Tracking is a fun way to discover and learn about animals and their behavior. The more you track Animals the more you will learn about them and the life they live. Learning how to Track is an ancient survival skill and the skill our ancestors relied upon to live, hunt, and forage.
How to track animals
As we learn to Track we discover Sign and movement of wildlife. Recently our Oregon students mapped out coyote, gray fox, feral cat, birds, chipmunk, mouse, and bobcat.
The discovery of wildlife is made easier through the skills of Tracking.
Tracking is Science and Art
Tracking is precise. The science of Animal Tracking require measurements to distinguish between animal tracks of the same family. As an example the Dog family Canidae, measuring the width and length of a track correctly tells us if the animal is a Fox or Coyote.
Tools to measure tracks in the field
Tools are helpful in measuring and documenting an animal's print, stride, and trail width for identification.
- ruler
- tape measure
- notebook
- pencil & eraser
- scotch tape (For collecting animal hair)
- camera
Animal sign
Animals leave Sign as they live and pass over the landscape. Developing recognition of an animal's presence on the landscape reflects our ability to learn the meaning of these terms.
- scrapes
- scratches
- rubs
- digs
- hair
- scat
- trail
- gnawing's
A bus driver and hunter
One of our new students is a bus driver and avid deer hunter from Eugene, Oregon. John had this to say about his newly developed tracking skills.
"Thank you, Mark, for a wonderful experience. I learned more about tracking in 2 days than I have in 40 plus years of hunting." ~John Hampton
Thanks, John., We love to hear comments from our students. At Lifesong Wilderness Adventures our focus is to increase student's Tracking Skills, dramatically.
Survival skills
Tracking helps us discover the animals that visit our backyard and neighborhood and still is a valuable skill for hunters, photographers, and nature enthusiasts. As for me, I believe learning how to Track is one of the best survival skills a person can learn.
Learn to Track Wildlife
Are you ready to be a Tracker? Register for our Oregon Intro and Advanced Animal Tracking.
Recommended books on learning to track animals
- Tom Brown's Field Guide to Nature Observation and Tracking by Tom Brown
- Tracking and the Art of Seeing by Paul Rezendes
- Sign language - reading natures clues with Mark Wienert
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