Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Animal Identification
• Method 2 of 3: Interpreting the footprint of an animal
• Method 3 of 3: Follow the animal
• Tips
• Warnings

Tracking animals is the art of interpreting signs, such as footprints, paths, or biting plants, and then determining how long the animal has been here, whether it has hunted or rested in a particular location. Animal tracking is a useful skill for going hunting, photographing animals, or simply getting more information about the creatures with which you share a habitat. If you want to know how to track down bears, birds, rabbits, deer, mice, foxes and other animals, see Step 1.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Animal Identification

1. 1 Examine the trail. It will be very interesting to find a trail in the mud or in the snow, because this is a telltale sign that is left by another creature that has recently passed the same path as you. Each animal has a distinct footprint, and if you know what to look for, you will be able to know which animal might be around. When looking at a trail, pay attention to these factors:
   • Track size. You have to tell by the size and shape whether this footprint is from a fox, a bear, a cat or a mouse.
   • Number of fingers. This is the main feature of the footprints, which can be very revealing, since different animals have different numbers of toes. For example, cats like lynxes and cougars have 4 toes on each foot, while weasels and skunks have 5.
   • Are fingerprints visible. Cat tracks do not reveal fingernails, but the tracks left by the wolf, raccoon, and bear show long claw marks.
   • Are protruding fingers visible (such as a thumb). Creatures that can climb trees, such as raccoons and possums, have a protruding toe that allows them to grip the tree as they climb.
   • Are the front footprints the same size as the rear footprints? Dogs, cats, foxes, bears, and many other creatures have the same size front and back legs. If you see prints with small front legs and large hind legs, it is likely a rabbit or a hare left them.
   • Whether the tracks belong to a hoofed animal. The tracks of a deer, elk or some other ungulates are different from those of animals with paws.
2. 2 Examine the drawing of the track. The next step is to consider the outline of the tracks. You can determine the gait of an animal by interpreting the pattern of the path. Since different families of animals have different gaits, you can tell from the pattern of the footprint what type of footprint you see. You can also use footprint templates to help you figure out which animal they belong to. Here are the most common patterns of footprints:
   • Diagonal step. Diagonal strides have cats, dogs, and ungulates that raise their front and hind legs on opposite sides at the same time. They leave chess tracks. Imagine the footprints that horses or lynxes leave behind.
   • The model of the pacer.Broad-bodied animals such as bears, beavers, possums and raccoons raise their front and hind legs at the same time on one side of the body.
   • Sample of deadwood. Weasels, ferrets and badgers first lean on their front paws, then put their hind paws on them. The prints from their hind legs tend to follow immediately behind the front ones.
   • A sample of racehorses. Rabbits and hares jump when they move. They jump so that their front paws land first, and their hind feet touch the ground where the front paws were recently. Since they have long hind legs, their footprints are shaped like a horseshoe U.
   • Bunkers vs. pedestrians. Bird footprint shapes generally fall into two categories: bunkers and pedestrians. Birds that leave footprints next to each other are bunkers. Birds that walk like humans are pedestrians. Note that jumping birds usually live and feed in trees or in the air, while walking birds usually live closer to the ground and feed on terrestrial insects or animals.
3. 3 Look for other signs by which you can identify animals. There are many other tips that can help you narrow your search for the type of animal you are tracking. Examine prints and tracks carefully and check additional details such as:
   • How to fix traces. What if the rear footprints hit directly the front footprints and it looks like there is only one set of footprints? If so, you are probably tracking a feline or fox. If the front and rear footprints are in different places, how can all four prints be seen? Dogs, weasels, raccoons and bears don't really have direct paved paths.
   • Tail print. You can see lines running through the paths, indicating the tail of the animal that was sweeping the ground. A lateral wide tail may indicate that you are seeing a reptile tail mark.
4. 4 Check your results. If you're serious about hunting down, go to a library or bookstore and get a guide to animals that can live in your area. Take note of all the clues you have collected about a particular animal (forms of footprints and tracks). See if they match the animals listed in your book. Over time, you will be able to learn the differences between different animal families and their individual species, and ultimately be able to identify animals without a guide. For a quick reference, you can use this table to help you identify the animal.

   Animal tracking, identification

   Animal family	Trail features	Footprint template
   Rounded footprints with 4 toes; no visible claws	Diagonal pedestrians with direct register
   Dogs (dog, fox, wolf, coyote)	Rounded footprints with 4 toes and visible claws	Diagonal pedestrians; only the fox has a direct register
   Weasels (weasels, minks, skunks, otters, badgers)	5 toes with visible claws	Mezheviks (excluding broad-bodied animals such as skunks)
   Raccoons, possums and bears	5 fingers with visible claws; flat, like human paws; some of them with protruding toes for climbing	Pacers
   Rodents (mice, squirrels, rats, voles, chipmunks, porcupines, gophers, beavers)	4 toes on the front feet and 5 toes on the hind feet (excluding beavers, which have 5 and 5)	Mezheviks and racers
   Rabbits and hares	4 fingers on each track; the hind legs are twice the size of the front legs	Racing
   Ungulates (deer, moose)	Separating hooves on each leg	Diagonal pedestrians
   Birds	3 fingers; birds of prey have a strong hind claw; aquatic birds - webbed feet	Air birds - jumping; birds feeding on the ground - diagonal pedestrians

Method 2 of 3: Interpreting the footprint of an animal

1. 1 Look for the path of the animals. Animal paths or trails, nature trails found in forests, meadows and other natural environments, are used by many creatures to get from one place to another. They look like muddy hiking trails used by humans, except they are less obvious if you don't know what you are looking for.
   • Animal trails are paths that connect you to places where animals find food, water, and a roof. The trail usually uses only one or two different species of animals.
   • Look for animal rookeries - places where animals sleep and rest. They may look like a nest or burrow, with bits of fur and foliage crushed down.
   • These places are usually far from where people walk. Check areas where forests turn into fields and meadows - areas where one type of terrain turns into another. These are the best places for animals to find food, water and shelter.
2. 2 Look for atypical signs. Animals leave evidence - signs that indicate their presence. Look for bare areas in trees where bark has been worn away, broken grass and shrubs, chewed plants, and so on. Each animal has its own unique mark.
   • Pay attention to smells. Skunks and other members of the weasel family usually leave behind a pungent odor.
   • Eventually, you will know the difference between the teeth marks left by different animals. For example, a deer picks grass from the ground while cats chew on it.
   • Monitor animal droppings closely. First, there are big differences in shape, size and color. Second, you can tell more about the beast by examining its feces for what it ate.
3. 3 Check the age of the animal's footprints. If you want to know if an animal is nearby, you will need to check the age of the footprints and marks. It is difficult to pinpoint exactly when the animal was in place, but if you look closely, you can tell if the footprint or mark is fresh, or if it is a few days old or weeks old.
   • Determine the age of the footprints by pressing your hand on the ground next to the footprint. Take a look at the difference. Fresh prints have sharp edges around the diameter, while prints made a few days ago will be rounded. Weather and climate will also have an impact on how long footprints remain visible.
   • Examine the chewed and scratched plants. If they have been chewed recently, you may see moisture on them. Remnants of old food may dry out a little and turn brown around the edges.
4. 4 Don't expect to find obvious animal tracks. Most likely, you will see only a few paw prints instead of a whole track, or even a tiny notch in the bark of the tree. Watch closely for small signs that indicate the presence of an animal. Where there is one partial footprint, there will be another next to it that will give a fuller picture of the animal you are tracking.

Method 3 of 3: Follow the animal

1. 1 It is advisable to watch the animal early in the morning, late in the evening or early at night. Animal tracks are more noticeable at this time, when their shadows are easier to see in the refracted light. Tracking when the sun is high in the sky is much more difficult. In addition, many animals are more active in the morning and evening than in the middle of the day.
   • Observe close to the ground and look at the footprints from the side. This will help you see the tiny indentations and ridges that indicate where the animal came from.
   • Start where you can clearly see the footprints. The easiest way to start tracking an animal is to find a spot where you can see undeniable footprints (in the snow or mud). This is especially true for those areas where they are not so easy to find.
2. 2 Use a stick to track down. It will help determine where the animal has gone. This is a handy tool when you observe the footprints, and then they seem to dissolve into thin air. Make a tracking stick by taking a thin cane and securing a row of rubber bands around its base.When you see two tracks, you can measure them by sliding the rubber bands to mark the distance between the tracks. You can find the missing track by putting an elastic band in front of the last track; the next track should be within the range of the end of the stick.
3. 3 Think the way the animal thinks. When tracking an animal, ask yourself why it went in a certain direction or followed a certain path. Try to understand as much as possible about the animal's intentions so you can predict where it might go. This helps to learn a lot about the animal, for example, what the animal likes to eat, when it is most active, and so on.
   • Look very carefully for the footprints. You can examine dents within individual tracks. Notice where the animal might stop, climb a tree, run, or fly. Try to understand what could have caused this behavior.
   • Look for the shape of the footprint, which will provide a clue to a typical day in an animal's life. Most animals are used to and use the same paths every day.
4. 4 Use your hands to see. Experienced trackers use touch as much as sight to figure out which way an animal was walking. Try blindfold stalking to gain an even deeper understanding of the animal. Feel the footprints and search for them on the ground with your hands until you find more. Follow them until you understand how the animal moves through the forest or meadow.

Tips

• Wear clothing that is in harmony with the environment so that you are less likely to scare away animals. If it's fall, wear reds, browns, and oranges. If it's winter, wear white. Wear green and brown in spring or summer.
• Wear appropriate shoes so that they do not make too much noise, do not step on branches, if you are near an animal, watch your steps.
• Step from heel to toe as this helps soften your stride.
• Be silent. Screaming or even talking can provoke an animal to attack. Set your mobile phone to vibration mode.
• Get as much useful information as possible. Talk to several of the forest rangers.
• A guide with animal footprints and droppings will come in handy too!

Warnings

• If the beast you are tracking is dangerous and wild, keep your distance and do not do anything that might scare it. Use your common sense in determining the degree to which you should track an animal.
• Have a GPS or map and compass when you walk into the woods so you don't get lost.
• Keep your mobile phone with you.