NEW Hunter needs INFO

Thames_USMC · Rookie Member Joined: Mar 02, 2008 Posts: 5

I am a new hunter or should I say I have not hunted sense I was about 17 and I am 44 now. I want to know if you can judge about how old or big a deer is by the size of the tracks it leaves ?? If so I have a couple of photos of at least 1 deer maybe 2 that has some big tracks by a water hole and they come through a trail the deer are using to get to this water. If no photos show up with this message email me and I will send you some photos of some tracks and a trail they are using.

Thanks for any help you might be able to give me,
Jeff

Vince · Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 8:24 pm Post subject: Re: NEW Hunter needs INFO

Gidday Jeff.

No pics mate....but that may be because of the way you are trying to post them.

If you have them on your computer, then you can post them as an attachment. If you want to put them in as an embedded pic then you need to have them in a picture hosting website such as Photo Bucket.

Cheers, Vince

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

Thames_USMC wrote:

I am a new hunter or should I say I have not hunted sense I was about 17 and I am 44 now. I want to know if you can judge about how old or big a deer is by the size of the tracks it leaves ?? If so I have a couple of photos of at least 1 deer maybe 2 that has some big tracks by a water hole and they come through a trail the deer are using to get to this water. If no photos show up with this message email me and I will send you some photos of some tracks and a trail they are using.

Thanks for any help you might be able to give me,
Jeff

What kind of deer are we talking about here... Whitetails? Mule Deer? Blacktails?

-DallanC

Bushmaster · Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 6:12 am Post subject: Re: NEW Hunter needs INFO

Thames_USMC...Welcome to this fine site...

The size of a hoof print of a deer is determined by the age, species, nutrition and the type of terrain it traverses. The more rocky the more worn down the hoof. I've seen some large prints and found a small deer at the end of them because they were living in mostly non-rocky terrain (the Northwest). Ive found some large deer with smallish hooves at the end of a tracking on very rocky terrain (the Southern Sierras)...But yes...The bigger the deer supposedly the larger the hoof and print.

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

Also, concider that a very large deer carrys alot of weight... and that means when it presses down on a rear hoof the dewclaws will imprint on the dirt.

-DallanC

OntheLasGallinas · Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 12:47 pm Post subject: Re: NEW Hunter needs INFO

I've seen some really big feet on old does, but we don't have the rocky terrain to wear the hooves down. I don’t know about mule deer, but white tail buck tracks (the hooves) will be spread and doe tracks won’t (unless they are bogging in soft soil or mud).

That said, I don’t think I would count on track size to judge the age of a deer, unless you want to know if it’s a fawn or an older deer and only if you’re satisfied with a wide variety of approximations. There are too many environmental and genetic variables, just like people.

Oh yes, welcome to the forums.

Cary