Deer leave a variety of sign that can let you know where they have been even
if you don't see them. The most obvious of signs are scat (feces) and
tracks. Coues deer scat is in the form of small pellets. The pellets
will vary in color from greenish (when really fresh) to brown or black and even
gray or white (when really old). The photos below show some of the
variation in colors. Coues scat can be clumpy if the deer is eating a
really moist diet. Deer scat will also be moist when fresh, but dries
fairly quickly. Scat that is somewhat fresh may appear dry on the outside
but still be moist on the inside.
All photos by A. Moors. Click on images to see larger versions.
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| Coues deer scat next to a rock. |
There is a quarter in this photo to show scale. |
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| This photo shows older scat on the left and newer scat
on the right. |
Very old scat showing the whitish-gray color.
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TRACKS
Deer also leave tracks when they travel through an area. Good
places to look for tracks include washes, hillsides, and saddles. Also
check any area that has muddy soil like around a stock tank, spring or
river. Looking at tracks can tell you the size of the animal and what
it was doing there (i.e., running, walking, pawing at the ground).
White-tailed deer and mule deer have very similar tracks, but mule deer are
larger. Mule deer tracks tend to be about 2.5- 3 inches long while
Coues tracks tend to be 2 to 2.5 inches long. Sometimes people confuse
javelina and whitetail tracks. Javelina tracks are fairly easy to
distinguish due to their smaller size (1 to 1.5 inches long) and blunter
tips (see photos below).
Tracks can help determine when an animal uses an area.
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This photo shows a game trail that crosses a dry sandy
wash. |
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Ever looked closely at the foot of a whitetail? Deer feet have split
hooves, unlike the single hoof of something like a horse. The outside
edge of the hoof is hard, but the inside is soft and fleshy allowing the
deer to feel what is under its feet. A deer track normally consists of
just the impression of the largest toes on its foot.
However, if a deer is running or in a really soft surface, the
small dew claws may show up in the track (as in the photo below).
Photos by A. Moors |
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This is a photo of the front foot of a javelina. I put this in
to show you how the tips of the hooves are much less pointed than the Coues
deer. Compare with deer foot photo above. You can also see how
this affects the shape of the tracks below. Photo by A. Moors. |
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| Coues White-tailed deer track. Quarter in photo
for scale - diameter of quarter is about 1 inch. This track is about 2
inches long. Note the pointed tips to the track (which is in contrast
to the blunt tips of a javelina). |
This track could be a small mule deer or a large
Coues. It's about 2.5 inches long. Tracks can become larger
than the actual animal when they are in mud like this track. |
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| Coues deer track. Note that the front and rear foot
were placed on top of each other, which can make the track look larger than
it is. |
This is a javelina track, note the blunter/wider tips,
not strongly pointed as with deer. This track is also smaller than a
Coues track. It's about 1.5 inches long. The front and rear track are
on top of each other, making the track look longer than the individual hoof.
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| Javelina tracks - direction of travel is
right to left. Note how blocky the tracks look and how small they are
compared to Coues tracks. |
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The following are examples of Coues deer tracks in a
variety of situations. |
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This closeup shows the overlap of the front and back foot in the same
track. This was made by a Coues deer casually walking. |
This photo shows tracks of a Coues deer that was not
casually walking, but it was also not in a full run. Note how the toes
are separated unlike the photo to the left. Many times you will see a
track like this from an animal moving downhill. |
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 OTHER SIGN
Coues deer will leave several other clues to their lives. You may
find shed antlers or even bones from a deer. You can also look for
evidence of feeding. Deer will clip off the tips of browse and other
plants as they feed. Bucks will rub their antlers against trees
leaving obvious sign and they will also makes scrapes similar to other
subspecies of whitetail. Deer will also leave distinctive indentations
where they bed. Look under juniper, oak, and pinon pine trees for
beds. Deer will also bed in brushy areas. Generally there will be a lot of scat around these
bedding areas too.
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| A shed antler can give you information on
where the bucks are in the area and what size of bucks live there.
Shed hunting is a great way to scout out an area you want to hunt.
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Coues deer vertebrae and pelvis that I
found during my 2002 deer hunt.
Bones like this may be from a hunter who left some of a carcass or they
could be from deer that were killed by predators, injury or disease.
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| A Coues deer bed that was under a large
pinon pine with lots of cover around it provided by manzanita and other
shrubs. A pair of binoculars is right next to the bed and is provided
for a sense of scale. The binoculars are 6.5 inches long.
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A close-up of that same deer bed. It
is just a small area that the deer has pawed away debris to lay down in.
Deer will commonly bed under junipers or other trees and bushes that provide
them with shade and some cover from predators. Most often these beds
will be on north-facing slopes. |
