Tracking tale...

[Kath]

Found some interesting tracks on a hike at the weekend. I was puzzling over these hooflike prints on the path for ages, thinking goats or deer, when something went baa and I remembered I was in a sheep field... :roll: Guess who felt the silly billy then? :wave:

It's easy to get all caught up and overlook the most obvious information ... ):

 

[jakunen]

):
Yeah. Last night I spent 5 minutes on hands and knees trying to work out what the hell was making crackling noises in teh kitchen. Then realised the back door was on teh tilt and it was raining outside...
I felt a right berk!

 

[RovingArcher]

):

 

[Ed]

I was puzzling over these hooflike prints on the path for ages, thinking goats or deer, when something went baa and I remembered I was in a sheep field...

I'm glad I'm not the only one to do that ..... but atleast I had an excuse.... Twas winter... twas snowing .... the sheep were in their natural off white fleecy camo....


Ed

 

[Rhoda]

I've done exactly the same thing too, even followed the hoof shaped tracks through the woods telling Raz there are definately no sheep around here so it must be some sort of deer. Then we sat down to have a coffee and BAAAA! :rolmao:

 

[Raz]

Haha!
I knew it was sheep! But you were having none of it

It's certainly one of the things I've struggled with most when tracking, and yet I can't find anywhere online that compares the two, and tells you the differences.
I have the luxury of being with deer everyday, and I have a little tracking book that I've written some hard and fast rules for differentiating tracks.

Presuming you can't identify the track through a gate & stride table;

1. If there are loads of tracks, it's more than likely sheep.
2. Sheep tend to have one half of the hoof larger than the other.
3. Deer tracks are usually more widely separated than sheep.

If that still doesn’t help, remember to check around for white fluff

 

[Rhoda]

Funny how you can convince yourself of what you're seeing when tracking. Max calls it seeing faces in clouds, its probably not even a track yet you're adament there's something there. The more you look at it the more you convince yourself and it ends up becoming a puma print when its really a few raindrops in the soil! :roll: Everyone who'd learning to track goes through a phase of doing this , I think its because you so desperately want to see exciting tracks where there might not be any.

Good pointers on distinguishing between sheep and deer Raz, I still find that one really tricky!

 

[Kath]

:rolmao: I've done that so many times! I think it is desperation to find a really cool track!

Still waiting for that to happen :?:

With my eyes permanently glued to the ground...

 

[bushwacker bob]

I have heard Kath,that tracking sheep down is quite popular in Wales :shock:

 

[Kath]

I have heard Kath,that tracking sheep down is quite popular in Wales :shock:

Now now!