Learning to age deer by there hooves
 

Hey there everyone
New to the forum
I was wondering if some of you know how to age deer by there hooves as all I see is tracks. The deer where I live travel mostly at night and i don't have a trail cam yet.
I can age the deer by looking at them but not by there tracks. I can't tell if the tracks are from a buck or doe. Hopefully someone here can help me.
Thanks

Tracker22

You're asking allot from a deer track.

As you see more, you'll learn what a big track looks like, what a heavy deer looks like, etc.

A big track doesn't always mean a mature deer. But it's usually a decent indicator.

Some of these corn fed yearling farm deer can put on some pounds and leave a deep track.

-Jake

I think you got to get out and shoot some deer,or atleast see them.

The standard method of accurately aging deer is by looking at the tooth wear and replacement in the bottom jaw. The tracks will tell you how big their feet are.

Hey there
Thanks for info I had lots of deer come threw last night and I measured two different tracks from different deer. I tried to included the two pictures of the tracks from the deer but couldn't. The tracks are about 4 1/2'' long including the dew claw. Not sure if that will help.

Thanks

Tracker22

I'm sorry, but I did not understand the connection of your post with deer hunting?

Where I hunt the bigger bucks have much larger foot prints than the does etc. I see alot of tracks like you but around this week and next when I see a huge deer track I know that the big guy is back looking for late does and its time to get serious again !

Hey there

Could someone tell me how you know if it's a buck or a doe.
That would be great.
thanks

Tracker22

IMO there is no sure fire way to tell what track is made by, a male or female
BUT IF you find some MUCH largeer than normal tracks, odds are there from a buck, as bucks tend to get larger but NOT always
as a fact the heaviest recorded deer(or was last time I checked) in PA< was a DOE that also had antlers, shot in north central PA 300+ lbs doe with antlers
so, I gather it also had some very large feet to hold it up

I have also personally seen some younger deer with VERY large feet, so I would NOT waste my time trying to learn how to GUESS at a deer's age by its tracks
learn how they live, eat and survive and you will soon FIND deer a lot easier, as even when you KNOW what made the tracks, you still ain;t killing it till you can find the deer making them!

Thank you
that helped me a lot
please comment if anyone else knows anything about deer hooves.

thanks
Tracker22

IN SNOW U WILL SEE BUCKS DRAGING THERE LEGS, WORKS MOST OF THE TIME. wORKS WITH 3TO 5 IN. OF SNOW

Thanks

Yes some of the bigger tracks have lines in the snow from dragging hooves.
I will asume that they are from a buck.

Thanks
Tracker22

I live in a snow belt and and snowmobile ALL Over north america for 30+ yrs, and seen tons of doe drag there feet in the snow as described above
, so I would NOT count on this to tell you tracks are from a buck,
I have deer in my yard pretty much 365 days a yr and again SEE doe with my eyes making the tracks, and also see BUCKS NOT making them too
there is NO sure fire way, sorry, but its the honest answer here!

Thanks

Maybe when I get some trail cams around I can see the deer that make them and then look at tracks and get a general idea.

thank so much everyone

Tracker22

A walking buck's track will tend to move from side to side a little bit, while a doe's will be more of in a straight line.

http://www.wiredtohunt.com/2013/06/0...a-closer-look/

You can sometimes tell an old track from a new track, by an old track having frost inside the track, in mud and snow.

mrbb, yep, agree 100% a dragging track is not proof the deer is a buck. There are many tales that were passed on from generation to generation that are not true.

You cannot age a deer using the size of THEIR tracks. Sure a fawn makes a very small footprint. Beyond that, it is a guess. You can only age a deer with certainty using THEIR teeth until they reach a certain age then tooth wear is taken under consideration. The Quality Deer Management Association sells posters that will answer a lot of your aging questions. Go to their "shop" tab then click on "education".

Thanks

thanks for all the info guys.

Tracker22

I always thought the bigger the hoof print, the bigger the deer. Saw a recent Facebook post from a local taxidermist showing the hooves from two different bucks. The larger buck in body and rack had significantly smaller hooves than the other.