As a deer hunter, I tend to pay attention to tracks in the snow. Trails left behind by animals can tell you a story if you choose to interpret them. Hunters and non-hunters alike can enjoy identifying and following tracks in the snow.
It's no secret that hunters and trappers use footprints in the snow to get a better idea of what local animal populations are up to. Tracking is likely minutes older than hunting in that an animal must first be found before it can be hunted. Our ancestors were likely driven by the signs left behind in the snow. Native people are known to have tracked animals in nearly any condition. With the addition of snow, the task was likely reduced to child’s play, for such skilled trackers. There is much you can learn from a set of tracks. Following them will take you on an adventure that could end up paying off for the hunter, trapper, animal lover, and photographer.
Most animals can be easily identified by the tracks they leave behind. There are many reference guides online and in printed versions that will aid you in the process. I found it exciting, as a child, to look at a book and figure out what animal had left behind the sign I was seeing. It was a practice I would learn to embrace throughout my life. As I age, my interpretation of the track has become the goal, rather than its identification. Once you know a track, it's on to making sense of it. Is the animal simply transitioning from one place to another, heading back to its den or bed, searching for food or running from another animal? This can all be seen and identified through nothing more than tracks.
Learning to interpret tracks has become a majorly important skill in my hunting style. As stated before, I most commonly use the skill to locate and intercept deer. On one such occasion, I was headed to a specific location. On the way there, I cut the tracks of a nice buck. He had gone in and out of the woodlot in the same location, which took him into a large thicket. It was the peak of the rut, and I figured he was cruising looking for does. I noticed that the deer had returned to the woodlot, and figured he would come back through again. It was no surprise when I saw him approaching the trail just before sunset. My interpretation of nothing more than tracks in the snow put me in the exact location the deer would cross. Knowing what story the tracks tell is super important to the goa-oriented outdoors person. The skill of identifying and tracking animals by left-behind prints will benefit anyone attempting to get close to and wanting to view wild animals.
The identification of tracks and their interpretation is likely of the highest importance to trappers. Trapping is a skill requiring instincts beyond the ability of most hunters. I haven't trapped myself, but have several friends that do. They all say the same thing: You must first find where the animal you wish to trap lives.
Tracks are the best way to verify the presence of the target quarry. Scents used in attracting animals to the trap are commonly specific to the species. If you set up shop in an area with little or no fox sign, it doesn't matter how much fox scent you put out. You will likely have a harder time catching one than if you set up on fresh fox trails.
Even more specific is the trail trapping system. These sets use scent less often, and depend on the skill of the trapper to locate travel routes of fur bearers. In this practice, you are trying to place a trap in hopes an animal will just step in it. Obviously you must place the trap in the perfect location. Finding or creating a pinch point on the trail the animal is using is your best bet. By setting the trap in a narrow place on the trail, you greatly increase your odds of having the animal step in it and making a catch.
When I see tons of coyote tracks in an area, there is typically a deer kill nearby. I follow the tracks and commonly find the remains of their kill. I use the bones of deer to make tools, so the more I can obtain, the better. There is little to do in the winter, so anything that gets you outdoors is a good thing. Try tracking and animal identification by viewing them. It's a good time and a great way to burn some calories in the winter months.
Good wishes and make some tracks of your own.

Questions or comments may be emailed to Sheldon at sheldonsoutdoorbusiness@hotmail.com.