I had the camera set for closeup, so this picture is poor.

"A country boy will survive"

The distance between these two and the next set was 5 feet.

"A country boy will survive"

Looks very much like a deer track to me. See plenty of them that size back in Michigan. I don't have much experience with hogs either but all of the hog tracks I have seen tend to be more rounded and the tips of the hooves tend to come together more such as seen in the print of a young deer. My vote is that the track is from a deer that has some decent size to it, hopefully for you a nice buck. Good luck.

Tight lines and true shots. -Chris

Deer track,my opinion.I had a couple that big last year at my feeder never saw a animal to fit them.

"you skin griz pilgrim"

That is a the print that a buck made.

Brian M Thomas Yard of Dreams Landscape Co.

I'm going to go against the grain here and say that's a hog track. I say this for two reasons if anyone wants to disagree. first the toes come apart and makes the print more rounded. a bucks track will have the toes closer together and be more pointed. Second, the dew claws in the print indicate a hog and a hog of good size I might add.

"Hate me if you want to, Love me if you can" Git-R-Done!

I've posted this on several sites and get a mixed review.  Most Texas guys think it is a hog and guy from out of state are sure it is a deer track.  I have not been around many hogs so I don't know.  We have thousands of deer around and this is not "a" deer, it would have to be one Muy Grande Buck.  This is the only animal that I see making tracks like this. Even when it is just walking you can see the tracks going across the pastures.

"A country boy will survive"

Here's a pig foot you decide....im still split.

"It takes 32 muscles to frown, 17 to smile, but only 3 for a proper trigger pull."

that's a tough one, I'd say it's a big hog though

BIG BUCK! No doubt!

BBD! Shane

put a game cam in the area and find out for sure.

"Hate me if you want to, Love me if you can" Git-R-Done!

My 35mm game came died.  I spent some time up there this morning and found where the deer were running around.  In a few areas I notice a small deer track followed by a larger deer track tailed by this muy track.  So I'm guessing that it is one Muy Grande Buck.

"A country boy will survive"

I'm still leaning to a hog but I can't rule out  giant buck either. I would have to say it would be a very heavy deer or maybe have some abnormal feet to show the dew claws like that. 

"Hate me if you want to, Love me if you can" Git-R-Done!

On the first track the dew claws are not as wide as they are on the actual pig's foot and the toes do look too rounded for deer. One could argue either way. Look for a track that is on a little harder ground and you may can tell better.

Traditionalist

I have to agree with Bill, look for a track on some harder ground. Dew claws (if that's really what they are called) in the track are not uncommon on any deer over a year and half in most of the northern states and I saw some nice tracks just like that opening weekend on some of the public land I was hunting down here, one track was right in the middle of a fresh scrape....that's why I'm leaning towards decent size buck. Again the split and rounded toes to me also suggest nice buck, when you put him down take a look at the hooves and you'll see how they spread out when they step especially if it's a heavier deer and if the ground is soft. I'd also start looking for some scat in the area, that should tell you really quick whether you're dealing with a hog or a deer. I hope it's a buck and you get a chance at him.

Tight lines and true shots. -Chris

Got to be a deer being that far apart. Good luck finding it.

Take a child hunting or fishing!!!!!!!!

Tough one -- I vote large buck.  Let us know the results of your continuing investigation!

"Life's too short to hunt with a beardless dog . . ."

well my first guess would be a toy poodle, but im leaning more to the buck , and a heavy one two. the dew claws arent as spread as a hog. i think ya got yourself one mature buck there. keep us posted.

hog now go get em

hog now go get em

Continuing Investigation: 

I've been going and checking on the area within a few hours of fresh rain.  That is the only time the ground is soft enough to see tracks.  I can see where the Muy Grande is chasing and fighting other bucks.  There has never been any type of signs to indicate that the tracks belong to a hog and I was really hoping for a huge hog, but no wallowing in the water hole or rubs or rooting around or scat.

Now I got to get a picture or some video of the Muy Buck.

Thanks for everyone's input.

Good luck hunting!!

"A country boy will survive"

Good luck bringing in that buck. I must have saw at least a dozen tracks that looked like that this last weekend in the SHNF after the rains ealier last week.

Tight lines and true shots. -Chris

The ranch that I manage is NON hunting.  So it will probably be the neighboring ranch that gets him.  I will request a photo and hopefully inspection of any big bucks taken to verify if it is the Muy Grande.  I would really like to see him.

"A country boy will survive"

Gonna have to convince the boss that Muy is a nuisance, much like rattlesnakes, that can create an imbalance in the life force unless you do the humane thing and remove him to promote competition among the other bucks . . .

"Life's too short to hunt with a beardless dog . . ."

Sounds good to me, but "remove" to them is "catch and release" even rattle-tails.

"A country boy will survive"

Just curious, what are you managing the for.

The family has had it for 38 years and they enjoy visiting with family and friends.  They need someone to manage the cattle, horses and donkeys.  Plus house and grounds. 

"A country boy will survive"

Looks like a deer to me...But are you in the Hill Country?  Looks a bit big for a whitetail buck in the Hill Country, but could easily be an axis, or even a fallow - if you have them arond there.

Hey Benton!  About 4 months ago our local officer seen a nice Axis, his words, cross into that pasture.   Would he chase the whitetail bucks?

"A country boy will survive"

Yes, the axis will chase off whitetail bucks.  Not so much run them out of the area - or maliciously chase them - but they will run them off from corn or other bait.  I have trail cam video somewhere of a big axis lowering his head and running three whitetail bucks off some corn, and one of those whitetails was a huge, mature 160 incher.

I've shot axis that field dressed 245#.  A buddy of mine shot a smaller buck the other week and I think it was 270# live weight - cannot remember for sure - but it was definitely over 200 dressed also and it wasn't a mature one.

So they are quite a bit bigger that whitetails. 

They don't eat browse so much as whitetails, but eat a lot more grass.  So they compete on the forbs, but not so much on the grass and browse.  They will be all over any winter food plots that grow in the hill country.

So if there are some nice grassy areas (especially ones with water) those could be places they like to hang out.  If there is a nice grassy field, really search through cover adjacent to that field - through cedars that will offer shade and such.  Axis will lay down for most of the day in some thick cedars, and shade themselves from the heat.

Look for some axis rubs - they are totally different than whitetail rubs, but it is a sure sign of big axis in the area.  I'll try to find some pictures of axis rubs to show...

They like to hit the cedars and really thrash them around.  A young cedar, maybe one that is a few years old and 6 feet high or so, makes a good rub target.  But they don't just bend down and rub off some bark, they thrash the whole tree.  So you'll see that the base is torn up for several feet, but also the branches are all torn up.  A lot of times, big chunks of the tree will be red/dead looking....Their rubs look as if someone attacked the tree with a metal rake.

They don't have huge home ranges or anything, usually they'll spend their time in or around 200 acres or so, and maybe can have ranges up to a couple thousand acres at the most....

So if someone saw him, he is sure to be in the area, and if you can find a nice shady area - preferably next to a food source like a grassy field - where there are lots of thrashed trees, you probably have a bedding area that he will return to over and over again.

Also, be listening for it to bellow.  It sounds like "KHEEEEEOOOOUUWWW", repeated three, somtimes 4 times.  It sounds like a mix between a mountain lion roar and a cow screaming.  When you hear it, it is like "What was that?"...But a lot of times people just overlook it and/or think it was a bird or something.

Mostly, they'll be rutting and bellowing in the summer, but it could be at any time of year.  Most of them will drop their antlers here over the next month or so, but it could be different for any individual.

The best way to hunt them is spot and stalk when you hear them bellowing...But they'll come into feeders, and hit food plots also.

Yes, the axis will chase off whitetail bucks.  Not so much run them out of the area - or maliciously chase them - but they will run them off from corn or other bait.  I have trail cam video somewhere of a big axis lowering his head and running three whitetail bucks off some corn, and one of those whitetails was a huge, mature 160 incher.

I've shot axis that field dressed 245#.  A buddy of mine shot a smaller buck the other week and I think it was 270# live weight - cannot remember for sure - but it was definitely over 200 dressed also and it wasn't a mature one.

So they are quite a bit bigger that whitetails. 

They don't eat browse so much as whitetails, but eat a lot more grass.  So they compete on the forbs, but not so much on the grass and browse.  They will be all over any winter food plots that grow in the hill country.

So if there are some nice grassy areas (especially ones with water) those could be places they like to hang out.  If there is a nice grassy field, really search through cover adjacent to that field - through cedars that will offer shade and such.  Axis will lay down for most of the day in some thick cedars, and shade themselves from the heat.

Look for some axis rubs - they are totally different than whitetail rubs, but it is a sure sign of big axis in the area.  I'll try to find some pictures of axis rubs to show...

They like to hit the cedars and really thrash them around.  A young cedar, maybe one that is a few years old and 6 feet high or so, makes a good rub target.  But they don't just bend down and rub off some bark, they thrash the whole tree.  So you'll see that the base is torn up for several feet, but also the branches are all torn up.  A lot of times, big chunks of the tree will be red/dead looking....Their rubs look as if someone attacked the tree with a metal rake.

They don't have huge home ranges or anything, usually they'll spend their time in or around 200 acres or so, and maybe can have ranges up to a couple thousand acres at the most....

So if someone saw him, he is sure to be in the area, and if you can find a nice shady area - preferably next to a food source like a grassy field - where there are lots of thrashed trees, you probably have a bedding area that he will return to over and over again.