Look no further than a fresh buck track to help up your odds come next fall!
by Clint Casper
February! It’s a time when hunting seasons end, and many people hang up their bows and rifles, pack away their gear, and focus on the upcoming Super Bowl or what’s to come in spring. Thoughts of family vacations, cookouts, and pleasant weather fill the minds of many hunters during this time, but not all of them!
For some, this is when the next season begins, and the work must start now! For a guy like myself who eats and breathes whitetails, I can tell you it is a year-long obsession and, honestly, a chosen lifestyle. Right now, next year’s success starts to unfold for those willing to put in the work and start scouting. One of my favorite methods to scout is to “backtrack a buck” when snow is still on the ground and the last signs of fall are still visible for those who want to search for it.
Why Scout Now?
Many people put away their hunting gear and switch to other hobbies and interests during the “boring” months of February and March. But this is a vital mistake to me and many die-hard whitetail hunters. During these so-called boredom months, I do most of my whitetail prep work. With the season just ending, fresh sign is of abundance from the past fall.
Rubs, scrapes, tracks, droppings, oak trees that dropped acorns, deer beds, etc., are all still very present and can be found easily. Once the spring green-up takes over, this sign will be old and visibly very hard to see and note.
Also, since the season is over, I’m not worried about entering bedding areas and zones I do not step foot in during hunting season for fear of alerting and spooking deer.
Right now, I focus on going into these specific spots to see how deer use them and how these areas connect to the big picture of how I’m hunting a property.
When possible, to take this step even further, I prefer to do my post-season scouting in the snow. Snow adds another level of tracking that can’t be matched in mud or dry ground. With snow on the ground, I can go into buck bedding areas and feeding zones, find a good-sized buck track, and then track it back. What I mean by this is I can find a buck track in a cornfield, then backtrack that track to where the deer was staging and bedding. This allows me to see how the particular buck uses the property, where he went, and what he did. I can then mark waypoints and make notes of his travels to better help me understand how a buck uses an area. This is extremely vital information.
Backtracking A Buck
To get the absolute most from scouting like this in the snow, I typically have a game plan set before I go. I want to backtrack a set of big buck tracks and scout and shed hunt all in one. By doing all of these things together, I’m maximizing the ability to use my time wisely and get the most out of the information I’m gathering. Doing all three at once slows me down, but slow and methodical here wins the race. We want to gain as much knowledge as possible!
Once I find a large-looking Buck track (which will be long, wide, and more profound than other deer tracks), I’ll start to mark my route with my onX mapping system. I want to track my route while on his tracks the entire time. The key here is to take your time, follow the tracks back to his bed or feeding zone, and learn as much as possible. While tracking the track of a buck, I will make notes about where I saw rubs, scrapes, and areas with lots of deer sign. I’m also eagerly looking at potential spots for an ambush, like a treestand or blind, and will also mark these areas.
The main goal of backtracking a buck track is to find the flaw in his armor by the clues left behind. For example, if the buck walks through a doe bedding area (lots of beds in a hub with doe tracks), I will mark down this area. Why? This known doe bedding area may come in handy next November when the buck is looking for a girlfriend. He knows those does are there and you should know as well.
I will also track bucks back to their beds. So much can be learned from doing this. Once I discover one of his beds, I want to know what’s around. Cover, agriculture fields, water, what direction he’s facing, how the wind would be blowing to his advantage, etc.—the more you know the better. Bucks don’t bed in areas by happen chance.
I want to dissect the area and not have to re-enter this zone in the fall when the fear of bumping him out is so great. I’ll take notes of what the wind is doing and some pictures from his bed to see what he’s seeing while he’s bedded. This better helps me understand the big picture of why he is here. Typically, I’ll also find sheds in bedding and feeding areas. Keep your eye out, as sheds tell us how big of an animal is around. It is also a great little treasure to take home after a long day of scouting! A shed is a great confirmation that this buck is bedding in an area often. I want to note this area and look for other areas, as he may have multiple bedding areas on the same property.
Putting It All Together
When backtracking a buck in the snow, we want to ask ourselves the four immediate “W” questions: Why was he here? Where is he going? Where did he come from? When was he here? In my experience, when we stop in an area of interest and ask ourselves these four questions, we unlock a ton of secrets to the big puzzle.
The beauty of backtracking a buck in the snow is the ability to follow a set of tracks or different buck tracks for as long as you want. By marking these routes (I like to pick a few different sets in different areas), we can see what areas bucks use separately and what areas overlap.
I also want to note that I like to do this with the doe groups. As previously mentioned, we must know where the girls sleep and where they frequent because, come next November, these are the money areas to catch a buck slipping up.
I like to coordinate scrapes and rubs that I find and mark down while backtracking with bedding areas to help give me a good idea of how a buck would likely travel these areas in search of does. Connecting the dots and seeing on your maps will undoubtedly help your success.
Now is also a great time to put cameras out inside these zones that we do not want to enter and let them soak for the next few months. By doing this, I’m getting a look each day at how deer are using this area without disturbing them. Bedding areas, for example, are a great place to get cameras into during this time so I can keep tabs on how deer move through and utilize specific bedding areas. This is extremely helpful information that will unlock clues to how your deer use the property.
The benefit of backtracking a buck in the snow is greater than at any other time. Snow gives us such a great way to follow a track with ease and learn so much valuable information along the way! Give it a try this year and backtrack to your next buck!
