Transcriber's note:
Minor spelling inconsistencies, mainly hyphenated words, have been
harmonized. Italic text has been marked with _underscores_.
Obvious typos have been corrected. A "List of Illustrations" section has been
added so as to aid the reader.
TRACKS AND TRACKING
[Illustration]
TRACKS AND
TRACKING
BY
JOSEF BRUNNER
_FULLY ILLUSTRATED_
NEW YORK
OUTING PUBLISHING COMPANY
MCMIX
Copyright, 1909, by
OUTING PUBLISHING COMPANY
_All Rights Reserved_
CONTENTS
_Page_
FOREWORD ix
GENERAL REMARKS 3
PART I
GROUP ONE--HOOFED GAME:
The White-Tailed or Virginia Deer 11
The Fan-Tailed Deer 32
The Mule Deer 39
The Wapiti or Elk 43
The Moose 49
The Mountain Sheep 55
The Antelope 61
PREDACEOUS ANIMALS:
The Bear 73
The Cougar 92
The Lynx 101
The Domestic Cat 107
The Wolf 109
The Coyote 118
The Fox 121
WHAT TRACKING MEANS AND SOME HUNTING METHODS 125
GROUP TWO:
The Jack-Rabbit 135
The Varying Hare 140
The Cottontail Rabbit 144
The Squirrel 148
GROUP THREE:
The Marten and the Black-Footed Ferret 153
The Otter 157
The Mink 161
The Ermine 164
GROUP FOUR:
The Beaver 171
The Badger 180
The Porcupine 186
The Skunk 192
PART II
FEATHERED GAME:
Feathered Game 197
Upland Birds 199
Waterfowls 211
Predatory Birds 214
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
_Page_
Frontispiece iv
VIRGINIA DEER 12
TRACKS OF VIRGINIA DEER 14
VIRGINIA DEER. 17
HIND FOOT OF VIRGINIA DEER. 20
Trail of a deer
shot through brisket 22
Trail of a deer
with broken hind leg 22
Same as No. 3 on opposite page, but bullet
did not penetrate to the lungs. 22
HOOF OF BLACK-TAILED DEER. 28
FAN-TAILED BUCK DEER. 33
DEER TRACKS 35
MULE-DEER 40
ELK. 43
ELK 46
MOOSE BULL TRACK 50
MOOSE TRACKS 52
MOUNTAIN SHEEP. 57
HOG TRACK; WALKING. 59
HIND FOOT OF ANTELOPE. 62
ANTELOPE. 64
THE SIGN OF THE ANTELOPE (BUCK) 64
BEAR FEET--RIGHT SIDE 76
BEAR TRAIL. 77
TRACKS OF BEAR, RUNNING 80
BEAR TRACK. 82
BEAR STUMP. 82
BEAR TRACK. 84
BEAR LOG 86
BEAR LOG 89
COUGAR. 93
LYNX. 101
RIGHT FRONT PAW OF LYNX 103
LYNX TRAIL 106
WOLF 109
WOLF 111
COYOTE. 119
FOX. 122
HUNTING WITH THE WIND 130
JACK-RABBIT 135
JACK RABBIT 137
JACK RABBIT. 139
VARYING HARE 141
VARYING HARE 142
VARYING HARE 143
Cottontail Rabbit Tracks 145
COTTON TAIL RABBIT 146
COTTON TAIL RABBIT 147
SQUIRREL. 148
Marten track 154
Marten track 156
OTTER. 158
MINK. 162
MINK. 163
ERMINE TRACKS. 166
BEAVER 171
BEAVER 174
BEAVER STUMP 176
THE BEAVER'S HOME 176
BEAVER TRAILS OR SLIDES 176
BEAVER TRAIL 176
BADGER 181
BADGER TRACKS 182
BADGER 183
PORCUPINE 186
SIGN OF THE PORCUPINE 190
PORCUPINE TRACKS 191
FEET OF THE PORCUPINE 191
SIGN OF THE PORCUPINE 191
SKUNK 192
TURKEY. 201
PHEASANT. 202
Ruffed Grouse. 203
RUFFED GROUSE 204
BLUE GROUSE 205
SHARP-TAILED GROUSE 205
Sharp-tailed Grouse. 207
QUAIL. 209
WOODCOCK. 210
Waterfowl 212
Waterfowl 213
SHARP-SHINNED HAWK 216
HERON TRACKS. 216
WILSON'S SNIPE 217
Various Birds 217
FOREWORD
To derive the greatest pleasure from the pursuit of game, either
large or small, it is necessary that the disciple of Nimrod be
versed in the science of interpreting the meaning of tracks and
trails. Nature is as an open book to the man who can read the signs
of the woods and plains correctly; and where the uninitiated see
only meaningless tracks, experienced hunters find them in many
instances the guide to exhilarating sport and a desired trophy. To
the tyro the finest tracking snow is useless and the marks he sees
everywhere around him simply bewilder him. Were he able to read
them as every hunter should, his day's sport would mean enjoyment
and success, instead of disappointment and failure.
Game is not so plentiful as it used to be, and for this reason
it is generally a waste of time--from the standpoint of the
game bag--merely to tramp through the woods and trust to luck.
Moreover, the high-power, small-caliber rifles, which are so
extensively used, very often lead to shots at distances at which it
is not possible to place an immediately fatal bullet. This makes
it the more necessary for the hunter to be able to read the signs
correctly and to interpret aright the language of the trails. Every
sportsman should consider it a sacred duty to bring to bay any
animal he has wounded, and he should also regard it a matter of
honor to acquire a working knowledge of tracks, trails, and signs.
Then he will not, through ignorance, make carrion or wolf-bait of a
noble creature which, in all reason, he should have secured.
A sportsman who is unable to interpret the meaning of tracks he
encounters, however much game he may have killed by chance, luck,
or with the assistance of others, will be considered a tyro in
woodcraft by companions who have learned their lessons in this art.
Lack of opportunity on the part of the majority of sportsmen to
become versed in tracking lore by actual experience, as well as
the incompetence of a great number of guides, is the reason for
this book. The contents represent the experience gained from twenty
years of uninterrupted life in the great outdoors; and while only
half of that time was spent in the pursuit and study of American
game, the foreign experience was a considerable aid in arriving
at definite conclusions, for the same species, with but few
exceptions, show the same features in their trails the world over.
No space has been given to microscopic intricacies, since in the
woods plain tracking lore is intricate enough. In practice whoever
looks for exaggerated, fine, distinctive features in tracks and
trails soon sees things which a sober-minded expert recognizes as
imaginative.
* * * * *
It is generally understood that a track means the imprint left
on the ground or snow by a passing creature. From its form and
appearance the initiated are usually able to tell the species,
and in some cases the variety, of animal that made it. Where
the latter is not possible, a succession of tracks--the trail,
in short--is almost invariably the means of reaching a proper
decision. The expert considers not only tracks and trails, but also
the "signs," among which are the behavior of animals under certain
circumstances, blazed trees, bear logs, beaver stumps and cuttings,
excrements, etc., etc. A mere treatise of tracks, trails and signs
would in many instances leave the inexperienced man without a
comprehensive knowledge; therefore certain actions of the hunted,
and notes on hunting methods which have proved practical, although
they are not generally known, have been introduced into the text.
It is believed that a thorough study of this book, including the
illustrations, will enable the reader to become as well versed in
tracking lore as he could by years of actual experience in the
woods.
TRACKS AND TRACKING
TRACKS AND TRACKING
GENERAL REMARKS
_About the Motive Features of Different Animals_
TAKING it for granted that the arrangement of the individual tracks
in the trail is due to the general anatomic make-up of the animal
which made them, we have to consider four groups in the treatise on
mammals.
The _first_, the members of which possess a length of body
correctly proportional to their height, includes the deer, ox,
bear, dog, and cat families.
The _second_ includes rabbits, squirrels, and animals whose hind
legs are very long in proportion to their front legs.
The _third_ is made up of those animals whose legs, considering the
length of their bodies, are very short--marten, mink, etc.
The _fourth_ group embraces the animals whose legs are very short
in proportion to the length of the body, and whose bodies, in
addition to this, are disproportionately thick--beaver, badger, etc.
Of the various movements, we have to consider the walk, the
trot, and the gallop. Animals of the first group plant the feet
diagonally in the walk and trot. The hind foot track covers the
one made by the forefoot of the same side. If the right forefoot
touches the ground first, the left hind foot is placed next,
then the left forefoot, and last the right hind foot. Thus four
footfalls may be heard when hoofed animals are walking.
In the trot, which is but a hastened walk, the trail assumes more
the form of a straight line, because the animal endeavors to plant
the feet more under the middle of the body to obviate the swaying
motion; and because of the quicker action, in which two feet touch
the ground at the same moment, but two distinct footfalls can be
heard.
The gallop, the quickest movement onward, is a series of leaps
or jumps. In it the hind feet serve mainly as propellers while
the forefeet support and brace the body; and for this reason the
former are placed side by side, or nearly so, while the latter
stand one behind the other in the trail. The faster the gallop,
the more closely do the tracks conform to these conditions. In the
greatest speed of some members of the deer family the hind feet
also come nearer the center line, as shown in the illustrations.
As, by the velocity of the movement, the hind feet are thrown past
the point where the forefeet strike the ground, their imprints
appear in front of those of the latter, a fact which should be kept
constantly in mind by the trailer, since, in the case of an animal
with a broken leg, the appearance of the leap imprints are usually
the only means to decide which leg is broken. In animals of the
first group a broken foreleg is always more serious than an injured
hind leg, and therefore the game is easier brought to bag.
In members of the second group there is but one motion, no matter
whether they are moving slow or fast--the hind feet are always
thrown ahead of the forefeet, and the track picture is that of the
leap.
As the hind feet of animals of this group are considerably larger
than the forefeet, it is easily determined which individual foot
has made a given track.
The animals of the third group move usually in leaps, but on
account of the length of body and the shortness of the limbs, the
hind feet are not placed as far ahead of the front pair as in the
preceding group. At the usual gait the hind feet cover the forefeet
tracks, and the trail picture therefore shows a pair of tracks side
by side at regular distances. At a faster pace the trail picture
changes, as shown in the illustrations; however, this is so seldom
done as to be of almost no consequence to the tracker.
Members of the fourth group, like those of the first, walk and
leap; however, the size of the body and the shortness of the legs
combine to make a track picture entirely different from and not
easily confounded with the trail of the latter. The individual
tracks are close together, considering their size, and the toes of
the hind feet almost invariably point inward to a marked degree,
reaching an extreme limit in the beaver and the badger.
With the exception of the members of the second group and the
beaver, the hind feet of all animals are smaller than the forefeet,
a fact which, in some instances, has its uses when following the
trail.
PART ONE
_GROUP I_
HOOFED GAME
THE WHITE-TAILED OR VIRGINIA DEER
THOUGH the American sportsman still can enjoy in some districts, as
an inheritance from prehistoric times, the pursuit of the majestic
moose, and though the lordly elk still awakens the echoes in many
of our mountain ranges with his challenging call, the game in which
the great majority of hunters are pre-eminently interested is the
elusive white-tailed deer, which is found in all the states except
California, Nevada, Oregon, and Delaware, and because to bring it
down demands, to say the least, no less skill than is required in
the pursuit of its larger relatives.
Though, under ordinary conditions, a single track of any other
animal is nearly sufficient to ascertain the species or variety,
the case is different where white-tailed and mule deer are
concerned--that is, if they inhabit the same locality; and even a
small elk track may be taken for that of the white-tailed deer.
The track of a mule deer, roaming in rocky hills or out in the arid
breaks of the Bad Lands, is of course a very different thing from
that of a white-tail, but let the animals make their permanent
stand in white-tail country proper, and almost all difference in
their track soon disappears. It is evident that the sole of their
hoof undergoes the same change as that of a horse, which can be
ridden daily without shoes in dry regions, but which will get
footsore within a day or two if it is transferred into a district
where rain and dew moisten the grass and keep the ground damp.
[Illustration: VIRGINIA DEER]
Considering the individual track, the hoof of the Virginia deer
evidently spreads easier than that of any other member of the
family, except moose and caribou. It is because of this that,
during the season when they are in good condition and in hunting
time, the ridge of dirt or snow that is made between the two halves
of the hoof, and left in the track, is much more conspicuous than
that left by any other deer. However, if the conditions are not
ideal--and they most certainly are not if snow is on the ground,
under which circumstances most tracking is done--the variance
appears so slight that it can be noticed only by examining minutely
a perfect track, which may be found along the trail under some tree
where not more than an inch of snow has fallen or at a barren spot.
The writer does not depend on the size of the track in deciding
whether it was made by a buck or a doe, as he has seen many does
which have made as large tracks as the largest bucks; and the
common claim that rounded toes always indicate a buck he has also
found to be a fallacy. Sometimes it is noticeable in the trail that
the hind feet lag, _i. e._, they do not quite reach the forefeet
tracks. This almost invariably means an old buck which has become
rather stiff with age. The chance that the same mark is made by
an old sterile doe is remote, though, according to observations,
possible.
[Illustration: TRACKS OF VIRGINIA DEER
(1) Trail of buck before and after rutting season. (2) During
rutting season the drag extends from one step to the next. (3)
Trail of doe and fawn; the latter, however, takes still shorter
steps. (4) Buck or doe trotting.]
Not infrequently, at least much oftener than with black-tail and
elk, a marked difference between the two halves of the hoof may be
observed in the track of the Virginia deer, and the tracks of the
latter appear more slender than those of the former--that is,
in the same locality. Some claim that they can always distinguish
the track of Virginia from that of other deer, but the writer
counts himself among those who can not, and he has noticed that the
hunters who claim the skill are in the same predicament when out in
the woods.
Accurate measurements with the divider and tapeline would possibly
show some slight differences in the tracks of the various kinds of
similar sized deer, but they would be so diminutive and variable as
to be worthless in practice.
The trail, together with other signs, is much more significant
of the doings, ailments and sex of the animal than an individual
track would be. During the summer months the buck, and, it must be
admitted, the sterile doe also, accumulates a considerable amount
of fat; and the result is markedly shown in the placing of the
feet, their tracks being an appreciable degree off the center line
supposed to be under the middle of the body. For this reason the
toes of the hoof point more outward than is usual in the doe and
fawn. From this it might appear that a single track, or a few
of them, would be sufficient to decide the sex, but it is not;
because any deer in crossing a trackable spot is likely to look to
the right and then to the left, and the tracks will point in the
direction the animal has looked.
[Illustration: VIRGINIA DEER. (ONE-HALF NATURAL SIZE)
(1) Front track. (2) Hind track. (3) Lagging back of hind feet;
sign of the old buck. (4) Overhastening; the sign of the young
buck. 3 and 4 also apply to the elk bull.]
Does heavy with fawns show similar features in their trail, but
as there are no such does during autumn, we can pass them over.
A buck always has the tendency to drag his legs, a feature which
reaches the climax during rutting season, while any doe, even the
sterile, steps clean if the snow is less than one foot deep. This
fact makes it possible to tell a buck's track with certainty,
even if tracking conditions are not favorable, because there is
always some displacement behind and in front of the tracks which is
readily observed in sand or dry snow.
There is one other feature by which the trail of a white-tail buck
can be distinguished from that of a doe, and even that of the buck
of black-tails, and that is the animal's habit of scanning the
surroundings while standing near trees, windfalls, and the like.
An old buck at leisure will take careful observations two or three
times inside of a hundred yards, except during the rutting season,
when he is too busy to spend so much time for safety's sake, and he
always does this from what he evidently considers cover.
In open forests are often seen places where the ground has been
pawed up, and the ground covering, moss, leaves or sod, thrown in
every direction. This always indicates the presence of at least
two old bucks in the same locality, and is never done by does.
[Illustration: HIND FOOT OF VIRGINIA DEER. (SLIGHTLY REDUCED)
(A) Dew claws. (B) Heels. (C) Soles. (D) Toes.]
About the first of September bucks begin to cleanse their horns of
the velvet and small trees and bushes exhibit the signs of having
been used for that purpose. Where such signs are found in roomy
forests near dense thickets, the sportsman can, with moderate
certainty, count on getting a trophy by stalking quietly or waiting
from sunrise to about 8 o'clock A.M., or from an hour or so before
sundown until dark. Of course it is easier to get meat for the pot
near streams and feeding places, where there are plenty of tracks,
but as doe and fawn shooting aims at the base of life, and as old
bucks usually do not make their appearance there as long as it is
light enough for a rifle shot, I would not advise one to stalk or
wait there at all. Stalking during rainy days in open forests where
bucks have left evidences, such as blazed trees, will, as a rule,
be rewarded. At that time, game being comparatively undisturbed,
most deer are shot at while standing, and even a poor shot can
hardly miss. However, as tracking is more difficult than when snow
covers the ground, it is advisable to watch the deer closely for
the signs at the moment of firing.
The most important sign to observe is the action of the game when
it receives the missile, since it is an evidence of where it was
hit. If struck somewhere in the front half, it usually jumps into
the air--that is, if it does not drop instantly, which incident we
have no need to consider in this connection--and if struck in the
hind half, it will kick out with the hind legs. A deer shot through
the heart seldom drops immediately. After the first jump, which is
often hardly perceptible and no doubt overlooked by the average
hunter, it generally makes off at top speed, running close down
to the ground. It may run only fifty yards, and it may run five
hundred, but one thing is certain--the hunter can follow at once,
and the animal will be dead by the time he reaches it.
The most striking exception to the rule of heart shots the writer
saw in the Snowy Mountains, Montana, during 1904. A buck was
galloping, broadside exposed, at a distance of about one hundred
and twenty yards, and was fired at. Four or five jumps after
the shot was fired he stopped behind some trees, which prevented
another shot. He remained hidden a few seconds, then trotted about
thirty yards and stopped again; finally he trotted off, directly
away from me, and if ever I would have sworn that a deer was
missed, I would have done so then.
However, force of habit compelled me to follow the trail, and about
two hundred yards from where he stopped last, the buck lay stone
dead. The bullet, a steel-jacketed .30 U. S., had penetrated the
heart squarely, and made a hole the size of a quarter. There was
not a drop of blood along the trail. Moral: Follow the deer, even
if you think you have missed.
A deer shot through the lungs usually goes off, after the first
jump, as if nothing had happened to it. There is no variance in its
trail from that of an uninjured deer, but alongside the trail there
is in every case the story of where the bullet hit, in the shape
of foamy, light-colored blood. This trail, too, may be followed
immediately.
[Illustration:
(1) Trail of a deer shot through brisket, and leg broken low in
shoulder. (2) Trail of a deer shot through the shoulders high.
(3) Trail of a deer with broken foreleg--the lower the leg is
broken the more drag there is.
The shoulder shot (No. 2) should be followed immediately. It is
best to shoot again when a deer gets up after the first shot
strikes it here. They always drop like dead when shot thus.]
[Illustration:
(1) Trail of a deer with broken hind leg--the lower the leg is
broken the more drag there is. (2) Trail of a deer shot through
the ham. (3) This trail usually means shot through intestines,
liver and often lungs at the same time; the animal will not go
much over a mile, even if not given time to get sick, and death
results in less than two hours.]
[Illustration: (1) Same as No. 3 on opposite page, but bullet did
not penetrate to the lungs. The animal dies slowly, and after a
couple of hours is usually shot in its bed. (2) The cross jump;
result of a bullet through intestines or liver when the animal
was broadside to the hunter--usually the slowest killing shot.
(3) The tracks of a wounded deer never register where the animal
was walking.
All these curious jumps may be seen on one trail, alternating
with jumps as made by a sound deer. They indicate soft shots,
and should not be followed within two hours after the animal
was shot. Blood, etc., on the trail decides for the tracker
where the bullet struck. Usually the less blood the surer the
animal will be found dead after a few hours.]
A liver shot is, perhaps, the least satisfactory of any. Sometimes
the deer on being shot through the liver, kicks, and at other
times it humps itself up, but always it leaves the place at a
quite lively rate, making a trail like a lung-shot deer, with here
and there a cross jump between. (See illustration.) It is hard to
advise what one should do in this case. I generally smoke a pipeful
of tobacco before taking up the trail, to give the animal time to
lie down. After that I follow and try to get another shot. While I
have killed deer instantly with shots through the liver, there have
been some that I never brought to bag.
Once I killed an elk three days after we had fried parts of its
liver which had dropped out through the hole made by a projectile
from a heavy-caliber English rifle, used previously for hunting
elephants. At another time I killed a deer one year after having
shot it through the liver. When killed, this deer was apparently
as well and fat as could be, though in place of the soft liver we
found a hard mass.
A shot through the intestines causes the animal to kick violently,
hump up its back, and go off at a slow rate. It usually lies down
within a quarter of a mile, and stays down if not molested too
soon. Along the trail may be found a little dark-colored blood, and
sometimes matter the animal has eaten. Deer shot thus should not
be followed before at least two hours have passed, since if jumped
they often go for miles. A deer with a broken leg may be followed
at once, though the chase is usually quicker ended if half an hour
is given for the animal to settle down.
In my opinion a sportsman who does any considerable hunting for big
game should have his dog trained to follow a track as far as his
master will follow him. A dog that runs deer is useless, and if he
will not stay close to his master he must be kept on a leash. There
is no law in any State against such use of a dog, and it would save
much hard work to the man whose eye is not trained for tracking
when there is no snow.
Besides the signs visible when a deer is shot, there are those
which are brought to the hunter's knowledge through his ear: a
hard, sharp sound conveying the intelligence that a bone is struck
(and if it is not a leg the deer will hardly run), and a dull
"thud" telling that a soft part is hit. In any and every case
the hunter should examine minutely the place where the game stood
when it was shot at. The hair cut off by the bullet is often of
great assistance in determining the location of the wound, and the
torn-up needles or ground often show if the animal jumped or kicked
as it was shot. Remember that the successful hunter is never in a
hurry, and minutes spent in close observation will often save hours
of exhausting chase.
[Illustration: HOOF OF BLACK-TAILED DEER. (SLIGHTLY REDUCED)]
Later in the season, when rough winds have robbed deciduous bushes
of their leaves, bucks generally change their day stand, abandoning
quaking-aspen thickets, and settling down among windfalls and
small coniferous trees, thereby offering better chances for shots
at any hour of the day. Still later, during the rutting season,
the biggest specimens and best fighters will occupy those roomy,
open forests, where in September and early October they make
their appearance only during morning and evening hours. These
old over-lords at this time select the places of a wider view,
apparently to see others of their kind that may pass, to fight
them off their range if they are bucks, and to claim ownership of
them if they are does. The white-tail buck does not keep a harem,
as is done by the elk and to some extent by the black-tailed deer,
but stays with a doe a few days only, generally two or three, and
then looks out for adventures elsewhere, or, more probably, the doe
does not care for his company after being satisfied, and avoids
him. Before the close of the hunting season, where it is extended
until January 1, bucks again stay in thickets as prior to the
rutting season, and soon after migrate to their winter range, where
they, in company with does and fawns, spend the rigorous season of
the year.
Summing up, we have seven signs by which to distinguish a buck's
trail from that of a doe, of which the first in the following list
is a feature of the white-tailed deer solely, and of which the
three last named cannot be regarded as always absolutely certain:
1. Watching from cover;
2. Drag;
3. Blazing of trees;
4. Pawing of ground;
5. Distance of tracks from center line;
6. The pointing outward of toes;
7. The lagging back with the hind legs.
THE FAN-TAILED DEER
THE existence of the fan-tailed deer, or gazelle-deer, as it
is sometimes called, is denied by some who know no better, but
it is generally recognized by "old timers" and men who hunt it
in its present restricted habitat. That its range was formerly
more extensive than now, and that even now it still exists in
widely separated districts, the writer infers from a letter of
Justice Douglas, late of the Supreme Court of New York, whose
guide apparently shot one in Michigan, and from an article in a
sportsman's periodical by Mr. Ernest McGaffey, who found it in
the Black Hills. The writer found relics of them in the Bad Lands
of Montana and live specimens in the Snowy Mountains of the same
State. It is evidently a smaller variety of the common Virginia
deer, with a markedly longer tail; however, as its track shows some
decided differences, by which it can readily be distinguished, it
is considered advisable to treat it separately.
[Illustration: FAN-TAILED BUCK DEER. (ONE-HALF NATURAL SIZE)
(1) Front track. (2) Hind track. (3) Walk. (4) Trot. (5) Gallop.
(A) Dust heap. (B) Hillock.]
To begin with, the heels of the hoof are as broad as those of
the Virginia deer, yet the hoof is considerably shorter, and
consequently the track also, a feature which is, however, of value
only on good tracking ground.
The buck of this deer, whose tracks always register, walks with
hoofs pressed close together, puts the heels firmly on the ground,
which action moves the ground or snow toward the front, and steps
off by making a deep imprint with the toes. The result is a small
hillock in the middle of the track and, as this deer never drags
its feet, a small dust heap in front of it. In snow or mud, of
course, the latter sign cannot be found.
As this deer is much smaller than the ordinary white-tail, its
steps are consequently shorter, and in loose snow, where no
individual track is visible, its trail may be mistaken for that of
a fawn, and only by following it a distance can an error be avoided.
Once a friend and I on our way home struck a trail, and while
walking alongside it we both expressed our opinion that the deer
which made it was the smallest fawn in that territory. We never
would have given that trail any consideration had it not run along
our path. As it was, we followed it, and after we had gone a
hundred yards or so, my indifference changed to intense interest;
for it could be seen that the deer had taken observations from
nearly every shielding object it had passed. This caused me to
express the belief that this deer was a very old fan-tailed buck,
and events proved I was not mistaken. He had lost all his front
teeth but two, which were badly used up, had four points on each
antler, and weighed less than fifty pounds after his entrails were
removed. As his conduct the day he was hunted down disclosed some
features often experienced in the pursuit of deer, it is not out of
place to relate it.
[Illustration: DEER TRACKS
(1) Canter. (2) Going at a lively rate, in bounds up to
twenty-four feet; lung-shot deer often run this way. (3) Top
speed, bounds up to twenty-eight feet--indicates heart-shot if
the animal is wounded.]
He was located in a thicket, and jumped with the assistance of the
wind, a method which will be referred to later. We saw him but did
not fire, as our chance opportunity was lost while we were looking
for the horns so as to be sure not to kill a doe. His trail led to
a creek two miles distant, and there disappeared. I knew that he
had gone along in the creek, for wounded deer had often tricked me
in that manner, but that a well deer should resort to that method
to throw me off the track, after being so slightly molested, was
rather astonishing. A quarter of a mile upstream I found where he
had left the water, and I followed the trail, having resolved that
I would kill that buck in one way or another. The trail led me two
miles farther, and then it stopped. The snow was like sand, and
prevented the individual tracks from being seen plainly. The buck
had back-tracked, and I had overrun the spot from which he made
the side-jump. Back I went, and after going three hundred yards I
found his artful side-jump, and the trail led into a thick clump of
pines. Again I sent the wind in as a driver, and that time got a
shot; but I did not down my quarry. The trail showed the buck was
shot through the brisket and shoulder (low). Then I sat down, ate
my lunch, and smoked my pipe. After that the trail led me again
to the creek. I crossed to the other side and, about fifty yards
from the creek, followed its course over half a mile, knowing that
the buck would not leave the water on the side he entered it to
lie down. Finally the creek led past a fir tree with low-hanging
branches, and as the trail had not been seen thus far, I was
moderately sure that the buck had not passed that cover--and it
proved that he had not. During snowless times if a deer has been
wounded and gets away, hunting a day or two after along streams in
the district will often bring to bay the wounded animal. If it has
the strength, it will hunt up water to cool the wound, and then
crawl into the densest cover that is near. I have found many deer
in this way, dead and alive--and still more skeletons to which the
tracks of "varmints" led me in the later season.
The signs of the fan-tailed buck are:
1. Watching from cover;
2. Hillock in track;
3. Dust heap in front of track;
4. Blazing of trees;
5. Pawing of ground.
THE MULE-DEER
THE track of the black-tailed or mule-deer, while it shows no
appreciable differences from that of the Virginia (in white-tail
country), undergoes--even in the mountains and breaks, its proper
habitat--changes interesting not only to the student but to the
hunter.
The three pictures of the hind foot of the same four-year-old
mule-deer buck show what intermediate variations occur in the track
of this animal. The photograph was taken when the buck was killed,
and the drawings made in the rainy month of June, and at the time
of the deer's death in October, respectively. That particular buck
had its preferred stand on a lofty ridge, too high an altitude
for white-tailed deer to make their permanent abode, though they
frequent it as transient visitors.
The mule-deer always puts its foot down firmly from above, while
the motion of the Virginia deer might be called rather one of
sliding; and because of this the hoofs spread sideways without
lengthening the tracks. This gives the track of the latter a
somewhat round appearance as long as there is moisture in the
ground, or if it is covered by snow that is not too dry. This
form of the track is usually found during the winter and early
summer. Of course, when the rim becomes prominent enough to prevent
spreading, as is the case during prolonged dry weather or in the
arid regions, a big mule-deer will make a rather small track, and
in many instances the sole of the hoof does not show at all in the
mark. The track has very much the appearance of that made by a
domestic sheep, yet it is different from it because in the sheep's
track the heels and soles always show, and the hoofs are spread to
an extent not found in deer. Besides, the halves of the hoof of
a mule-deer are as a rule almost exactly alike, whereas with the
sheep that is but seldom the case.
[Illustration: MULE-DEER
(1) Track of buck, sketched during June (flat; about half natural
size). (2) Track of same buck in October (see photograph of
foot). (3) Domestic sheep (flat). (4) Trail of buck; drag during
rutting season from one step to the next. (5) Trail of doe. (6)
Gallop.]
The buck of the mule-deer evidently has not sense enough to spend,
for safety's sake, some of his time in watching from cover, and
because of this his trail leads along without stopping, except
where he did so to feed. Moreover, he does not vent his anger at
a rival by pawing the ground as the white-tail buck does. As the
rutting season of mule-deer is later in the year, the drag in the
buck's trail is a most prominent feature, when in the case of the
Virginia deer it has ceased to connect the individual tracks.
In determining whether one stands before the trail of a mule-deer
or some other kind, the locality where the track is found has to be
considered, which often solves the question. Their natural habitat
is usually higher mountains, and even the treeless breaks where no
white-tailed deer are to be found. The possibility of confounding a
big mule-deer track with a small elk track is not remote; however,
if one observes closely, mistakes will not occur often, as the
young elk places his feet nearer the center line under the body
than an old mule-deer buck, and never makes any drag. Then again a
full-grown elk always makes a track at least twice the size of that
of the mule-deer.
The signs of the mule-deer buck are:
1. Drag;
2. Blazing of trees;
3. Distance of tracks from center line;
4. Pointing outward of toes.
THE WAPITI OR ELK
IN the pursuit of _Cervus canadensis_ the aim of the tracker is to
distinguish the signs of the bull from those of the cow. As the
number to be killed per season by each hunter is limited by law to
one or two bulls, the pursuer is naturally interested in knowing
how to tell the signs of the old ones.
They are:
1. Size of track;
2. Distance of track from center line;
3. Pointing outward of hoofs;
4. Hillock in track;
5. Lagging back with hind legs;
6. Closeness of track;
7. Roundness of toes;
8. Blazing of trees;
9. Pawing of ground;
10. Size and roundness of dew-claws.
[Illustration: ELK. (ONE-HALF NATURAL SIZE)
(1) Bull track. (A) Closeness of track. (B) Hillock. (2) Cow
track, flat (note spread). (3) Trail of bull. (4) Trail of cow.
(5) Trail of calf.]
A male yearling has a bigger hoof, and consequently makes a larger
track, than a female of the same age, and as the track of a
three-year-old bull is the size of that of a large cow, it is
obvious that even the track of the largest sterile specimen of the
hornless sex cannot approach in size that made by an old bull. As
the general size of the elk differs in their various districts,
this fact has to be considered; an elk in the Coast country, for
example, is much inferior in weight to an elk of the same age in
the Rockies. For this reason it is necessary to know the general
size of the elks in the territory in which the tracking is done to
estimate with approximate correctness the number of points on their
horns from the size of the track.
[Illustration: ELK
(6) Gallop. (7) Trot.]
The bigger the bull, the farther, of course, stand the tracks away
from the center line. What has been said about this, and about the
pointing outward of toes in the chapter on Virginia deer, applies
also to the elk, with the difference, however, that in the latter
it is always a _sure_ sign of the bull, as is also the lagging back
with the hind feet.
Like the fan-tail buck, the elk bull, in his manner of walking,
makes a hill in his track, but there is no dust heap in front of
the latter's, as the elk apparently does not step off so clean.
The bull elk always manages to walk with tightly closed hoofs, at
variance with the cow, which lets the hoofs spread more.
By reason of his weight and his habit of pawing the ground, the
points of the hoofs or toes of an old bull become rather blunt,
causing a much rounder track than a cow makes; and in a big track,
like that of an elk, such features show up conspicuously, while it
would be a hard matter to detect them in a much smaller deer track,
even on the best tracking ground.
The dew-claws, being much thicker and blunter in the bull than in
the cow, are a certain distinctive feature, but their imprint can
be seen only in mud or snow, and there the other more prominent
signs of the bull track are, as a rule, visible also and will be
found more reliable.
The young bull often oversteps the forefoot track with the hind
foot; therefore in case the tracks do not register it is necessary
to examine the two individual tracks of one side. If the bigger
track is in front, an old bull made it, and if the reverse is the
case, the animal is not worth following, because it is a young one.
Like all members of the deer tribes, the elk bull cleanses his
horns of the velvet on trees, and, in addition to pawing the ground
with the hoofs, he often belabors it with his horns in his anger
with a rival.
Some consider the distance between the individual tracks in the
attempt to determine the size and other points of the elk, and if
the animal has been seen, this is well, but if there is only the
trail to decide by, it appears to be a far-fetched "sign," because
the foundation, a knowledge of the speed, is lacking.
THE MOOSE
THE favorite rendezvous, in summer or winter range, of any other
member of the deer tribes may be ascertained by the observant
trailer, and the animal found within a given area with moderate
certainty, but not so our most gigantic game, the moose; he is far
too much of a traveler. True, he too has his range, but its limits
are so extended that he may return to the same place but once
within a month or two. Here to-day and elsewhere to-morrow seems to
be his rule.
Yet, in spite of the moose's habits, the tracker may bag him in any
given locality by ascertaining in what umbrageous thicket or on
what wooded hillside the moose prefers to stay during his visits,
that is, if the hunter does not wish to run him down by sheer
endurance, which would take him over deep, crusted snow, cost about
a week's hard work, and furnish poor sport.
On account of its extraordinary size, it is out of the question
that the track of a bull moose should be mistaken for that of
another deer; rather it might be taken for that of a big ox, except
the track of the latter is always rounder and the entire hoof-form
different. Where any doubt exists, a close examination will
invariably dispel it. In forming a conclusion about a moose track
the chief aim is always to decide if it was made by a bull or cow.
The hoof of the bull is bulkier than that of the cow, and should
therefore produce a rounder track. The immense weight of the animal
tends to obliterate such minor distinctive features in most cases
where the ground is not very hard.
The dew-claws on the bull are always farther apart than on the cow,
and as they are much blunter they make a good mark to consider.
The individual tracks of the bull are farther off from the center
line than in the case of the cow; but as the stride is long, this
feature is not apparent to any appreciable extent.
[Illustration: MOOSE BULL TRACK
(About one-half natural size)]
The length of the steps, if it is possible to estimate the gait he
was traveling from his other actions (feeding, etc.), is one of
the best signs of the bull, since he makes markedly longer strides
than the cow of equal size.
[Illustration: MOOSE TRACKS
(1) Trail of bull. (2) Trail of cow. (3) Trot. (4) Gallop.]
From all the foregoing it is obvious that it is a rather doubtful
possibility for the beginner to tell the track of a bull from that
of a cow, but actual observations in the woods will impart to him
the ability to distinguish between them with a considerable degree
of accuracy. Until he so learns he should follow every likely
looking track until it enters a thicket, and if he is following
a bull with a halfway good set of horns he will notice overhead
broken twigs and bent branches, or perhaps he will find along the
trail blazed trees, broken bushes, or the ground torn with hoofs or
horns, and may know by these also that a bull made the signs.
Unlike any other deer previously discussed, the moose, when
trotting, oversteps the forefeet tracks with the hind feet to a
considerable extent. (See sketch of trail.)
As signs of the bull moose we may consider:
1. Roundness of hoof;
2. Distance between and bluntness of dew-claws;
3. Distance of tracks from center line;
4. Length of steps;
5. Breaking of twigs with horns (overhead along trail);
6. Blazing of trees;
7. Pawing of ground.
THE MOUNTAIN SHEEP
_Where first the early sunbeams glow_
_On rugged cliffs, through morning shrouds,_
_Where icy winds in summer blow_
_On crests among the thunder clouds,_
_Way up on mountains high and steep,_
_There lives and roams the bighorn sheep._
THE king of sports, undoubtedly, is the pursuit of the bighorn, but
on account of the habitat of this game, under normal conditions, it
is restricted to comparatively few hunters, since perfect physical
condition and unswerving perseverance are required to endure
the hardships which present themselves in mountain climbing and
"camping out of camp," and to bear cheerfully the many discouraging
experiences which are commonly the lot of the sportsman who desires
to secure the finest trophy to be taken in our country.
No other reminder of the chase will bring back to memory so many
pleasant recollections as the head and horns of an old mountain
ram after time has obliterated the memory of the hardships
endured, and has woven around the trophy a halo through which the
mind's eye sees again sublime views from lofty mountain peaks,
roseate dawns and glowing sunsets, which bathed cliffs and crests
and crags in a flood of molten gold. Again the hunter feels the
thrill of care-free independence of the trifling world below, and
experiences boundless elation as the crack of the rifle, sounding
and resounding from a thousand crags, proclaims to the Alpine world
the triumphant end of the chase.
The tracking of this game consists chiefly in locating it by the
signs left on high meadows, or near springs or salt-licks. Except
for the larger spoor of the ram, there is no difference in the
track or trail of either sex.
Generally on meadows or near springs, where the big tracks of a
single animal, or at most a couple of them, are frequently found,
and where the tracks of lambs are conspicuous by their absence, one
may expect, with moderate certainty, to see game worthy of a shot,
as rams prefer to range alone, except at rutting time and during
the winter.
[Illustration: MOUNTAIN SHEEP. (ONE-HALF NATURAL SIZE)
(1) Front track. (2) Hind track. (3) Trail. (4) Leaps.]
If there is no snow, one may learn to know the track of every
individual sheep which frequents the range, and if he spends much
time there he will see an animal at too great a distance to be
shot at, but if he has any memory at all, he will recognize its
track if he finds it anywhere in that region. This, of course, does
not refer to mountain sheep below the average, which, I assume, are
of little interest to the sportsman who takes the trouble to hunt
for a trophy; nor does the meat hunter go up into these regions for
the pot, as he will get something easier lower down.
If the feeding ground or watering place of an old ram is once
known, about the best thing to do is to wait for the quarry. If
the game is seen, and it has not already observed the hunter, it
usually can be flagged as antelopes were in former days. The oldest
bucks, however, seldom respond to the summons, and are seldom lured
within rifle range by this method.
Hunting bighorn has much in common with hunting antelopes, but
in the pursuit of the former there is grander scenery and more
physical exercise.
The tracks of mountain sheep often show the cross-step, seldom
register, and, as the animals when running have to place their feet
where they can, the trail gives no indication of where an animal
has been hit. Infinitely greater vigilance is required than in deer
hunting to observe the signs at the moment of firing, and in the
study of hair and blood.
[Illustration: HOG TRACK; WALKING. (ABOUT HALF NATURAL SIZE)
To save the novice from ridiculous experiences this illustration
is given. The hog track is always spread, very seldom registers,
and, if the ground is not very hard, the dew-claws are always
shown.]
The hoof of the bighorn spreads easily and evenly; therefore, in
the track the distance between the heels is as great as between
the toes, and frequently greater--a fact which makes it impossible
to confound it with that of any other animal.
As stated, there is but one sign by which to tell the ram: Size of
the track.
THE ANTELOPE
THE track of the antelope looks like a combination of a bighorn
track, which it resembles somewhat in length and prominence of the
outer rim of the hoof, and that of the domestic sheep, to which
it bears a likeness in the shape of the heels. To confound it,
however, with either one of them is a rather remote possibility,
since the heels are broader and closer together than those of
a mountain sheep, with which in the Bad Lands the antelope is
sometimes found in the same range, and the spread is different from
that of the domestic sheep. In the case of the domestic sheep the
greatest spread is at the point of the toes, while in the case of
the antelope, the hoof being hooked, it is more between the soles.
An antelope buck of moderate size makes at all times a bigger
track than any range sheep, the track of the latter always being
rather flat. As antelopes live on the open plains where they are
generally hunted by sighting them, and as a sportsman is allowed to
kill but one in a season, we will therefore consider only the signs
of the old bucks.
There are but two signs, and these can be condensed into one,
because they are usually found at the same spot: Pawing of ground,
and droppings.
The droppings are of similar size, and though more or less
connected, always comparatively dry, while from does and fawns they
are either dry and scattered, or, if moist, in a lump and always
irregular in size; the cause of which seeming phenomenon is a
certain amount of glutinous substance in the droppings of the buck.
[Illustration: HIND FOOT OF ANTELOPE. (LIFE SIZE)]
The pawing is usually done in old buffalo trails, cattle runways,
and roads, or where coal deposits come to the surface making the
ground barren of vegetation; where this sign is found, an old buck
is always near, even if the locality cannot properly be considered
antelope country. Old bucks, before and after rutting season,
frequently make their habitat in roomy forests or in the breaks
of the Bad Lands, sometimes several miles distant from the grounds
where the herds roam.