Game Trails Follow-up Video

Here is a short video that I just created that goes along with a previous post that I wrote on game trails.

I hope that this will serve to provide you with incentive to go and look for these wildlife signs in the wooded areas near you. Learning these will serve you well whether you are a game watcher or are looking to become a better hunter.

 

Game Trails, part 1

People search out game trails for multiple reasons. You could be scouting the area for hunting or trapping or for setting up a stand for hunting. Whatever your reason, I hope that this post is informative and helpful.

Some trails are easier to find than others. They seem to stick out to us. Others may be easy to see, but hard to follow as they seem to go all over the place. My goal for this and subsequent posts along similar lines is to provide some understanding of game trails, how to find them and what they are used for.

The first post will cover what they are and what to look for.

What are game trails?

Game trails are simply trails that game, both small and large use frequently. Game use trails such as these as pathways to and from food plots, water sources and bedding areas.




If you know where these trails are, you know areas where the game frequent, which in turn makes you a better hunter.

Where do you find game trails?

In my opinion, one of the easiest ways to find game trails is to start where they start, at the edge of where a field and woods or thicket meet.

This area is a transitional area as they game move from open ground to the relative protection of reasonable cover.

 
What do I look for?


I've taken several pictures of entrances to game trails that I've found this week.

In order to find game trails, look for areas where there is trampled down vegetation surrounded by area of high (or higher) growth.

When looking at an area to determine if it is a game trail, you can look for several signs, such as dropped food. Are there acorns in the trail?

Another sign to look for is scat (game poop). That is a sign that this trail is being regularly used.

A third sign to look for to determine if the path that your looking at is a game trail is tracks.

Finding a trail of trampled vegetation, scat and tracks are sure fire signs that you've tracked down a game trail.

Whether you like exploring the woods or are scouting out some hunting or trapping areas, I hope that this post was helpful.

Venison Recipes - Part 1

The boys and I have had our opportunities to go deer hunting and although the ladies in our home don't like the taste of venison, we (the guys) still eat it whenever we get it.

I recently had an opportunity to introduce a love for venison to an elderly lady who works with me. She was given a 2 lb brisket that measures 6" x 6" x 2" from a deer harvest in Wisconsin.

She knows that we hunt and eat venison, so she asked for some help. She told me that she has tried venison before (in the 70's) and didn't like it due to the gaminess.

With that, I put together a list of recipes that I received from some friends that will hopefully help her to like it. I hope that these are helpful to you as well.

Rather than put them all in one long post, I am going to break them up so they are easier to read.

Bar-B-Que Venison

1. In a crock pot, combine a bottle of BBQ sauce and the roast and let it cook on low till its falling apart.
2. When the meat is done, falling apart, and tender, remove the meat from the crock and discard the liquid. 
3. Shred the meat with a fork
4. Add additional BBQ sauce until the mixture is juicy
5. Serve on buns, a little cheese on your bun is good.

* You can also heat up the leftovers and add some cooked pasta for a second meal.