a better woodsmen and hopefully a better deer killer Keep in mind also their food sources change as we go from spring to summer and more importantly, from summer to fall. Keep Scouting!
It really is too bad that stupidity and sarcasm have to enter into seemingly everything. It is a wonder that anyone posts questions or that the forum continues, with such negativity in the tone of responses. How is a person to learn, if they do not ask questions? Should we not as a community of bowhunters be helping to educate rather than shunning and humiliating? Grow up. Now, as a few thankfully mentioned, there are many variables, so a track is not a good predictor of size. Points not included thus far would be the nature of the material the track was made in, the moisture content of that material and the duration of time elapsed since the track was left. Hard dry materials will be more resistant to an imprint and expand less as the material dries because it is already dry. Conversely, soft moisture laden materials allow for a deeper imprint and will change more as the material dries. The best example of this can be seen with tracks in snow which after a few days can appear huge with melting from the origin of that track point. The old adage that a bigger track is a bigger deer is not necessarily true. However, it stands to reason that when all things are considered, a deeper print may be a heavier animal, which may be a bigger deer and bigger deer tend to be bucks. Thanks for posting a good question and sorry on behalf of those who did not provide a mature and reasonable response. T
i'll be the first to say I was just poking fun. if you are new to this by all means ask and we shall answer. I think most everyone is kust kidding around.
Yea don't take anything too seriously here meatseeker. Thick skin is a must. Check out this article http://wiredtohunt.com/2013/06/04/deer-tracks-taking-a-closer-look/ Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
I would think now isn't the time of the season to get all bent out of shape over some friendly jokes. I believe it was all in good fun. sent from my mini hand held phone
Not trying to be a smarta** at all, but that track could've easily been made by a doe as well as a buck. If you don't see the deer standing in it, it is very difficult to make the assumption as to the sex of the deer that made it. Hope this helps.
Thanks for sticking up for the OP but this forum is definitely not worse than Archerytalk. Lots of blow hards and self promoters there. The guys and gals here like to joke, but at the end of the day they want to help out instead of self promote. If things go south I definitely want them in my network of friends.
