Deer Tracking question

[Matthew Spangler]

I read a paper about how to read dear tracks to tell if a deer is a doe or a buck. The paper said that if you can find both front and rear tracks then you can tell because a Doe has wide rear hips for birthing and a Buck has wide front shoulder due to the larger chest and to support the antlers. I found some tracks while scouting on post one day and I'm not sure if what I found is a set of front and rear tracks or just two dear stepping in the same spot as there are a lot of deer using this path.

If my theory is correct though then this would be a doe's tracks

and this would be a bucks print

Anyone got any good guidance here?

 

[Pursuit Hunter]

I don't think it is possible to tell the difference.

 

[bigtex]

The only way I can tell is if the deer's still standing in them.

 

[mathews338]

i don't think you could tell them apart.

 

[Matthew Spangler]

Lol. Yeah when I look at them now I'm thinking, did I post the right one in the right place? But when I took them I was very convinced that these met the criteria.

Any truth to the theory though that a doe would leave a narrow front track and a buck a wide front track?

 

[birddog]

ive heard a version of that before except that does tracks will be on top or in line with each other and a bucks will be offset.

 

[catman529]

The first bow buck I killed had identifiable tracks cause his hind right foot was missing half of the hoof. I saw this weird non-split track when I was trying to blood track him, and the next day when he was found, I saw the broken hoof. Doesn't have much to do with your theory but you made me think of it. I don't know if you could really tell the diff between doe and buck tracks. Kind of like clumped up droppings is buck poop

 

[darn2ten]

When I used to run deer hounds, I would ride the dirt roads before daylight looking for tracks to put trail dogs on at daylight. A doe will usually step outside her front track with her rear. Also if just walking her rear track will usually overlap her front. A buck's rear track will usually fall behind his front , because they are usually longer in the torso, and be to the inside. I always liked the stubbier fat tracks and avoided the pointy heart shaped tracks. Notice how I said "usually", didn't always work but it "usually" held pretty true for me.