Global Sports: Learn The Sign Of Whitetail Deer

Friday, September 7, 2012

Learn The Sign Of Whitetail Deer

By Ethan O. Tanner


The white-tailed deer leave a number of obvious evidence of the activity. To search for these evidence, try to look for sign. Some sign is significant, some are more subtle. Deer suggest stories using the sign they leave. By simply examining sign, you gain information of their behavior and can organize your hunting plans.

Fresh scrapes can be encountered nearly all-year-round, although the majority of scrapes come into sight when breeding season commences. As the bachelor groups formed in summer break up and bucks develop into solo travelers, scraping activity rises considerably. This occurs a few weeks before the initial females breed.

New scrapes are present almost year-round, but the vast majority of scrapes present themselves when breeding time takes place. As the bachelor groups formed in warmer summer months split up and bucks grown to be solitary travelers, scraping activity rises drastically. This happens a few weeks ahead of the first females breed.

Typically, deer hunters use the words "runaway", "trail" and crossing interchangeably, but they are not exactly the same thing. Deer paths usually are distinct while runways are in the low-lying vegetation resulting from regular use. A crossing is really a minimal location which deer are likely to pass through. In regions of heavy grass or ferns, seek out body-width paths where deer have broken down foliage.

Deer hunters normally use the words runway, trail and crossing interchangeably, but they're not totally the same. Deer trails will be distinct and evident paths, or runways, in the low-lying vegetation from recurrent use. A crossing is a limited area which deer will likely pass through. Within areas of substantial grass or ferns, look for body-width paths where deer have broken down foliage.

Deer excitement frequently represent the only or primary sign we have of the presence of deer. Droppings can vary a good deal in shape, color and form at different times of the year. In the winter, when deer feed on browse, the pellets are hard and turn harder as the winter progresses; they are various shades of brown and about three-quarters of an inch long. While in the summer, when deer nourish themselves on soft vegetation, the droppings consist of clusters of soft, green pellets that are more or less stuck together in a single mass.

Deer beds are oval-shaped depressions in leaves, grass, dirt or snow where deer rested to conserve energy, or chew the cud. Deer bed down for as long as an hour and a half at a time. It is not known how much actual sleeping is done by a deer in its bed, or whether deer sleep at all. Deer sometimes will lay their heads back on a flank or hind leg, their eyelids will droop, and total alertness will be lost. For practical purposes, this can be considered sleep.

Next to keep in mind is that, a lot of whitetails have easy access to salt put out for cattle and horses. Moreover, deer uses all natural mineral deposits in the woods. Natural licks are mostly found in bad drained soil in bottom lands. Water collects in these areas and stands until dissipated by evaporation, leaving its dissolved minerals.

Consequently, when deer run, they leave footprints with their hooves and dewclaws. You will find dewclaws also are showing up in the tracks of heavy deer when walking on soft ground or snow. Generally, the more toe spread and the deeper the impression, the larger the deer.

Do you have the talent to recognize between a buck track and a doe track by shape and size of the track? Some hunters and scientists believe they can; others say the only sure way is to see the deer that made the track. If you find prints that are prominently longer and deeper than other tracks in an area, the maker could by an exceptional buck-or a very large doe.

By chances a buck's supply of testosterone may decreases in winter season, a separation layer forms at the antlers and thy fall off. In the north, this casting of antlers occurs from mid December to late January. Farther south, some bucks retain their antlers until March or April. Latitude itself, however is not the main cause for this difference in timing.

Finally, the nutrition and general health as well as social rank (dominance), affects testosterone levels of the deer that control antler growth and casting. A northern buck will escort his antlers as long as a southern buck, given the nutritional level of the southern deer.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment