Easy to find trails in the bush

**wildWoman** · 05-09-2008, 12:32 PM

I guess in most southerly places the leaves are already out - but spring and late fall are great times of the year to scout for game trails in the areas where you go bushwhacking. With no leaves on the undergrowth, the trails really stand out and you can stitch together a combination of bushwhacking-game trail routes for exploring an area.

**Sourdough** · 05-09-2008, 12:39 PM

And this is the only time of year to find old cabin sites, where everything is gone but the outline (FOOT PRINT) of where a building once stood.

**Sourdough** · 05-09-2008, 12:52 PM

Wild Woman, You were talking about birds, have you swallows shown up. We get over run with Barn Swallows. But, none yet. I still have about 11" of every rotten snow. I still hope to get the Oats in the ground on the 19th.

**Riverrat** · 05-09-2008, 01:53 PM

We still have about 6" of snow left in the woods around here yet, so still hard to get out. The fields are bare and the rivers are open, but hard wading in the woods.

**crashdive123** · 05-09-2008, 04:17 PM

WildWoman and others that rely on wild game for source of protien or have hunted....will animals use the same paths/trails most of the time? If you identify a trail this time of the year (or in the fall) will that trail be used frequently?

**Sourdough** · 05-09-2008, 04:35 PM

Originally Posted by crashdive123

WildWoman and others that rely on wild game for source of protien or have hunted....will animals use the same paths/trails most of the time? If you identify a trail this time of the year (or in the fall) will that trail be used frequently?

The short answer is, Yes. However you have small game trails, Moose trails, Sheep and or Goat trails. The bears are very lazy and have soft feet and will use any game trail.

The most amazing trail ever is where the Big Brown Bears walk in the same footprints for thousands of years and wear footprints 6" deep in solid rock.
It will take your breath away to see it.

Maybe someone can import a photo of these prints.

**trax** · 05-09-2008, 04:59 PM

Yep, what hopeak said.

**crashdive123** · 05-09-2008, 05:05 PM

Thanks guys.

**DOGMAN** · 05-09-2008, 11:59 PM

Originally Posted by crashdive123

WildWoman and others that rely on wild game for source of protien or have hunted....will animals use the same paths/trails most of the time? If you identify a trail this time of the year (or in the fall) will that trail be used frequently?

Elk carve highways through a lot of areas. The Northern Yellowstone Herd has major migration trails through some areas that have been used since the times of Lewis and Clark. There is a place called Decker Flats that is near Gardiner, Montana that people say "When the snow hits 3 feet at Mammoth Hot Springs (in Yellowstone) go to Decker's and wait- you'll get an elk guaranteed." The migration trails are a couple of feet deep, and all the under growth branches of the trees are broken off from all the antlers. It is a truly unreal sight when the migration kicks in...sometimes it can be a sea of Elk.

However, since the mid 90's we rarely have that much snow during hunting season, so the elk aren't being forced to migrate for food- so, its basically fair chase hunting in large tract Wilderness Areas, and you can't just park and wait on the Elk highways.

**wildWoman** · 05-10-2008, 12:35 PM

Originally Posted by hopeak

Wild Woman, You were talking about birds, have you swallows shown up. We get over run with Barn Swallows. But, none yet. I still have about 11" of every rotten snow. I still hope to get the Oats in the ground on the 19th.

No, haven't seen any swallows yet. They don't have any nesting sites right around where we are, though. But the whole bird migration seems really slow and in low numbers this year at our place. We finally have a bunch of robins, but all the little warblers, sparrows, kinglets ect, even ducks, have just shown up in very tiny numbers and mostly carried on right aways. Haven't heard that observation from other people in the area though, maybe it's just a local thing. What's it like where you are?
Was thinking of planting the garden today, but of course the overnight temps in the last couple days went well below freezing again

Maybe wait a couple more days.

**Sourdough** · 05-16-2008, 03:36 PM

Well they are here finally, The "Barn Swallows" just got here 11:15 AM May 16. As I understand it there was a problem with TSA wanted them to take there shoes off....