To be a successful hunter, you must know the deer's habits and be able to recognize sign that signals a buck is in the area. A good way to tell if a Buck is in the area it will leave multiple scrapes and rubs. Deer use this method to warn off other deer. You will notice a gradual increase in rubs and scrapes as Seasons' change.
Small trees with the bark torn off from a deer are called rubs. This is so the deer can train, and remove summer velvet from its rack.
Scrapes are places on the ground where the buck has rubbed with his antlers and has scattered leaves and sticks out of the way to reveal the dirt. Bucks usually spread urine over the scrape to distinct its smell from others.
Deer tracks are the most obvious sign of a deer trail. This indicates which way the deer are moving, where the deer sleeps, where it eats and so on. Many people believe Bucks show "dew claws" in the dirt and does dont. This is false. The only way to distinct deer are to find scrapes or rubs.
Tracks are a valuable sign to a hunter, chiefly as an indication of the frequency and the deer's direction of travel. They might also give an indication of the size of the deer using an area Generally, they provide a lot of the same information as do droppings.
The only time hunters will ever really need to track a deer is after they have taken a shot at one. If the deer doesn't go down, the hunter should check where the deer was standing when the shot was fired, looking for blood, hair, or other signs of a hit. If none is apparent, he should take up the track for a few hundred yards, looking for blood on the ground, bushes and trees the deer may have brushed against, or for signs of staggering, limping or other evidence of a hit.
The deer should be field dressed as quickly as possible so that the meat cools rapidly. This insures flavorful, high quality meat for the table.
