Seeing tracks is one thing; being able to read them is something else again. Understanding the story told by tracks is primarily a matter of drawing conclusions. Here are some anecdotes that illustrate this point and get some tips on how to learn tracking for beginner.
Begin your tracking lessons on a sunny day and face the sun, so that every uneven spot on the ground will cast a shadow. If you lose a track, mark the last impression, and search in a large circle for the continuation. Notice the peculiarities of the track you are following so you will be able to distinguish it from others you may come across. Mark the path you are following to keep you from losing your bearings in an unfamiliar region while you are concentrating completely on the tracks.
The quality of the tracks depends primarily on the type of earth. Snow, loam and sand hold tracks best. But weather conditions can destroy even the best tracks. If you know what the weather in the area has been, you can determine when the tracks were made. For example, if it has rained you can examine the raindrops that have fallen on the tracks, or if the wind has been blowing, the sprouting grass seeds or dust in the tracks will give you a clue to when they were formed. Grass which has been stepped on lightly straightens up again after a short time. Sunshine hardens tracks.
Tales of Master Trackers
During the Civil War some soldiers looking for a lost comrade asked an Indian boy if he had seen the fellow they were seeking. The boy replied, "Do you mean a tall soldier riding a lame roan horse?"
But when the soldiers asked him where he had seen their lost friend, the Indian answered, "Oh, I haven't seen him at all" Instead, he led the soldiers to a tree where some roan horsehair stuck to the bark at the spot where the horse had brushed against it. The hoof tracks showed that the horse had limped, because one hoof did not leave as deep an impression as the others, and the steps made with this hoof were not as long. The Indian observed that the rider had been a soldier from the boot prints he left when he dismounted, and concluded that he had been exceptionally tall because a tree branch had broken off at a height that a shorter person could not have reached.
If it is the first time for you to camp in the forest or woods area, it is always suggested that you have to learn to read the track. This will prevent us from getting lost in the woods, and to give us knowledge about the danger.
Begin your tracking lessons on a sunny day and face the sun, so that every uneven spot on the ground will cast a shadow. If you lose a track, mark the last impression, and search in a large circle for the continuation. Notice the peculiarities of the track you are following so you will be able to distinguish it from others you may come across. Mark the path you are following to keep you from losing your bearings in an unfamiliar region while you are concentrating completely on the tracks.
The quality of the tracks depends primarily on the type of earth. Snow, loam and sand hold tracks best. But weather conditions can destroy even the best tracks. If you know what the weather in the area has been, you can determine when the tracks were made. For example, if it has rained you can examine the raindrops that have fallen on the tracks, or if the wind has been blowing, the sprouting grass seeds or dust in the tracks will give you a clue to when they were formed. Grass which has been stepped on lightly straightens up again after a short time. Sunshine hardens tracks.
Tales of Master Trackers
During the Civil War some soldiers looking for a lost comrade asked an Indian boy if he had seen the fellow they were seeking. The boy replied, "Do you mean a tall soldier riding a lame roan horse?"
But when the soldiers asked him where he had seen their lost friend, the Indian answered, "Oh, I haven't seen him at all" Instead, he led the soldiers to a tree where some roan horsehair stuck to the bark at the spot where the horse had brushed against it. The hoof tracks showed that the horse had limped, because one hoof did not leave as deep an impression as the others, and the steps made with this hoof were not as long. The Indian observed that the rider had been a soldier from the boot prints he left when he dismounted, and concluded that he had been exceptionally tall because a tree branch had broken off at a height that a shorter person could not have reached.
If it is the first time for you to camp in the forest or woods area, it is always suggested that you have to learn to read the track. This will prevent us from getting lost in the woods, and to give us knowledge about the danger.