Understand Animal Characteristics

Whatever you’re hunting, a basic understanding of an animal’s characteristics will help you develop an effective strategy for identifying and tracking it.

Animals can be identified by four basic characteristics.

Distinctive Markings: The shaggy brown fur and whitish neck and mane of a caribou; the white wings and feathered toes of a ptarmigan

Sounds: The bellows, croaks, and barks of a male moose; the grunts and long moans of a female moose

Movement: The grace of a Dall’s sheep or a mountain goat on steep, treacherous terrain

Group Behavior: Flock patterns, such as the familiar V shape of certain migratory birds; various types of herd behavior

Further study will help you learn other ways to identify and understand your quarry, including signs the animal leaves, camouflage capability, and behavior.