Let's talk elk tracks

[Lonnie]

So how do you guys know if you are looking at a bull or cow tracks. What do they mean?

[WapitiTalk1]

I'm trying to watch a movie here (John Wick 2, pretty good). Ok. I'll swing back to the desktop for easier typing. .

[Elkhunttoo]

Size ... once the rut starts though most cow groups have bulls with them or close by so I don't worry to much about separating them. As far as what them mean, I guess they mean that x amount of time ago there was elk there and they were heading in x direction.

[WapitiTalk1]

Size doesn't have too much to do with ID'ing elk tracks, similar to a pile of bear crap doesn't let you know how big the bear is. There are really two factors I look at when it comes to ID'ing "what gender of elk made those tracks". The first is timing and really, all I'm concerned with is the time that pertains to the SEP elk hunt. By early SEP (even earlier backing up into mid/late AUG) the cows are in their groups and the bulls have been predominately hanging out in their boy band groups watching reruns of Arnold Schwarzenegger movies. Once the testosterone levels start to rise in the boys, they break up their groups and start gravitating towards the ladies (very late AUG/early SEP). From this point forward, a "lone" set of elk tracks is most often times a bull as he works from group to group trying to pick up a harem. Here's the clincher and the second part of the equation my pop taught me many, many moons ago in MT and I have found this to be true for the most part. If the hind hoof is touching front hoof when traveling (looking at the track), it's most often a bull.. Why? because bulls don't have the wide hips that a cow does (cows, particularly those who have been around more than 2 or 3 years) from calve birthing and their hind foot lands wider than their front. Open for debate, that is what I have observed...

[saddlesore]

Cow tracks will never be more than 3.5 "long. A young bull may be that, but a mature bull will be longer and wider. I hunt either ML season when tracks are scarce in the grass /weeds but it is a little pre rut. Then I hunt 2nd rifle season mid -late Oct. A lone track longer than 3.5 " track has always been a bull. More often than not, in rifle season with snow on the ground or generally when more tracks are visable,those lone cow tracks will have calf track along with them.

If the elk is taking 10 ft long jumps as it is leaving the country, it all goes out the window though.

Personally, I don't put much value in looking at tracks unless they are fresh or I saw an elk standing in them. It's like looking at a muddy wallow.Yea,elk were there,but chances of seeing an elk at one, post rut is rare. More often than not if you are following tracks,the elk will see you first. It is much better to figure out where the elk is heading and get there first.
Finding fresh beds with horn marks in the dirt, urine right in the middle of fresh bed, and that sweet musky odor is more indictive that a bull was or is close by

[>>>---WW---->]

RJ pretty much nailed it. A bull's hind foot will usually be in line with the front foot ( when walking ). A cow's hind food will be slightly to the outside of the front track.

Now, how do you tell a front foot track from a rear foot??? As in all hooved animals, the front hoof is always wider than the rear hoof. This is because the front legs bare the majority of the animals weight.

[BrentLaBere]

I read this somewhere and tried to look for it in the field. When I follow or cut tracks in the snow, ill pay attention to the timber the animal is walking through. Does it make an effort to side track tight gaps in trees? It may be a bull avoiding get his rack caught up. Havent been able to prove this but it was an interesting thought. Not entirely about the track itself. I agree with the other posts

[Lonnie]

WapitiTalk I love it. I'm right there with you.

This will probably shoot me in the foot with the ladies of this site. But it is interesting how elk are like us. Most men have wide shoulders. Wider then their buts. Where most women have wider hips then their shoulders.

So back to elk. When you look at a track on the ground. You can find tracks where they are stepping on each other. The front foot will have a back foot print on top of it. If the front foot being the wide shoulders of a man elk are on the out side of the back foot. Then it is probably a man elk. If the back foot is on the outside of the front foot then it has wider hips then it's chest. Meaning it is probably a girl elk. Sounds like we can put elk and people thery to the same point. It is hard to tell tracks that are perfectly placed in line from each other. One can assume it is a young boy are girl elk. Kind of like our kids who have not filled out in the chest or hips.

[Roosiebull]

RJ is spot on, I will only add, those special and rare bulls often have a track that looks like a moo cow track, almost round, but I have seen huge bulls that have a traditional shape track as well, so it's not a for sure way to id a stud bull.