Ask me a tracking question

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Boogieman1
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Re: Ask me a tracking question

Unread postby Boogieman1 » Tue Jul 11, 2017 12:02 pm

Greetings Magic,

I got a tracking question I'm curious about. Say u pick up a track of a mature buck and catch up with him and realize he just isn't quite what u were looking for let's say he's 4 1/2. Fast forward one year under the exact same conditions that u followed him at 4 1/2 would u expect to find his track again in basically the same location.


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magicman54494
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Re: Ask me a tracking question

Unread postby magicman54494 » Tue Jul 11, 2017 2:16 pm

Boogieman1 wrote:Greetings Magic,

I got a tracking question I'm curious about. Say u pick up a track of a mature buck and catch up with him and realize he just isn't quite what u were looking for let's say he's 4 1/2. Fast forward one year under the exact same conditions that u followed him at 4 1/2 would u expect to find his track again in basically the same location.


Yes,yes, yes, yes....... did I say yes? lol
they are 100% creatures of habit. I find the same buck using the same routes year after year. They will continue to use the same routes unless something changes such as doe bedding, food, clear cutting, hunting pressure, etc.

When I get to know a buck I can often tell you where he will cross thru an area that may be a mile or more away from where I find his track. This is a very important point for every hunter even if they dont track. The north woods are huge but in all reality if you do your homework you can shrink square miles down to square feet.
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Re: Ask me a tracking question

Unread postby Boogieman1 » Fri Jul 14, 2017 10:44 am

Last one Magic, I meant to include it in my last question but 4got. I'm curious how big of property (acerage wise) would u have to have b4 u even attempted a tracking job?
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magicman54494
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Re: Ask me a tracking question

Unread postby magicman54494 » Fri Jul 14, 2017 11:32 am

Boogieman1 wrote:Last one Magic, I meant to include it in my last question but 4got. I'm curious how big of property (acerage wise) would u have to have b4 u even attempted a tracking job?

the bigger, the better of course but why not try on small pieces. the worst that can happen is you dont get him and then you are no worse off then when you started.
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Boogieman1
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Re: Ask me a tracking question

Unread postby Boogieman1 » Fri Jul 14, 2017 11:55 am

I guess it's the fear of the unknown lol. I got the same feeling about setting up in the bedroom. Both tactics are fundamentally sound and highly effective. But the battle in my head is on small acerage with the amount of time I have to weather the storm, it becomes a worry of tipping my hand in regards to laying up and playing it safe and betting on the numbers game.
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Re: Ask me a tracking question

Unread postby Uncle Beans » Sat Dec 09, 2017 11:22 am

Picking up some tracking snow in VA tonight. I have been glued to the forum and Magic’s podcast all day. I plan to get an early start, find some tracks and learn something tomorrow. Should be a great day of hunting regardless of whether or not I fill the cooler.

Thanks to everyone for all of the tips and inspiration!
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Re: Ask me a tracking question

Unread postby <DK> » Sat Dec 09, 2017 11:34 am

Uncle Beans wrote:Picking up some tracking snow in VA tonight. I have been glued to the forum and Magic’s podcast all day. I plan to get an early start, find some tracks and learn something tomorrow. Should be a great day of hunting regardless of whether or not I fill the cooler.

Thanks to everyone for all of the tips and inspiration!


Good bump and good luck! You just made a few of us jealous ;)
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Re: Ask me a tracking question

Unread postby Uncle Beans » Sun Dec 10, 2017 1:08 pm

No mature deer here after today but learned a lot about travel patterns of the deer, located a few areas of interest for post-season scouting, and stayed warm on the move all day. I have a lot of respect for you successful trackers out there.
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Re: Ask me a tracking question

Unread postby Boogieman1 » Sun Dec 10, 2017 2:41 pm

Any of u trackers ever had a mature buck track you? I've heard several people tell me that while still hunting in the snow when they went to leave they went back the way they came and got in a head on with a big buck. Then noticed his track right in the middle of everyone of there tracks. I never get snow but was interesting to hear them tell it.
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Re: Ask me a tracking question

Unread postby wolverinebuckman » Sun Dec 10, 2017 11:21 pm

cool info! We got a little snow here (se Michigan) yesterday. I'm heading out this am to see what's been moving around out there. We have just over 2 weeks left of the season. I feel it is time to get real aggressive.
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Re: Ask me a tracking question

Unread postby Catskills » Tue Dec 12, 2017 1:33 am

Uncle Beans wrote:No mature deer here after today but learned a lot about travel patterns of the deer, located a few areas of interest for post-season scouting, and stayed warm on the move all day. I have a lot of respect for you successful trackers out there.


I had a similar day yesterday helping my brother try and fill his buck tag. Got 4-5inches of snow in NY on our last day of the regular firearms season. And after hearing the podcast on tracking we were excited to give it a shot. I located a track near this bucks popular rub spot. We followed it up and over the shawanagunks and even stumbled upon 3 of his beds that he must have just been in. Never caught up to him but had a lot of fun and learned a lot. I hope we get snow in November next year to do it again!
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Re: Ask me a tracking question

Unread postby Strenke629 » Tue Dec 12, 2017 7:24 am

So a few weeks back I tracked a buck for the first time and I gotta tell you it was one of my most memorable hunts so far, even tho I didnt even get a glimpse of the buck. I just want to tell you a quick summary of it and Im wondering where I went wrong. So I got on a nice track that crossed a human trail. I followed it through open timber and shortly after I realized the buck was with a doe (this was during the rut). It was noticeably fresh, crisp edges on the track, flicked up snow, all that. I followed it to an obviously fresh scrape, then shortly after I followed it to a fresh rub, there was tree shavings on top of the snow. It's kinda funny too cuz a few days before I was wondering what super fresh sign looked like. lol. up to this point I was assuming that the sign was made that night - early morning. So I followed the track through the open timber, then it went into a thick tamarack swamp which was around 40 acres in size maybe.. I decided to push through and continue with the track into the swamp. long story short, I bumped the deer in that small swamp, I continued on following but eventually ran out of light.

1.) looking back now, I assumed he was bedding in that swamp. at that point should I have abandoned the track and walked the transition edge glassing into the swamp to try to locate him?
2.) the buck didn't j-hook or enter into the swamp with the wind in his face, will this not be as consistent if hes with a doe?
3.) whats your thought process when running into those crucial decisions about what to do next?
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Re: Ask me a tracking question

Unread postby mauser06 » Thu Dec 14, 2017 2:21 am

Strenke, I'm no expert tracker..but learning enough to be a small threat to deer.

Recognizing when a deer is heading to bedding is often the key to killing him.

Once you see that coming up, it's time to throw the brakes on and really start moving slow. A step at a time constantly scanning..you're looking and listening for that buck to make the fatal mistake. Often times he will. If the wind is right and you move slowly enough you can often get very close before he knows you're there.

I killed a buck still hunting a few years ago..it was raining. Walking was quiet. The rain was loud. Wind was in my favor. I had dad out on a point to catch anything I bumped. Really, I was to be doing a 1 man push to dad. But I recognized the conditions were right for me and not for him.

I came up the hill and I knew there was a knob on an old logging trail. As I neared it, I knew it likely had a buck bedding on it. I worked it cautiously. A step at a time and the rifle and the lowered ready.

As I rounded the knob he sprang from his bed. He made about 1 good leap and I sent the round and dropped him. He was maybe 8 feet out of his bed. I was within 20 yards of him.

Recognizing bedding and when a track is heading to bed is what separated a guy that follows tracks from the successful tracker.


I remember my first buck track I ever took up. It was around 10-12 years ago. I came across a track that was just BIG. I figured I'd give it a shot. I follow it as it walks a bottom. All the sudden it makes a right turn. Like a doofus, I follow it. Right to a steaming bed. Lol. Now that I know more about buck bedding, I feel like I may have been able to kill that buck. It was a completely obvious J hook. Obvious bedding location. I just lacked the experience and was simply following tracks.

Like I said, I'm no pro. Part of my struggle is it's rare we have tracking snow.

This late season I am hopeful that we do have tracking snow and I can track. I love it. Just don't get to do it often.
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Re: Ask me a tracking question

Unread postby hunter_mike » Thu Dec 14, 2017 2:50 am

Magic,

When there is no snow, are you still able to key in on tracks enough to help you pick where you will be hunting? Like when you found that big rub earlier this fall, did you find tracks on bare ground that gave you some clues on where to set up. Tracks that 90% of other hunters would not have picked up on?
“The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.”
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Re: Ask me a tracking question

Unread postby headgear » Thu Dec 14, 2017 3:10 am

Strenke629 wrote:1.) looking back now, I assumed he was bedding in that swamp. at that point should I have abandoned the track and walked the transition edge glassing into the swamp to try to locate him?
2.) the buck didn't j-hook or enter into the swamp with the wind in his face, will this not be as consistent if hes with a doe?
3.) whats your thought process when running into those crucial decisions about what to do next?


I'm not an experience tracker by any means but here is my advice based on limited tracking time and things I have picked up.

1. I would not abandon the track, then you are just guessing and hoping unless you know they might be bedding in a specific area. Even then you just don't know for sure, especially if they are with a doe. However like mentioned already if you suspect he is in there stay on the track and you are in ultra slow stalking mode. Have ot be quiet and have your head on a swivel, you need to try and spot him in any direction before he spots you or be ready to shoot in a moments notice.

2. I don't know that it will ever be consistent, it really depends on the deer, the bed, the situation as a whole. In this case the doe probably played a roll, they can come in wind to back, wind to face, both could lead to J hooks or not, or they could come straight in. A more experienced tracker might tell a different story but I havn't seen enough to say they will do one over the other.

3. See number 1, but either way take your time and think it over, sometimes there is no right or wrong answer and you can get it done any number of ways. Other times they spot you and are long gone by the time you find the bed.

Hopefully magic will chime in because I would like to hear what he has to say.


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