How to Track an Animal

Tracking an animal is the ultimate extension of wilderness awareness. It's an art form and a science that takes many years to learn well and a lifetime to master.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Moccasins
• 10x Magnifying Glasses
• Measuring Tapes
• Popsicle Sticks
• Pencils
• Notebooks
• 6-inch Rulers
• Flashlights

1. Get a good wilderness field guide that contains pictures of different animals' tracks; the guide should also provide information about each animal and some general information on tracking. Include this field guide in your tracking kit.
2. Make a tracking kit for yourself. Include a 6-inch ruler (for measuring tracks), a tape measure (for measuring strides), a magnifying glass, a notebook and pencil, a flashlight and Popsicle sticks (for marking tracks).
3. Go into the wilderness. The principles of tracking can be utilized virtually anywhere, but the wild is the best place to learn.
4. Find an animal trail. These are easily identified grooves worn into the wilderness. They're the animal superhighways of the forest.
5. Notice the animal tracks on the trail. There should be many sets, but if there are none, find another trail farther away from mankind.
6. Start by choosing a specific set of tracks, and use your ruler to measure the size and width of the animal's footprint.
7. Measure the distance from one footprint to the next to determine the animal's stride length. Make note of these measurements in your notebook.
8. Match the footprint with a footprint in your book to determine the type of animal you're tracking. As your skills improve, you won't need to look up the print in the book anymore.
9. Take your time, learning everything you can from each track. In the beginning, much of your examination will seem irrelevant, but as you find more sets of tracks, the ones you overanalyzed will serve as reference points for a new set. Soon you'll begin to notice differences in foot size, stride length and depth of impression.
10. Mark each track with a Popsicle stick so that as you look back you can see the trail of the animal raised up. This will make it very easy to determine where to look for the next print.
11. Observe and take notes on everything on the animal's trail: broken or chewed twigs, animal droppings, gnaw marks, bedding places, fur and anything else you come upon.

Tips & Warnings

• Get down on your hands and knees to track. Move slowly, being careful not to miss anything. Imagine the animal's passage in your head as you go along the trail, reading the animal's story.
• Don't track with the intention of finding an animal or catching up with it; rather, try to understand the animal and read the story of its passing imprinted in the earth.
• Realize that early and late hours of the day are the best times for tracking, as the angle of the sun casts shadows and makes the tracks easier to see. Track at night by holding a flashlight low to the ground, almost horizontally. Keep the tracks between you and the source of light.