Above are a nice set of raccoon tracks found on the farm last weekend. In winter tracks are more commonly found that at other times of the year, as the ground tends to stay wetter longer, the mud has higher viscosity due to lower temperature, and some animals are making longer forays looking for food and mates.
One of my favorite things to do in winter snow is to simply track deer -- select a set of foot prints in fresh snow, and follow them through the brush regardless of where they go. I have found myself in parts of small forests I otherwise did not know existed -- little drops that shelter deer during the day, edges near fences that lead straight to low spots where the deer can cross, evergreen honeysuckle breaks that serve as sources of food and bedding, old buildings on the edge of properties that serve as wind breaks, etc. Deer densities can be very high, and yet these animals do a marvelous job of staying out of sight during the day. The trick with deer is to simply track them in snow until you understand their routines -- where they lay up during the day, where they feed at night, and how they move from one location to another to stay out of sight. I know of no other way to do this than to get off the paths and track then in very fresh snow.
A blank hole on a warm day. We'll be back ...
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