Desert springs no tracks???

[apache12]

So I found two active springs that are about two miles apart in the high desert. No tanks in the area have water. There are cattle at one spring. I have checked them a few times once after the rain we had a few weeks back and no sign. No track at all. Not tracks on game trails in. No scat in the fields near except some very old. I checked the, in January too same thing but I thought they were in rut and maybe being weird.

Any thoughts on my no sign? Could they simply not be using them? Or are they using and not leaving sign? I saw no cameras on either spring

[CouesWhitetail]

That's very weird.....Is it possible the springs don't provide water year round? If there is no other water in the area, maybe they just aren't there because there is no reliable year round water. I have seen some areas that during the monsoons have tons of water and you think things look great, but then during the heat of the summer everything is dry and so no deer.

[apache12]

No I think they flow yearly. I have seen water in December and January and June through August. Less of course in June and August but I can see the underground source. One spring is pretty slow and may get dry it has more stagnant water

They other is lower and hidden in a draw. You have to walk about 1/2 mile to get to it and that's after a fairly rough road gets you that close. I really thought I had found desert deer nirvana but nothing. I suppose I can set a camera to be sure. But this seems like a really safe spot for a deer to drink

[wing master]

It could be they are not leaving sign. Once I put a camera on a GF drinker and didn't see any sign. The camera was pretty exposed so I took it down three days later for fear of theft. Still not a single track but I had one doe, javelina, and coyote.

[Coues Stew]

My guess if those are the only springs close by and theres cattle on em theres your problem. Where I hunt quail with my dad there are a few springs and the cattle are on em so bad it just smells like a dairy farm in there. I have never seen a deer anywhere near that water but watched em walk quite a ways away to water at a tank. I have heard people say they find deer and cattle together often..... but in my experience they just get annoyed by them. SMELLY ANIMALS !!!!!!!!! The quail and coyotes dont mind them tho But if theres no cows IDK sounds like a honey hole with no evidence!

[Kaffer62]

How hard is the ground around it? May not be leaving tracks.

[520HUNT]

My springs deer activity declines right after the first Monsoon...

[deserthntr]

Put up a cam, some of my cams i have sitting on water have zero deer tracks around them even though the ground seems like it would produce tracks, but have multiple bucks showing up hitting the water, and leaving behind zero sign

[apache12]

I guess that makes sense I should put up a cam. Thx

[Big or Bust]

I'd put a camera up to make sure but it is too wet right now. Deer are scattered in southern Arizona. Many small tinajas and puddles all over the place. Many waters I keep track of will not be used until October/November or as soon at the monsoon tinajas and puddles dry up.

[AverageJoe]

You sure there are deer in the area?

[apache12]

Well I have sen does this summer and last jan I saw one real good buck and one small 2x2 about 1/2 mile aay

[have2bhuntn]

The Grey Ghost leaves no tracks lol

I have some springs I put cameras on that don't show tracks but have deer on them

[camoremi]

I have a salt spot. It had no tracks when I pulled my sd card. Had few does and a couple bucks on it

[mklong40]

Deer will hit tanks all year and as soon as the rain comes, they do not need to. They are opportunistic. They can get all the water they want without exposing themselves to the risk a tank offers. I have cams up on a few year round water sources and every time it rains the pic count plummets for several days after the rain. Also, I see deer and cattle share space all the time. I wouldn't worry about the cattle. Lastly, averagejpe said it...you sure there is deer in there? Good Luck.