Visual Man Tracking in action. Applying the skills of a Visual Man Tracker. A Search and Rescue Tracker scans the area for clues that show spoor of a lost person’s trail.   What is Visual Man Tracking? Visual man tracking is an ancient hunting technique still in use today for locating and trailing wildlife. But in […]

Shadow Wolves. “In brightest day, in darkest night, no evil shall escape my sight, for I am the Shadow Wolf” — U.S. Customs Patrol Officer motto. Shadow Wolves are children of the wilderness. “This tracking, in the ancient way, is often called “cutting sign” or “checking spore” by members of tribes such as the Sioux, […]

Tracking is a fun way to discover and learn a lot about animals and their behavior. The more you track animals the more you learn about them and the life they live. Learning how to track wildlife is an ancient survival skill. A skill our ancestors relied upon to live, hunt, and forage.  How to […]

The mountain lion, Felis concolor, or cat of one color, is also known as cougar, panther, ghost cat, catamount, and puma. The mountain lion is the largest feline carnivore of North America. Adults are tawny to chocolate-brown with black tips on their ears and their long tails. Mountain Lion Facts On average, females measure 7 feet from nose to […]

Sign language – reading natures clues with expert tracker Mark Wienert BY GARRET JAROS For The Register-Guard Appeared in print: Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011, page D2 Tracking as a doorway to nature “Tracking is a doorway to nature,” he says, studying an array of tracks that merge and overlap with the bear tracks. “It’s a […]

Bears bear Ursus. Spring is here and humans are exiting home and hearth while Bears leave their winter dens. Accidental encounters of a scary nature happen between humans and Ursus during this time. First, a little background information on Bear Bears Ursus. And his behavior to help you understand and safely plan your next wilderness […]

Wing of bat eye of newt so the incantation may go. What is safe to eat and what is not. A good thing to know in any situation, and vital when you are trying to survive. The Oregon Coast has much to offer on both counts. Take the Rough Skinned Newt for instance.  I have […]

Animal tracking is a skill used to follow wildlife. Such as Deer, Bear, or Raccoon. We can follow animals by the footprints they leave on the ground. Or we may recognize a trail of an animal by the “Sign” they leave. Sign tracking can include the droppings of an animal. Or a rub. Where an […]

Roosevelt Elk in Oregon clear-cut Predators fang. In general, hunters take animals in the prime of life, while predators disproportionately take out the older, younger, or less fit individuals.  As poet Robinson Jeffers has noted, it is the fang that has created the fleet foot of the antelope.”  By George Wurthner Predators Fang “Beyond the […]

Along the Oregon coast we often have ground hornet nests near our home. Vespula pensylvanica. I thought I would write about hornets today because our dog disturbed a ground nest of Yellow Jackets. And was very confused when she came under attack. So, let’s talk about these fearsome flying wasps, hornets, and yellow Jackets. Oh […]