Tips On Reading Deer Trails

Welcome back, guys. When you're scouting a new area, what kind of deer trails do you actually look for?

I get this question all the time. You walk a hundred yards into the timber and stumble upon a massive, beaten-down main trail. What immediately crosses your mind? Do you waste time on it? Or do you automatically think, "Oh, that's just does and fawns heading to water," and immediately start looking for that faint, hidden trail 20 yards off to the side?

We hear that advice constantly: Skip the main trail and look for the side trails, because that’s where the big bucks travel. I get it. I look for those side trails, too, sometimes. But what about these massive main trails? Why are they so huge, and why do we immediately walk right over them?

Let's break down exactly how to read these trails, and why ignoring them might mean you're walking right past the buck you're after.

The Myth of the "20-Yard Side Trail"

Here is where my scouting philosophy separates from what a lot of guys are taught. I don't pass up a main trail.

Yes, there are faint trails that peel off the main highways. They are hard to see, and a lot of hunters will zero in on those, assuming a mature buck is using them to stay hidden while the doe families use the wide-open path. But think about the history of the woods. Why is that main trail carved so deep into the dirt? Deer are using it on a constant basis, year after year. It takes generations to wear a trail down like that.

When you find a deep trail, it tells you the complete history of the deer movement in that area. Instead of immediately looking for a secret side path, we need to investigate the highway itself.

Step-by-Step: How to Scout a Main Deer Highway

If you want to know what is really walking that trail, you can't just look at it—you have to follow it to the source. Here is how I break it down.

1. Follow the Path of Least Resistance

When I find a dense, carved-out trail, I stick as close to it as I can. On a recent scout, I followed one of these main highways that led straight away from a lake and started hooking up into some incredibly steep ridges. I'm talking about terrain that takes a billy goat to live in.

As the trail goes higher and steeper, it starts to fade out. This tells me something is coming down off that steep ridge, joining the path, and turning it into a main highway. Do you think a family of does is bedding way up on that treacherous peak? Probably not.

2. Look for the Historical Signs (Rubs and Scrapes)

When you follow that trail up into the steep country, keep your eyes peeled. Just catching the corner of a rubbed tree changes the whole story.

When I climbed that ridge, sure enough—I found a massive historical rub from last year, right where the trail crested into a bedding area. A buck is absolutely living up there. He comes off that steep ridge, heads down the hill, and hooks directly onto that main trail. That is his travel route, plain and simple.

3. Find the Intersections

As I tracked the route back down the hill from the buck's bedding area, I found a scrape sitting right on the path. He's coming off the ridge, hitting the scrape, and hooking right onto the main trail.

Eventually, as you travel down the main trail, you will find where those famous "faint side trails" finally veer off. But notice the sequence: he didn't start on the side trail. He started in his bed, used the main highway to get down the mountain, and then veered off.

Where to Set Up Your Licking Branch and Trail Camera

This brings us to the most important part: the setup. Where do hunters make their biggest mistake? They find that faint side trail way down the hill, set up there, and wait. But what if the buck decides to stay on the main trail that day to get water? You'll never see him.

Don't be afraid to hunt the main trail. Look at the sign—he is using that damn thing!

Here is my exact setup strategy:

• Find the Junction: I back up on the main trail to a spot before he turns off onto any side trails.

• Create a Licking Branch: I set up a mock licking branch right on the edge of that main highway. I want to catch his attention right as he comes down from his bedding area, before he has a chance to veer off.

• Let the Trail Camera Work: I set up a trail camera pointing directly at that licking branch. Because I'm banking on this main trail, I'm going to leave that camera there to soak until late summer to see exactly what is coming down that hill.

The Bottom Line on Deer Trails

That is the true story on trails. Some guys do it differently, but when I see a massive main highway, I always examine it. I don't assume it’s just a doe family heading to the hardwoods to feed.

Follow the trail. Follow the big guy. That trail is deeply worn for a reason, and somebody is living at the back of it. Before you go burning daylight looking for that proverbial 20-yard side trail, read the history right in front of you.

Take care, and I'll see you in the woods.