October 9, 2009
Wildlife Tracking Basics
Finding and following wildlife stories
istockphoto
What are the “signs” of wildlife activity?
Wildlife tracking includes collecting both direct evidence, such as paw prints and scats (animal droppings), and indirect evidence, such as tooth marks, hair, and trails. The more dependable and varied the evidence, the more certain you can be in identifying what species of animal made the tracks. Often, the evidence will tell you what the animal was doing at the time the tracks were left. For example, the prints themselves may show whether the animal was walking, trotting, running, or foraging.
What helpful references are available?
There are many excellent field guides and resources available to help you recognize the basic imprints or scats that common animals in your area might leave.
Making tracking casts
A great way to start a tracking hobby is to create a collection of plaster tracking casts. Guidelines for making such casts are offered in most tracking field guides; basically, it involves mixing a batter of water and plaster of paris and applying it into a set of tracks. Depending on temperature and moisture conditions, this mixture will become firm in a few minutes. When complete, the cast is an excellent study piece to use as you hone your tracking skills. Local mud flats or river sandbars make excellent sites to practice making plaster casts. The casting of tracks in snow is a little more difficult, but with practice, you can make some excellent casts.
Keeping a wildlife journal
Another way to enjoy tracking is to keep a journal about tracks observed in your backyard. If you start keeping a journal of tracks you may find the number of animals who visit your backyard will surprise you.
Trekking lightly
Once you begin to notice the signs and evidence left by the wild neighbors in your backyard, you will want to apply your knowledge and hone your skills while rambling on larger public properties. A few tracking etiquette rules are useful to keep in mind. Wildlife trackers should try to minimize disturbance of wildlife tracks that others may want to study and leave the site in the same or better shape than it was found. This is especially true if you make a plaster cast; be careful to pick up all the scraps and evidence of your hobby, so that anyone visiting the area later will find the site as clean and natural as you did.
A final word
If you should be so fortunate as to find a set of tracks that leads directly to a den or resting site, please back down the trail to study the tracks so you won't disturb the animal who left them.
Wildlife tracking is a relaxing, yet engaging, way to spend time outside and learn more about wildlife in your area. We hope you'll give it a try—and take along a friend or a child to share the experience!
Helpful tracking books
Elbroch, Mark. Bird Tracks & Sign: A Guide to North American Species. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2001.
Elbroch, Mark. Mammal Tracks & Sign: A Guide to North American Species. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2003.
Farrand, John, Jr. Familiar Animal Tracks of North America: National Audubon Society Pocket Guide. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1995.
Halfpenny, James. A Field Guide to Mammal Tracking in North America. Boulder, CO: Johnson Books, 1986.
Murie, Olaus J. and Mark Elbroch. Peterson Field Guide to Animal Tracking, Third Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2005.
Rezendes, Paul. Tracking & The Art of Seeing: How to Read Animal Tracks and Sign, Second Edition. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1999.