droppings

[bnsafe]

i have a stupid question, but swedes scouting thread has me thinking. how long does dropping stay on the ground before they break up an disappear. i see tons of droppings an can obviously tell whats really fresh (if its still warm in your hand your good, lol, jk) but see lots of older droppings an not sure how old it is

 

[Billy Goat]

my preference would be \"steaming\".

havent encountered this kind just yet, but keep looking.

I\'m interested to know this answer and will watch for wisdom of the experienced.

 

[cohunter14]

A lot depends on the location of where you find them. If they are exposed to sunlight, they can dry out pretty quick whereas if they are in the shade on a moist north facing slope, they can stay soft for a while. When I come on droppings that look fresh, I typically just step on them. If they are soft, they are somewhat fresh. If they are really soft and warm to the touch, you know they are from the last couple hours. If they are hard, you know they are not very fresh (could be a day old to a couple of weeks depending on sunshine, temperature, etc). If they are grey, you know that they are at least a few weeks old and could be much older than that, again just depending on how much sunshine they have gotten to dry them out.

 

[cnelk]

One thing to remember about elk poop is that early in the season the grass is still green.
Elk poop can still be loose and not pellets yet. Kinda mini cow patties. When the grasses begin to dry out and mature is when the pellet machine goes to work.
So, if you see loose piles of poop the animals were there in the summer.

But elk scat can harden up and last for years

 

[timberland]

You can definitely tell the difference in anything over a day or so old starts to lose its taste (like potato chips) :ill:

 

[Swede]

Elk poop dropped in the Spring can still be around when the snow flies. It dries out and bleaches out in the sun.

 

[WW]

Nothing like a mountain olive in a martini!

Under the right condition, dried mountain olives can last for years.