how big of a deer made this track?

[hunter_mike]

i found this track while i was out scouting some new property. how big of an animal do you think made this and how possible is it that it was a big buck? It is exactly 6 1/4 inches from the center of my thumbnail to the center of my pointer finger nail.

[redkneck]

Looks like a horse came through with a foot injury! Man that things huge! Actually it almost looks like 2 tracks overlapped, and I think I can almost see the outline of the other one, but maybe I'm wrong. They do that sometimes walking and will make you do a double-take. I look at the curve of the tip of the toe to make my guesstimation of the sex of the deer. Doe's are pointier......is that a word?

[Casey]

Younger deer tracks are more sharper pointed. I think you got a old mature deer there, tough to say what it is. I'd guess a big buck.

[wildthing]

my guess is that the track is from a mature doe

[redkneck]

I'm sure you guys have some huge bucks up there, but a six inch long deer foot should have a Nike shoe named after it. Looks like the imprint from another one like this:

[Ethan Givan]

Old mature doe is my guess with another track on top like redneck said. If it was an old mature buck, the toes would be spread apart at the front. Does are usually together like the one in the pic. You cant go by that always in mud or going down a steep hill but it looks like this track was made in pretty solid dirt on relatively flat ground. JMO

[elkoholic]

  hunter_mike said:

i found this track while i was out scouting some new property. how big of an animal do you think made this and how possible is it that it was a big buck? It is exactly 6 1/4 inches from the center of my thumbnail to the center of my pointer finger nail.

Answer:

I think redkneck nailed it.

[HoytHunter5293]

dont bucks rear dewclaws show in there track like this?

Edited August 13, 2009 by HoytHunter5293

[BowJoe]

I wouldn't get too excited. I don't see any dew claws behind the track and I'm pretty sure that's a sandy soil. If it were a mature buck, I'm betting we would have seen the dew claws, a little more spread on the toes and a little deeper of a print. A 4-1/2 YO doe I'd say.

[wtnhunt]

Think redneck has it right here with the overlapping tracks. Sand can lead to distorted tracks too, although the edges of those tracks look pretty crisp. Also would agree that with a heavy bodied buck you would likely have seen imprints of dew claws.

[hunterwebb]

that old crooked toe he weight is 420 lb and he got 30 points

[Doc]

I think I'd go along with the "overlapping track" theory. Just the proportions of length to width seem to go along with an overlapping track.

Doc

[ruttinbuc]

Follow a doe in the snow and you will see that they step in the same spot with their back hoof as their front. Bucks are easy to distinguish with their hoof prints one behind the other and often drag their feet even in loose soil. All deer have dew claws. Many times people mistake a running doe track for a buck track. Heavier deer do splay their hooves some. Deer are also like people when it comes to their foot/hoof size. They are all different. Big tracks do not necessarily mean they were made by a big deer.

[redkneck]

  hunterwebb said:

that old crooked toe he weight is 420 lb and he got 30 points

lmao........ :clown:

[JimT]

I would say a big doe as well.

[hunter_mike]

the track itself is not 6 1/4. my hand is 6 1/4 from thumbnail to fingernail. i just included that for reference. the other tracks near it were very close to one another indicating the deer was walking.

[92xj]

my guess.....A deer

There is no way to tell what sex or how big of a deer made this track. Dew claws show up with heavy does as well as heavy bucks. Bigger track older deer, but to say its a mature doe, middle aged buck or mature buck, it is all a guess. Put up a cam and see what you have walking around.

Cool deal on getting out walking in the woods and scouting!!!

[hunter_mike]

the track itself is not 6 1/4. my hand is 6 1/4 from thumbnail to fingernail. i just include that for size reference. I dont believe it is an over lapped track because there were other tracks in front of and behind it that were the same size. i am now starting to agree it was probly a big doe as well, but i still like to imagine some giant sized deer made the track lol.

[m gardner]

A deer with big feet made that track. More important is how long is the walking and standing stride. That'll give you an idea as to how long and wide the body is. If it's an older buck the rear feet will lay inside the front because the shoulders are wider than the hips on a buck. Follow it backwards (if you get on his track him he'll know and spook) and see how big the bed is which will give you a clue as to how big it is. Things we did before trail cams.

Mark

[hunter_mike]

thanks for the advice and help!

[wildthing]

I think it would be almost improbable...not impossible that the tracks were overlapped. If you look at the contour of the print, nothing is disturbed with the print. Secondly, every mature buck track I have ever seen has a dew claw print behind the front hoof. It is kind of hard to tell because of the shadow, but I really don't see any additional prints.

[nemodeerhuntersneighbor]

Definitely not a whitetail buck.

[buckee]

Please see this thread IMPORTANT !!! How to age deer Tracks