Tracking Big Bucks
Tracking a big buck is the hardest form of deer hunting, yet when you succeed it is the most gratifying. A big buck doesn't get big by being stupid. When you can outfool, outmanuver, and shoot a big buck you have a lot to be proud of. The most important word when tracking a buck is "persistence." It takes a lot of work to find a big buck track, but once your on the track you can't give up on it no matter how bleak things look.
If you want to shoot big bucks it goes without saying that you need to hunt where the big bucks roam. I hunt the big woods of Northern Maine to find bucks that have never seen a human before. Get out deep in the woods where most hunters won't. When you hunt these areas chances are that the deer per square mile are going to be very low. That means it may take you a while to find or see deer or deer sign. In mid November, when rifle season occurs in the Northeast, the big bucks are cruising looking for does to breed. This is a great chance for you to ride the old logging roads looking for a big buck track that crosses the road. Myself and the guys in our camp usually do this on Sundays, since it it illegal to hunt on Sundays in Maine. Some of us will also go up the weekend before to get in the woods and look for sign or take the first day of your hunt to look for those big bucks. Once you've located a good buck it is always nice to have snow to track in, but it is not needed. A lot of big bucks have been shot on bare ground. It is harder to do, but IT IS POSSIBLE!!!
Once you have a fresh buck track in front of you the real fun begins. You need to get on it. At this time you need to be thinking only about that buck and nothing else. If you start to lose your concentration that is when your going to run right into that buck and you won't have a chance. Look at what he's doing. Is he by himself, or is he with a doe? If he is by himself, is he meandering around looking for does or is he walking a straight line? If it is the latter you better get moving. Don't pussy foot around. He started out ahead of you and if you don't get flying he is just going to keep walking farther away from you. Is he feeding? Is he headed to the top of the mountain to lay down? Pay attention to every detail that buck leaves you. I can't cover every thing that a buck will do. In fact I know there is still a lot that I have yet to learn from a weary old buck. You'll learn more with every experience you have.
The Buck is Alone
When you find a lone buck track the first thing to do is figure out what he is doing. Like I said before, if his tracks go in a straight line he is covering ground hoping to find a receptive doe. You have to almost jog to catch up with him. It takes a lot of work and determination to do this. You need to cover more ground than him in order to catch him. If he is wandering around you still need to bust your butt to catch up with him, but your chances are that he is not putting distance between him and you as fast. By looking at what he is doing you can get an idea of how fast you need to go. Everything is dependent on how old the track is, but it is important to figure out how fast he is going. Also look to see if he is feeding. A deer will feed before they bed down. If that buck is meandering around feeding, you know that he is moving slow and getting ready to bed down. That leads into paying attention to the habitat he's headed for. A big buck will like to bed in a place where he can see, smell or hear you before you see him. That means thick softwoods on the top of a mountain, the top of ridge where he can look down at his backtrack and other places he knows other animals and people don't want to go.
The Bucks with a Doe
If you get on a track that is with a doe or picks up a doe, your chances just got better. Instead of him worrying about what is behind him, he is concentrating on that doe. Look for all the same things I mentioned above, but realize you have gained something on him. Now that doesn't mean that it is going to be easier, because it's not. You now have another set of eyes, ears and a nose trying to notice you before you see them. An important thing you need to watch for is the buck leaving the doe and not noticing it. Do not walk in the tracks, walk beside them. If that buck jumps off the trail you may miss it and if you have walked in the tracks it is hard to go back and figure things out.