Wildlife Tracking Southwest

Wildlife Tracking Southwest provides a means for people to discover and explore the wide variety of animal sign found in the natural world. Wildlife tracking is a skill readily learned by anyone and beneficial to many: weekend hikers, outdoor educators, knowledge-hungry naturalists, hunters, biologists and backyard-nature enthusiasts alike. 

By learning to first see and then interpret an array of track and sign, people develop greater understanding and appreciation for wildlife in our wilderness areas.  Tracking not only serves to enhance the experience between people and the natural world, but is also a effective tool in wildlife research and conservation efforts. 

What is Wildlife Tracking?

Tracking is somewhat akin to reading.  As you read this paragraph, your eyes are processing visual "symbols" (letters, words and sentences) and the brain translates them into information.

As we  become "track and sign literate" we begin to read and comprehend the stories written in the wilds: tracks of various species, of individual animals, events scrawled across the ground and the stunning assortment of sign left by animals for numerous reasons.  

As our knowledge of wildlife and their behavior grows our appreciation for them develops as well. When heading off to bed after a day in the field, not only do we consider what may be happening in the lives of friends and family, but so do we genuinely consider what may be unfolding for the bears, cottontails and gray foxes.  

There are several facets of tracking that contribute to the skill as a whole:

-Track and Sign: Identify track and sign of mammals, birds, insects, reptiles and amphibians. Tracks are footprints of animals, whereas sign refers to things like beds, tree rubs, burrows, dens, scat, etc.

-Trailing: The challenging but extremely enjoyable practice of following an animal's tracks across varied terrain

-Gaits: Understand an animal's locomotion and the corresponding trail pattern; this allows the observer to interpret how a particular animal was moving: slow walk, gallop, trot, etc.

-Ecological Context:   Use habitat and topography to determine what sign can be found in an area and where to find it

 -Incisor scrapes of a feeding elk

• Please contact Wildlife Tracking Southwest with questions or comments                                  
  
• Check out upcoming classes and presentations
• Resources- books, websites, etc.