http://nie.utsandiego.com/pdf/AnimalScat.pdf Beartracker's Animal Tracks Den Complete Animal Scat Guide: The North Woods Field Guides Droppings, Scat, and Feces Identification
The National Park Rangers are advising hikers in Glacier National Park and other Rocky Mountain parks to be alert for bears and take extra precautions to avoid an encounter. They advise park visitors to wear little bells on their clothes so they make noise when hiking. The bell noise allows bears to hear them coming from a distance and not be startled by a hiker accidentally sneaking up on them. This might cause a bear to charge. Visitors should also carry a pepper spray can just in case a bear is encountered. Spraying the pepper into the air will irritate the bear's sensitive nose and it will run away. It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for fresh bear scat so you have an idea if bears are in the area. People should be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear scat. Black bear droppings are smaller and often contain berries, leaves, and possibly bits of fur. Grizzly bear droppings tend to contain small bells and smell of pepper.
Sir im by far no great tracker or hunter but isnt there a difference between a buck and a doe track... Aslo I believe the hog is also close in hoof prints. but thanks for the info very much appreciated!
Kas, I can tell you from peeking closely at deer tracks in my yard that there's no way to sex a deer from the tracks. Hogs, well, I know nothing about them.
I am not familiar with hogs (wild boar), yet, but I can tell you about deer tracks. The size of the track will tell you something of the size and weight of the deer, not it's sex. However, other traces CAN tell you the sex. Urine placement at the bedding, scent during the rut, rubs, and scrapes can assist, and of course, cameras make it much easier. How you find the tracks can give you an idea, bucks tend to be lazy and drag their toes when walking through leaves, for instance. And tracks found running down wind of fields are often bucks scent checking does as they pass, while the rut is high. Known weather, rain, snow, dry heat, wind, will tell you something as to when the prints were made, as the track appears weathered, sharp, wet, dry, over printed, running or calm. Direction, timing, weather, and speed, will lead you to what it was doing at the time, and why it was moving in that direct. Once you know what it does, and where it goes, you will have a good idea what it is.
Ok thanks guys ill check it out ... I thought that bucks had some sort of "do claw " type on thing...
Bucks and does are set up the same, except for their behavior, and their plumbing, and scent glands. As a deer stands up from bedding, they, like us tend to pee. bucks infront and between four hooves, does behind the rear hooves.
