Podcast Summary: Live Wild with Remi Warren

Episode: 209 | Tracking pt. 1 – A Buck at Point Blank Range
Date: November 13, 2025
Host: Remi Warren

Episode Overview

In this episode of Live Wild, renowned hunter and guide Remi Warren kicks off a two-part series on the art of tracking game, focusing this week on how to read and interpret tracks, with next week diving into hunt strategy while on a track. Remi starts the episode with a gripping story from his recent mule deer hunt, recounting how he tracked and harvested a buck at extremely close range. Throughout, he shares actionable tips and foundational knowledge on identifying, aging, and understanding animal tracks, making it an insightful episode for novice and experienced hunters alike.

Main Topics & Key Insights

1. Recent Mule Deer Hunt Story (Storytelling & Lessons)

• [06:26–25:40]
  Remi recounts the final days of his mule deer season, including hunting with his brother, encountering a white wolf, glassing for deer, and finally the close-range tracking and harvesting of a mature buck.

  Highlights:

  • Spotting deer and other wildlife (elk, moose, wolf) during the hunt, showcasing changing strategies based on deer movement patterns and hunting pressure.
  • Adjusting approaches based on weather, terrain, and hunter density (“Instead of bombing up to the top… starting lower seemed like kind of a mistake because there’s just dudes everywhere.” [20:50])
  • On the last day, following fresh tracks in snow, leading to a point-blank encounter with a buck.
    • “I like to hunt with my rifle like I’m bow hunting. To shoot a buck at top-pin bow range with a rifle is something that doesn’t happen very often.” ([24:35])
  • Reflection: Success in hunting often comes from adaptability and being proficient in multiple techniques. Remi emphasizes, “To be a very successful hunter, being versed in many different forms of hunting can lead to success in so many different ways in different environments, in different situations.” ([26:10])

2. Introduction to Tracking as a Hunting Method

• [25:40–29:30]
  • Tracking is the primary focus: following animal tracks on snow or dry ground to locate game.
  • Tracking is underutilized in many regions but can be highly effective where conditions allow.
  • “The philosophy behind it is: the animal you’re looking for lies at the end of this track somewhere.” ([27:00])

3. Identifying Tracks: Species, Sex, and Age

• [29:30–44:30]
  • Understanding the shape, size, and features of tracks to determine species and sex (e.g., distinguishing buck vs. doe, bull vs. cow elk, wolf vs. mountain lion).
  • Tip: Dewclaws on deer tracks, width and shape for elk (bull tracks more square, cow tracks more arrowhead-shaped).
  • Quote: “A bull elk track is almost as long as it is wide. A cow elk track’s a lot more narrow across it.” ([32:00])
  • Cat vs. dog tracks: Cat tracks do not show claw marks and the paw pad arrangement differs (“If it makes an X, it is not a cat track.” [33:55])

4. Determining Track Freshness (Aging Tracks)

• [44:30–55:30]
  • Using environmental clues and your own footprints to gauge track age.
  • Fresh snow vs. old snow: Look at how tracks hold shape, crust, sheen, or have caved in.
  • “Compare it to your current tracks; that’s a pretty common strategy that I use.” ([46:00])
  • Touch the track, observe how the snow or ground feels and breaks; the edges of tracks can be especially telling.
  • Fresh tracks often look ‘shiny’ or have soft, crumbly edges, while old tracks are weathered, cave in, or are indistinct.
  • Analogy: “It just kind of crumpled in where…it looked like somebody just put powdered sugar on a pancake.” ([53:00])

5. Interpreting Animal Behavior from Tracks

• [55:30–1:10:00]
  • Track patterns indicate movement, behavior, and state—straight line (travel), meandering (feeding), beds (rest), running markers, etc.
  • Beds in the snow are distinctly body-shaped; running tracks are spaced out and show changed gait.
  • “If I see a buck track that runs into a bunch of doe tracks...he’s going to have spent time here.” ([1:02:20])
  • The track’s story guides when to slow down, stalk carefully, or anticipate bedding locations.

6. The Timing Game in Tracking

• [1:10:00–1:17:00]
  • Tracking is a timing game: balancing ground coverage with attentive, careful hunting as you close in.
  • “If I treat every second like he’s just right around the corner, I might never, ever get to where that animal is. But if I understand when that animal is going to do something like bed down and be still, then I start to know: now’s when I have to pay a hyper-level of attention.” ([1:13:20])
  • The importance of ‘reading’ the hunt through sign, movement, and utilizing patience and strategy.

7. Appreciation for Tracking and Versatility in Hunting

• [1:17:00–1:19:00]
  • Tracking is an exciting and rewarding way to hunt, offering a different thrill than other methods.
  • Remi emphasizes the value of adapting tactics and developing a broad skillset.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On point-blank rifle shot:
  “To shoot a buck at top pin bow range with a rifle is like something that doesn’t happen very often… tight quarters, close quarters, stalking a buck, tracking a buck in the snow, and then shoot a buck…was just so cool.” ([24:35])
• On tracking philosophy:
  “The animal you’re looking for lies at the end of this track somewhere. Every time you intersect a track, if you could follow it the entire way, at some point the animal is going to be standing in that track.” ([27:00])
• On track aging:
  “Compare it to your current tracks is one of the best ways to identify it.” ([46:00])
• On learning from every region:
  “I always try to pick up a few things wherever I’m at, and that was one of the things I never did a lot of – especially dry ground tracking – growing up…” ([30:55])
• Tracking analogy:
  “It looked like somebody just put powdered sugar on a pancake. Right when that fresh powdered sugar hits the pancake, it’s very fluffy and nice and light and doesn’t look old yet…” ([53:00])
• On adaptability:
  “To be a very successful hunter, being versed in many different forms of hunting, can lead to success in so many different ways in different environments, in different situations.” ([26:10])
• On timing the stalk:
  “If I start to understand where that animal is going to do something like bed down and be still…now is where I have to pay a hyper-level of attention and find that deer, elk, before it sees me.” ([1:13:20])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 06:26–25:40 – Mule deer hunt story: wolf encounter, last days, and close-range buck
• 25:40–29:30 – Introduction to the tracking method
• 29:30–44:30 – Distinguishing species and sex from track shapes
• 44:30–55:30 – Aging tracks: environmental and practical techniques
• 55:30–1:10:00 – Reading animal behavior and hunting tactics through tracks
• 1:10:00–1:17:00 – Timing & strategy while closing in on game when tracking
• 1:17:00–1:19:00 – Summary: adaptability & excitement in tracking

Tone & Language

Remi maintains an enthusiastic, storytelling tone rich with practical advice, vivid analogies (“powdered sugar on a pancake”), and humility (“I wasn’t like, I shot the wrong buck. I just shot a different buck.”). He speaks directly to both beginner and experienced hunters and constantly circles back to actionable techniques and mindset.

Conclusion

This episode is both an adventurous hunting tale and a dense primer on the foundational skill of tracking, especially in snowy environments. Remi’s mix of story, tactical instruction, and philosophy offers listeners tools to start or sharpen their tracking game, setting the stage for the next episode’s deep dive into track-following strategies.

Next episode: Part two—methods and strategies for following animal tracks, closing in, and making the shot.