From the Eyes of a Tracker

Crouched at the water’s edge, with cupped hands quenching my thirst, I noticed a few fresh paw prints in the slick muddy bank. After two days of walking and no sign of human presence, and most likely my second night out in the wild, I decided to give them a closer look. The river was shallow. There were no fish. I had seen activity of animals all around though and it was the only fresh water in the area.

The imprints were very crisp. The distinct lobes of the foot pads in every finger and toe were easily recognizable. There were a few prints in clear view on the shore so there had to be more from where it came to drink. I took a small straight branch and measured from the beginning of one track to the next to get a rough estimate of the stride. I was lucky enough that I had two left front paw prints to take an inline measurement, and I broke the stick off at that point. I had seen many of these prints in the past, I was soon in hot pursuit of the bandit of the woods…the raccoon.

I began slowly making my way along his trail. Tracks were less evident, but by slowly placing twigs in the places where there was an apparent game trail and searching within a few inches of each end of my “tracking stick,” I soon found a bent blade of grass or some type of disturbance in the trail that would be some sort of spoor (the track or scent of an animal) left behind from this bandit. The small trail led me under a few logs and some thick brush so I decided it must be used by a smaller animal, or animals, to go to and from feeding from the large hardwood stand through the marshy low area ending at the water’s edge.

Soon I found myself among some very large oaks and old hickory trees that had great crevasses and hollows through their gnarly twisted trunks. There were no more grassy trails with soft mud underfoot to easily pick up signs. From where I entered the wooded area to where I stood at the last spoor, I looked around for the next place a small animal would choose to either enter a den or escape a predatory chase.

A few yards away I saw the remnants of a decaying log. It did not house any grubs as it was pretty much powder at this point, but I did notice the powder had a distinct pathway pounded into and along one side of the stump. Upon further inspection of the nearest downed log I soon saw this powdery residue in the deep fissures of the bark. Moving up the log I saw a sign of my masked friend. A raccoon had left some scat on a flat section of the log. The scat had some seeds and undigested grape skins.

The spoor seemed to be at least a day old to my observations. I figured not only the raccoon would be returning, but so would the other woodland animals to feast on this seasonal food source. I too could eat from the ripened fruit, set traps, and possibly encounter other wildlife here at this prime food source.

The above story was an animated short scenario of why it would be in your best interest to learn about animal behavior and tracking. It is not necessarily used just for the hardcore hunters or trappers. The more we learn about the world and wilderness we live in the better we are at coping with whatever this rock has to throw at us when we are out in the bush!

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO LEARN ABOUT TRACKING?

Learning about animals and how to identify them as individuals can tell you exactly what animals are in your camp, area of training or even in your back yard. Taking the time to partake in nature instead of walking through it is very rewarding on many levels. You do not need to know exactly what track was made by what animal, or start dissecting scat piles of the neighbors dog to get started. Simply observe.

To start really observing you have to slow down from a concrete pace to a more natural pace, or you will miss the obvious. Observe what is going on around you. A good tracker not only needs to be tuned in to the signs left by birds, animals and humans, but also learning why that particular spoor was left at the point where you saw it. Take your time. No need to rush anything in the wild, as the animals have no time clocks. But with further learning and observations you will notice a distinct pattern.

The animals do not have time pieces but they do follow seasons, seasonal patterns, weather fronts and shifts, human pressure, non-natural sounds, vehicle traffic and noise, mating rituals, territorial rituals and much more.

BE AN OBSERVER

If you lived within the city limits and never thought about just sitting around in the local park and just “observing nature” while it is happening you really should reconsider. If there isn’t a park, sit next to a waterway or where you see birds and small animals feeding or gathering. A city squirrel will most definitely act and react differently than a country squirrel. You could observe what time of day they are active, if they are looking for food or a mate, if they are scurrying and burying their acorns, how they are acting before a storm and more. Even if you do not intend on eating that particular rodent you may learn a storm is brewing and you had better find shelter!

Everything that walks leaves some sort of sign. Even winged animals must land somewhere. It is up to us as experienced trackers to pick up the most intricate details to literally get into the mind of the animal we are tracking.

SPIRIT TRACKER

Aboriginal and some “spirit” trackers are highly tuned to the animals they encounter. Some would say they use “spiritualistic mumbo-jumbo” but I would simply say that’s the wrong term for a very intuitive tracker. They claim to jump in and out of the mind of the intended prey and literally prance, and act out the ways that creature might in that particular situation. For example, the spirit tracker flailing his arms in the air to mimic the movements of the great horned beast he is tracking may seem a bit odd or out of place to the less observant eye, but in reality the tracker placing his arms up and walking through the bush looking for an advancing track may soon notice the animal would never go through that point in the trail due to the thick tangled brush that could catch antlers.

When I saw the “spirit” tracker place his outstretched hands with a few fingers splayed outward and waving back and forth, asking mother Earth to show him the next sign, I dove deeper into what was really happening and I found sticks or branches were at a premium in that locale. So utilizing his arms and outstretched fingers in a sweeping motion in front of him, he was actually focusing all his efforts in seeing exactly what spoor he could find within that specific arm span.

At the time it was just an arm span to me, but to him it was the overall 11 to 12 feet of actual leaping the animal was doing at the time he made that track! A 12-foot tracking stick may have been a bit hard to create, so the “spirit tracker” used what he had at hand, literally, and began his pursuit.

 

As trackers, we become super sleuths of the forest and beyond. The more spoor or signs that we find we document. As we are documenting we try and put it all together, starting from an abstract overall picture to a detailed list of the times and places last traveled by the prey. It can be simple or it can be the most intricate and difficult assignment you will ever have to track a living creature through its own living room without having it recognize you are trying to follow it through its house.

Trackers must be stealthy. Trackers must stay level-headed. Trackers must make better judgment calls that can change like the wind itself while on the track. We must understand the animals, and their behaviors and patterns. We can learn so much from the animals who have been living alongside us since the dawn of mankind.

SO HOW DOES ONE LEARN ABOUT TRACKING?

Be an observer. Look more than you walk. Think more than you do. Document as much as you can. Everything and nothing could be spoor. It is up to you and your field notes, observations and better judgment calls for you to put the pieces of your puzzle together just like in the story above.

WHAT TOOLS OR EQUIPMENT DO I NEED TO START?

The tools and equipment are simple and inexpensive. Below is a quick easy list to really begin your tracking adventure training…

• A good write-in-the-rain notepad and writing instrument
• Good camera or cell phone with camera
• A solid multi-tool with a measured graduated scale on one side
• Rubber bands or some light cordage
• Clothes suitable for the environment
• Small wandering kit or pack with sufficient gear to sustain yourself if you got lost or have a woodland emergency

Tracking is much more than just following a few tracks. It is learning about animals in your area. It includes learning about the natural world where animals live, outside in all seasons, and how they cope and function on a daily basis. Tracking helps you slow down to an animal’s pace, and learn how to move with direction and become more observant when you are in the bush. To me, tracking is just a term that encompasses so many techniques that are foundation of becoming a better woodsman and human being. We not only owe it to the animals to learn how they act in their natural surroundings, but how they are reactin to our continuous encroaching human presence. These are some observations and patterning techniques coming from a concerned tracker.

THE 10 CS

WHAT TO CARRY INTO THE WOODS?

The topic is a hot one for sure! It really depends on your skillset and how comfortable you wish to be when you are gone. Let’s go right into what I take for a simple walk in the woods or a day hike. I prefer to always carry the 10 Cs in a haversack:

• Cutting tool
• Combustion device
• Cover
• Container
• Cordage
• Candle
• Cotton bandanna
• Compass
• Cargo tape
• Canvas repair needle

With the proper training, the above 10 Cs can be used anywhere from the Artic Circle to the jungles of Peru.

Cutting Tool:

We advise people to “break up their kit,” meaning to make it modular and carry redundant gear in a few different places. If you lose your main pouch or kit all would be lost! I always carry my belt knife on my side. I carry a heavy leather pouch with not only a locking flap, but a drawstring enclosure to ensure I do not lose any gear.

Combustion:

The fire kit has a Bic lighter, a large ferro rod, a char tin with charred material in it, a 7x magnifying lens, charred lamp wick and secured with a few cut bicycle inner tubes commonly called “ranger bands.” These by themselves are very useful and are another waterproof fire extender.

Alongside the fire kit, I have a few sure-fire materials. This is simply a small material impregnated with an accelerant and dipped in wax to ensure the longevity of the product. It will make fires when needed by simply tearing and exposing the inner fibers of the product and throwing spark or flame on to it. They will burn for 5- 7 min, enough to dry and burn the wettest of small tinder.

Cover:

For a cover I have an inexpensive plastic rain poncho. I agree it is not the best option, but for convenience and size of pack I believe if you need to be out of the wind or rain this will suit me just fine. I can fold and make a water container from this, a signaling device or just to stay dry.

Cordage:

The cordage I use is 12 feet of #36 bankline rolled into a small coil, and 12 feet of paracord, which has 5 to 7 inner strands, and a repair needle.

Cotton Bandanna:

I have quite a bit of room let in the pouch after these needs are met, so I take a cotton bandanna and pack the items in tight so it is unobtrusive and does not make noise when walking, running or tracking.

The remainder of the room is used for a small camera or cell phone that will be protected by the sturdy leather case. Now that I have a belt knife and many survival and emergency items at hand and available at my side, I also take with me a small pack or haversack.

Container:

In this I like to pack for a general walk or trip into the woods. Inside it I have a few redundant items that may be in my belt pouch, but I use these items when I can. I prefer a haversack to carry my items for a day hike or trek. In it I carry a general list of items to always be in there, plus a few trip specific items as well.

• General items for the haversack…
• Folding saw
• Compass
• Headlamp/spare batteries
• 25ft of bankline, 25ft paracord
• Cotton bandanna
• Multi tool
• Small fire kit
• 55gal drumliner
• Metal cup
• Small water filter

Inside the haversack I have a separate pouch to carry all of these items so I know exactly where they are placed. As well, I carry any other special items I may need for a specific trip. Like, if I were hunting, I may carry extra shells, or gloves, cell phone, etc. If I leave my home, even if a short trip to town, I carry my haversack in my vehicle, just in case. That is not to say I don’t already have a vehicle safety kit in it as well!

DON’T FORGET THE H2O!

Water is life; life is water. I take water everywhere! If it is not in a fancy metal canteen it is in a metal canteen slung on my side! I always go with metal so I can disinfect water by boiling at a moment’s notice.

I just recently added a small water filter to my haversack. I think water on the go is essential even if you cannot make a fire to boil! I do not personally like using chemicals or iodine based filters etc. The filter I finally settled with is a go, no go system. You intake all you can until it stops working, then you back flush and continue the process indefinitely.

 

Editors Note: A version of this article first appeared in the April 2015 print issue of American Survival Guide.