Don Caswell has some simple tricks up his sleeve keep track of game animals
I make extensive use of trail cameras and regularly endorse their value. That probably gives the impression that I deploy them everywhere. However, that is not so. Most times I have just 4-6 trail cameras in the field. Game animals constantly change their behaviour and are rarely predictable for long, if at all. When out in the field, I am constantly looking for signs of animal activity. When I see evidence that a spot is receiving regular visits, I will move a trail camera there to better define what is going on and when. In looking for signs of animal activity I use a few simple tricks that are useful, and anybody can employ.
The first and most obvious sign is animal tracks. The thing you want to learn from the tracks is who made them and when did that happen. There are many books and internet sites that provide information on the tracks that animals leave. For the new chum, that is a great place to start.
However, real world personal observation is what really adds to a hunter’s store of knowledge. Take every opportunity to observe animal tracks. You do not have to live in the bush to do that. Backyards, parks and beaches are a great source of dog and cat tracks. Note the difference between running and walking animals, and the difference between dust, mud and sand prints. If possible, observe the tracks over time and after rain or high winds. Get a feel for how tracks in different mediums change with time and weather. You can even do that with your own shoe prints. Farms are obviously a good place to observe domestic animal tracks and develop a feel for marauding feral animal tracks.
The dirt tracks on farms are a good canvas for animal tracks. When driving or walking about on dirt tracks, take a slightly different path each time so that successive tracks are side by side. The next time you travel that way look for animal tracks overlaying your previous tracks. That gives a timestamp for when the animal passed that way.
Feral animals use farm tracks as a favoured means of moving about. Wild dogs in particular use farm tracks as boundaries between different packs and patrol them regularly. Deer and cats also make use of farm tracks. Pigs and goats less so.
Apart from tracks, keep an eye out for poo. Wild dogs will often poo in the middle of tracks as sign of territorial claim. Again, domestic dog poo can give you an idea of what dog poo looks like as it ages and dries. Wild dog poo is often laced with hair and fur from their prey. It is useful to learn what deer, goat, pig, fox etc poo looks like. Sometimes, in the absence of any clear tracks, that can alert you to the presence of target species. Again, there are plenty of books and internet sites that are useful in identifying animal scat.
As you move around, look for evidence of animals crossing fence lines. Roos and wallabies establish well-used trails that feral animals often frequent as well. Roos and wallabies rarely leave any fur on the barbed wire fences they pass through. Their fur is quite fine compared to the coarse hair of pigs and deer. These introduced animals often leave little tufts of their coarse hair caught on the barbed wire they squeeze under. Deer, including stags, will mostly squeeze under a fence rather than leap it. If you see tufts of hair caught on the barbed wire, pull them off, examine them and make a mental note of the location. That way, on the next visit, any tufts of hair will obviously be fresh. Also, use a stick to smooth the dirt at the fence passage. This will show signs of any animal transit on your next visit. Feral animals also make use of stock pads. These pads generally have a packed, hard surface and get a lot of stock traffic, so are not always a reliable source of game tracks but are still always worth a look.
Wild animals have distinct and strong odours about them. On calm, early mornings in the bush sometimes you will get a whiff of strong animal smell. That is always worth investigating. See if your nose can show you the direction. Look about, especially for fresh tracks or other signs of an animal’s passage. On calm, dewy or frosty early mornings be aware of how the passage of an animal can leave an obvious path through the wet grass. After a successful hunt, take some time to examine the feet of your quarry and take note of the animal’s smell too. Boars and stags have prominent dew claws on their rear hooves. A little examination of the size and shape of the feet will help you differentiate the tracks you find.
Some, or all, of these observations can combine to put you in the right position at the right time for a shot at your quarry. Whether that is to harvest a load of game meat, or help the landowner to remove feral pests, there is a profound sense of satisfaction in reading the signs and reaping the rewards of that. It’s not rocket science and you don’t need to be a Rhodes Scholar to do it. Awareness and observation are all it takes.