Of course we’re particularly interested in mountain lion scat and the camera crew carries a scat collection kit in our go pack so if we come across scat that is questionable – large, thick, tubular segments about 1 inch in diameter or more, or one long piece with blunt ends and some scratch marks nearby, for instance – we’ll be able to scoop it up for DNA analysis to determine if it is indeed mountain lion scat. But the only real ways to know which scat belongs to who if identification seems a close call, is if you see the animal defecate or by collecting the scat and checking it’s DNA. The thing to know about all scat is that it comes in many forms, colors and sizes and identifying scat can be challenging! Often scat can seem definitely distinctive and best guesses can be correct. Scat provides important information about what wildlife is in the area, what these animals are eating and what kinds of resources are available. If you're just getting into hunting and need to learn the basics, check out this post on scouting a hunt site and choosing the right tree for bowhunting whitetail deer.Being out on the Preserve, walking where wildlife walks, the camera crew comes across a lot of scat. If you back off of that zone and glass, it’s likely you will locate the bear in the early morning or late evening. If you find multiple bear piles, you’re likely in his feed zone. They want to stay in an area and eat as much as they can. Bears - especially spring bears - are lazy. If you’re hunting bear in an area that doesn’t allow baiting, poop can be your best friend. Softer, less-formed bear poop typically doesn’t have any odor and showcases signs of berries, seeds, acorns and other vegetation. This scat usually contains remains of an eaten animal and often takes on a fowl smell, though nothing like that of a household dog. Hair in the scat suggest the bear had a recent, furry meal. Typically, from my time hunting bruins, the size of the poop often indicates the size of the bear. Oddly, bear droppings kind of look like human feces. Note the seeds which indicate that fruit has been a key part of the bear's diet. Whitetail Deerīlack bear scat found in the New Mexico mountains. Take a peek at the chart below and earn your degree in pelletology. Here’s a scat cheat sheet for four big-game animals often pursued by hunters. If the concentration is high, that’s an indicator of a high-traffic area. Often a hunter selects his hunt site based on the concentration of scat in an area. The shape and texture of droppings can offer clues about what an animal has been eating.Poop can tells hunters what type of animal species are occupying a wild area or potential hunting spot.There are two key ways scat helps hunters track wildlife: If a dog can smell like his prey and mask his own predatory smell, he'll become a more efficient hunter. Why? What does a dog do when he finds a dead, stinking squirrel or raccoon? He rolls in it, right? The reason for this is purely predatory. Some hunters feel the need to take scat and smear it all over. You may have even smeared it with your boot, because … well, why not smear it with your boot and examine further? If you’re that guy (or gal), you’ve likely handled scat, tested its firmness and temperature to judge its age. Poop! Nobody likes to talk about it, unless you’re a hunter who knows a thing or two about how to track wildlife.
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