Using scat in the pursuit of wild animals

One of the most common questions we get asked by non-hunters, and those new to hunting, is, “How do you find and track the animals you’re pursuing?” It’s a valid question, and while the answer may seem obvious to those with some experience in the bush, it remains somewhat of a mystery to many others.

Simply put, finding wild animals involves an acute use of your five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell and, to a lesser degree, taste. This fact applies equally to those looking to hunt, take wildlife photos or even just hope to view wildlife in their natural habitat. It rings true for those searching for birds, mammals and sometimes fish.

For hunting, the main sense we use is sight. In the Yukon, finding your quarry usually involves hours spent looking over open country and, occasionally, dense boreal forest. This usually involves tools to enhance our vision and aid in our efforts, such as binoculars and spotting scopes. However, the root of hunting goes back to using our powerful eyesight to seek out and understand much more subtle and nuanced clues.

We look for several identifiers that we, as hunters, commonly refer to as “sign.” This evidence of animal activity or presence can take on various forms ranging from things that are hard to ignore, to details that are extremely hard to spot—especially to the untrained eye. Some examples of these signs include game trails, rubs, wallows, scrapes, tracks, licks, beds, fur, feathers and, most importantly, scat or feces.

Now, you may be asking yourself, What use can animal droppings provide to a hunter? The truth is that to an experienced outdoors person, animal poop is like a little story about an animal’s life. It can help us determine which species left it, the size and diet of the individual, whether it’s in a group or travelling alone, its patterns of behaviour or movement and sometimes even the state of its health. Most relevant to the hunter, scat informs whether their prey is in the area (if at all) and how or when they may be using the area in question.

When tracking an animal in rugged or heavily wooded terrain, looking for “fresh” scat that is soft, almost greasy in appearance, is often an indication that you’re hot on the animal’s trail. Or, at least it was recently in the area. Larger ungulates, such as the ones most pursued in the Yukon (moose, bison and caribou), can travel vast distances in relatively little time, so just because we find soft scat does not necessarily mean we will bump into Bullwinkle around the next corner.

For specific hunts, like, say, for bison, it’s essential to look for fresh scat. Because our hunting season is over the colder months, bison feces typically hardens pretty quickly. So, finding a pliable “patty” indicates you’re in the right area. Bison patties are shaped like soft-serve ice cream but spread out over the size of a dinner plate. You’re probably doing something right if you can shove a stick into one. As one of my mentors, Jim Welsh, says, “If it isn’t steaming, keep moving.” And he’s not wrong. Because these animals tend to move around so much, even if the patty is semi-set, the animal has likely moved on. Although there’s always a chance that it is hiding nearby, and this leads me to my next point.

We always want to try to use scat in tandem with another piece of “sign,” like tracks. Together these signs can help us figure out if we need to hold tight and look around a little closer, or keep moving. For example, if you find some moose scat but see tracks with a massive gait beside it, you know the animal likely ran away from that area. Maybe it heard or smelled you coming, or something else in the area caused it to flee.

So, how do we determine the type of animal poop we’re looking at? Well, the major giveaway will typically be the size and shape of the droppings. We can crudely lump Yukon’s big-game animal scat into logs, pellets and patties.

Bears and wolves almost always leave logs that look like human feces. If it looks human-like but seems small, it might be from a wolverine, lynx, coyote or fox. Groups of pellets are typically left by cervids (moose, elk, caribou and deer) and bovids (goats and sheep), with one notable exception being bison. Although bison are bovid, their dung forms a distinct patty, as I mentioned before. Some other ungulates (hooved animals) can have looser stools that form piles similar to that of a bison patty, when they change their diet or if they are ill, but it’s much less common.

The size of the droppings is usually a good indicator of the body size of the individual animal that left it. Bear poop is usually cylindrical or tubular but can also be in looser piles or even be watery depending on their diet. It often contains partially digested seeds, grass or berries but may also contain hair. Piles are often large, upwards of a pound, with grizzly scat being notably larger in diameter than that of black bears.

Ungulate pellets can take a while to become familiar with and distinguish. Briefly, moose droppings are two-centimetres long, resembling chocolate-covered almonds. Elk pellets are like moose but smaller (1–1.5 centimetres) and slightly rounder. Deer pellets are among the smallest at around one centimetre. Interestingly, caribou scat seems unique in that it’s often faceted like dice and in-between deer and elk in size. It tends to be hard in the winter and more clumped in the summer, due to the higher moisture content of summer food sources. Sheep scat looks a lot like chocolate-covered raisins. It’s about the same size as deer scat but more oval. During the winter months, goat poop is sort of the shape and size of an acorn and clumps together like caribou scat during the summer months.

Beyond that, you’re going to want to investigate the contents. Pry the scat apart with a stick and see what’s inside. Be warned, if you’re looking at sizable log-shaped scat but you don’t see any obvious sign of berries, seeds, grass or bones, you may want to think twice about poking it because it might be human feces. This is when your sense of smell comes in handy. Wolf and lynx scat piles also tend to have a noticeable odour, especially when fresh, but bear scat is often odourless. Again, these general rules can vary due to the animal’s diet.

If you see high quantities of bone or hair, it’s from a predator like a bear or a wolf. If the log is whitish, the animal has been eating a healthy amount of bone. Prying scat apart with a stick also helps determine freshness, giving you a bit of a timeline. Suppose you’re looking at pellets that are dry and weathered. In that case, chances are that the animal has long since moved on and may even occupy another range. Look closely for signs of debris that has blown on top of the scat pile, just like you would for a track. If snow, leaves, twigs or dirt are on top of the scat, it probably isn’t fresh. Time to move on!

Beyond that, making mental notes of where and when you see scat is helpful. This is especially helpful for new hunters, as it will help you to subconsciously document where these animals are spending time and when they may be there. Look for other signs or clues to determine if they’re bedding down nearby, feeding in the area or simply moving through.

Learn what each animal is eating and then hunt the appropriate habitat for the species you hope to find. You’re very likely going to start seeing more animals!

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