Tennessee Deer Talk: Do you think this was from a mature buck?

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#316214 - 07/27/07 06:32 PM

Re: Do you think this was from a mature buck? [Re: backstraps]

156p&y
10 Point

Registered: 10/23/01
Posts: 4097
Loc: Franklin Tn

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Some may say I'm full of it but I think you can defiantly tell between a buck and doe print. It has to be an older buck over 2.5 or 3.5 and he has to be walking. From that print you have there you really couldn't tell b/c the ground is so soft. If a deer's print is spread apart it doesn't necessarily mean "buck" both doe and bucks will leave prints with splayed toes in a lot of cases. The best way I can try to determine what I'm looking at is if the print is on rather firm ground, the deer is walking, and the hoof is almost touching at the at the rear (not spread way apart like the photo). The rear of the hoof will be a little over 2 inches wide. From what I've seen and observed a deer with a print wider than 2" in my area is usually a 3.5 year old and up with a body weight around 155-180 field dressed. The stride of the animal is also an indicator of maturity and so is the stance. Does often leave prints very close to one another and sometimes on top of each other. The buck's build is so different that his prints are usually wider apart from what a doe would leave. I guess he just doesn't want to walk like a sissy. Well I hope that may have helped someone out, just give it a try next time you find some prints and you might see what I'm talking about. The only way I've come up with this system so to call it, is from observing deer in the field and then investigating their prints. Every time I have a good deer that I want to harvest go around me or just out of range I'll check their prints when I leave the hunting ground. Rarely they'll have a notch missing or something that gives me a way to identify the tracks for future reference, but again that happens very very rarely that I can tell what deer left that track.

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#316689 - 07/28/07 12:15 AM

Re: Do you think this was from a mature buck? [Re: backstraps]

Rico
6 Point

Registered: 08/09/06
Posts: 547
Loc: Cumberland County

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Originally Posted By: backstraps

Set a trail camera up around and see if you can catch him. If you have figured out the deers pattern, take a rake out on a trail away from any food source you think he is traveling and rake a spot out smooth...set a camera watching over the clean area, and see if you can catch the deer making the track on camera. Worked for me manytimes!

yep. or dump 50lb of corn next to thr track and hang a cam. Then come back in 10 days $\:\)$

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#317313 - 07/28/07 08:15 PM

Re: Do you think this was from a mature buck? [Re: ]

statelineRUT
10 Point

Registered: 12/07/02
Posts: 3246
Loc: Michie, TN

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According to the QDM measurements they are as follows. It is the distance from tip of hoof to the dew claw.

Edited by statelineRUT (07/28/07 08:16 PM)

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