Master Maine Guide Randy Flannery runs Wilderness Escape Outfitters in Danforth, ME, where he leads clients on hunts for whatever is in season, from moose and bears to grouse and hares. But what Flannery is best known for—what he learned at his grandfather’s knee, has been doing for almost 50 years, and travels the country giving seminars about—is tracking big-woods bucks. Whenever Flannery cuts the track of a mature whitetail in the snow, no matter the conditions or terrain, he tells his clients: “We’re staying on this buck until we kill him or we run out of daylight trying.”
To do that with any success, you need the right gear. So, we asked Flannery a simple question: What do you use? Below, in his own words, Flannery ticks off his list of go-to buck-tracking gear and why he trusts the tools he uses.
Tracking Rifle
My primary tracking rifle is a Winchester Model 94 Trapper with a straight stock, hoop lever, and 16-inch barrel. I have six of them—in 30-30 Win, 38/55 Win, 375 Win, 356 Win, and 444 Marlin. I have six because I like the gun too much to have just one. Whichever one I’m using at any given time is my favorite.
There’s no easier gun to carry than the Model 94, and the 16-inch barrel makes it faster to shoot and more maneuverable in thick woods. Having the ability to shoot fast is paramount when it comes to tracking, and with practice and the right technique, you can shoot a 94 as fast as any autoloader. (There are plenty of used Trapper models out there, and Winchester currently makes the Model 94 Short Rifle with a 20-inch barrel.)
Sights
Most 94s come with a semi-buckhorn rear sight and a front blade. Some trackers will install a ghost-ring peep for the rear, but I was taught to shoot by ignoring the rear sight and focusing on the front. On the older Model 94s, the rear sight is on a hinge, so I fold it down. I shoot the gun just like you would a shotgun, with both eyes open. Anytime I cut a track that I know I want to follow, the first thing I do I step forward and put that front blade on 25 different trees as fast as I can to rehearse getting on target quickly.
Practice Rifle
Nine out of 10 bucks you see while tracking will be moving—either standing up out of a bed or already making new tracks. You can’t be successful at this if you can’t hit a moving deer, and you can’t do that without a lot of practice. Problem is, practicing with centerfire ammo is expensive. So, I have rimfire Winchester Model 9422 Trapper that is virtually identical to my other guns except that it shoots much cheaper 22LR ammo. I shoot the heck out of it practicing, always off-hand and fast, just like I'll need to when I'm tracking. (You can find Model 9422 Trappers on the used market, and Winchester just introduced the new Ranger rimfire lever-action, which is similar.)
Ammo
I’m not picky about ammo. My shots are close, so any proven lead deer bullet is fine. I’ve used Remington Core-Lokts, Winchester Super-X Power Points, Hornady InterLocks, and others. The exception to the rule is that I do like Barnes all-copper bullets for the 444. That’s a big enough bullet that it doesn’t need to expand a lot, and it’ll put an exit hole in the heaviest buck.
Outerwear
If my mother had ever known how many sweaters I left in the woods from getting over heated while tracking, she’d have killed me. You’ll be moving almost constantly, so you have to dress light. Typically, I wear just a T-shirt, a long-sleeve sweatshirt or fleece, and lightweight green-and-black buffalo-plaid Johnson Woolen Mills Shirt Jac, along with wool pants. I like wool because it’s quiet and holds heat even when it’s wet. If it’s very wet out, I may switch to waterproof fleece.
Hat
I wear an orange Foggy Mountain Flapper fedora-style hat. When you’re tracking, it’s either snowing or there’s snow on the trees, and this hat’s brim keeps flakes—or drips from melting snow—from falling down your neck. Even though your ears are exposed, the hat being over them somehow keeps them from getting cold.
Waterproof Gloves
I always carry a pair of non-bulky waterproof gloves in the pockets of my wool jacket. I mostly hunt without them, but they’re a lifesaver when my hands do get cold.
Boots
I’ll lace up a pair of leather Wolverine boots with a GoreTex liner if I think I can get away with it, but most of the time, I wear MUCK Woodie Max rubber-and-neoprene boots with my pantlegs tucked in. Some people are surprised that I’d want to cover so much ground in knee-high rubber boots, but when you’re on the track of a good buck, you need to be able to follow it no matter where it goes, whether that’s across a creek or through a cedar swamp. And in this country, it’s almost always through a cedar swamp.
Binocular
Your naked eye is usually all you need in the thick woods where I hunt. But I’ll sometimes carry a sub-compact binocular, like Hawke’s Endurance ED 8x25, in a pocket of my wool jacket for the end game. When you know you’ve caught up to a buck—when he’s right there and you’re right there—one of you is going to make a mistake, and you need to make sure it’s the buck.
This is when you want to go into what my grandfather called the “death crawl.” You take one step and scan the woods completely, near and far, which takes 4 or 5 minutes, at least. Then you take another step and repeat the whole process. You’re sort of becoming a stand hunter on your feet. Depending on the terrain and cover, I may use the binocular for this.
Survival Gear
Whenever I go into the woods, no matter what, I carry the essentials, which include the following:
Three compasses. Why three? Because if you have two and one breaks, you won’t know which one is right. Why not a GPS? Because GPS runs on satellites and batteries, which are made by man, and compasses run on the Earth’s magnetic field, which was made by God.
Three fire starters. I bring flint and steel, waterproof matches, and a windproof, waterproof lighter.
A good flashlight. I use Fenix flashlights because they are small, indestructible, and bright.
Extra batteries.
A topo map of the area (and the skill to use it with your compass).
A good knife and saw. I carry a Benchmade TaggedOut folding knife and a pocket-size folding saw.
Drag Rope
I use a 10-foot length of ¼-inch rope that I’ll tie to a drag stick cut with my pocket saw. It’s nothing fancy, but you sure wouldn't want to be without it when you catch up to a heavy big-woods buck.
