Practical Tracking: A Guide to Following Footprints and Finding Animals

If you want to learn to trail animals, whether for ecological wildlife surveys, hunting, or just plain curiousity, nothing replaces "dirt time." But finally there is a book that supplements that dirt time, providing structure and greatly speeding up the learning curve. This is a book that both beginning and experienced trackers will find invaluable; another must have for your tracking or hunting library.The authors are excellent trackers themselves, but equally important, all have trailed animals in Africa with some of the best trackers in the world, and it shows in the insights they share. But this isn't just about tracking in Africa. The authors have tracked on other continents as well. Indeed, Mark Elbroch lives and writes in North America where he is the Initial Evaluator for the CyberTracker evaluations of tracking skills, and where he has authored or co-authored some of the most respected field guides available. As the authors write, "Remember--tracking transcends location, and if you do not recognize the name of some animal, do not be distracted from the overall discussion. It doesn't matter what sort of animal you track, the concepts are all the same." Consistent with that introductory comment, the book uses animals from both continents to illustrate the tracking principles they're teaching. So you get pages like 104 (the trail of hippos) right next to 105 (an American badger's burrow) when discussing spoor recognition. The topics covered are also varied, ranging from recognizing gaits and track patterns to anticipating spoor and making predictions to anticipating danger and safety, and many others.What I liked best were the first person stories interspersed throughout the book by the authors, providing personal insights into the authors' experiences. These stories, written in italics to separate them from the primary text, make the reader feel as if he or she is actually sitting with the authors beside a track or around a fire listening to them teach tracking through storytelling. It is amazingly effective and wonderfully interesting.Finally, the book explains the CyberTracker evaluation process, which includes both track and sign identification, and trailing. These evaluations are not only mirrors to an individual's skill and knowledge, but also an excellent way to learn, and should be considered by both serious trackers and hobbyists alike, as should this book.This is a book that is meant to be read and read again, as an invaluable compliment to time in the dirt.NOTE: The reviewer is a member of the San Diego Tracking Team, which does wildlife surveys based on tracks, scat, and sign, a hunter, and a certified tracker through CyberTracker Conservation. He has been fortunate enough to track with all three of the authors.

I can't think of three trackers I would rather listen to tell stories interspersed with the practical advice in this book unless it is Brian McConnell, who has two stories in the book as well. The stories are real, instructive and very entertaining. We learn from stories when facts don't stick, but this book is also rich in tracking facts. The chapter on gaits and track patterns is a very complete, well written and easy to understand explanation of how four legged creatures move and what those movements mean. The chapters on age and spoor recognition are chapters that are easy to digest and full of lifetimes of tracking knowledge. Then the book follows the tradition of master trackers in Africa into what they call speculative tracking, a term that will give a search and rescue tracker a heart attack, but is explained and illustrated completely in this book. The book describes field work in detail with lots of attention to safety. There is information on the habits and behavior of many animals which people could encounter in Africa, the US or any place in the world. This knowledge is not a Hollywood version but the real stuff based on field observations. It takes a long time to know a species of animal well enough to co-exist safely and this knowledge is passed along here. For trackers or hunters the chapters on stealth and safety are a must. Any kind of tracker from novice to a forensic tracker would find this book useful and enlightening. I confess my first read concentrated on the stories as they couldn't be more entertaining. I am happy to add this book to my already full tracking library as it is refreshing, different and full of practical stuff.

The three authors of "Practical Tracking" are among the best trackers in the world. The lead author, Louis Liebenberg, was the founder of Cybertracking, a South African based system of recognizing and certifying outstanding trackers. Mark Elbroch is from the United States, and is the as I understand it, the first non African to be certified by the Cybertracking Organization. Together the three authors present an excellent series of teaching stories, much in the vein of ancient peoples who had oral histories and learning processes. There is lots of excellent information on the science and art of tracking with stories that illuminate the wisdom of tracking.This book is not meant for the beginner tracker. It is a presentation of advanced skills and techniques by story telling. It is very well written, entertaining, and informative.Be warned that much of the information and most of the experiences are African based. While the principles still hold true in both South Africa and the United States, the animals vary some from the United States. There are wonderful stories of tracking lions to within 12 feet, of tracking elephants, all kinds of deer and antelope, African hare.

I have had the pleasure of meeting Elbroch, and I assure you this man has a lot to teach all of us. I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting the other two authors, but I recognize them as some of the best trackers in the world. All of the authors of this book are associated with Cybertracker International which is really a revolutionary tracking movement moving across the globe. These guys are the ones leading it.This book is not a field guide, but a collaboration of key learning experiences by the authors. Every tracker has their wildlife stories that shaped their tracking skills or taught them lessons that they will remember throughout their lives. These guys share theirs.

This book was first published in 2010, has 330 pages, 10 chapters, 129 colour photos and 11 B/W drawings. Tracking can be learnt with practice and patience. Tracking is identifying, following and interpreting wildlife tracks and signs. This book discusses tracks, trails, alertness and how these are practiced in the field. The concepts are all the same for different animals.This book starts with identification of rare Canada lynx from its foot prints and DNA taken from its faeces. Individual animal spoor may vary according to its age, mass, sex. condition and the terrain. Smaller the animal, the more it becomes difficult to distinguish its spoor. Best foot prints (pug marks) are usually found in damp, slightly muddy earth, wet sand, a thin layer of loose dust or thin layer of fresh snow. The claws are protractile, since their normal position at rest is retracted within the sheaths, they are extended by ligaments when needed.A gait describes the way the animal is moving. The speed of the track is evaluated from the position of the hind track to the front track. When the animal is going faster, the hind track is infront of the front track. (a) SLOW - stalking or hunting or scent marking (b) NORMAL - casual speed (c) FAST - chasing or being chased. Track patterns will show what the animal was doing. Absolute accuracy is not often possible with determining the age of the tracks. (1) OLD SPOOR - >24hrs (2) FRESH SPOOR - upto 12hrs (3) VERY FRESH SPOOR - about 3hrs. After memorising the spoor, it is best to walk next to it, not to spoil the trail. Tracking is easier in the morning and evening, as the shadows make the spoor easy to see.Types of signs to look are spoor, scent, urine/faeces, saliva and blood. A jackal gives one howl when following a hyena, or many howls when following a leopard or lion. The landscape should be scanned constantly, both up ahead and either sides. Freeze and listen for few minutes when you approach a thicket, water, ridge, marsh, rocky out crop or reed bed. Direction of the wind will give any scent or noise of the tracker. Watch out for animal warning signs, alarm calls and smells. Don't make sudden movements which are easy to pick in good light. Slow movements are easy to pick in bad light. Retreat to a high ground (high ground is safe ground), as animals seldom come after you.It is best to learn tracking with an experienced tracker on a trail. For safety, animal behaviour knowledge is essential. Animals are usually shot if they attack humans. It is best to avoid confrontation with wild animals and NEVER to test them, especially when they have their young.The book ends with tracking different animals in the wilds of North America and South Africa, remembering their warning signs and dangers. The authors narrate some fascinating stories of the bush and their tracking experiences. They also warn about do's and don'ts in the presence of wildlife. For me, reading the stories of tracking of snakes, elephants, lions, leopards, hyena, rhino and buffalo, were very interesting.Some other books of interest are:-(1) The Hunting and Spoor of Central African Game, DD Lyell, 1929(2) Collins Guide to Animal Tracks and Signs, Bang, 1974(3) Man Tracking, Robbins, 1977(4) Art of Tracking, Liebenberg, 1990(5) Behaviour Guide of African Mammals, Estes, 1992(6) How to Read Animal Tracks and Signs, Rezendes, 1999(7) Mammal Tracks and Signs, Elbroch, 2003(8) Field Guide to the Tracks and Signs of Southern and East African Wildlife, Stuart, 2003(9) A Game Ranger Remembers, Bryden, 2005(10)Animal Tracking Basics, Young, 2007Having born in Kenya, I enjoyed reading this book.

Even the newest revision of Bang and Dahlstrom isn't as accurate or as detailed.Great explanation of behaviours common to many mammal species, clear explanations of gaits and insightful accounts from top professional trackers, which would be worth the cover price on their own just as reading material.

Excellent. One caveat is that a lot of the content is shared between this and the other book "The Origin of Science".

I've been tracking much of my life and this is one of my favorite tomes on tracking. Very useful data. I am only giving it four stars because much of the book covers other regions of the world so the fauna it examines do not always apply to our wildlife in North America.

Do you want to find animals in the wild, do you prefer carnivorism or omnivorism to vegetarianism? If yes then you NEED to read this book. The authors bring a wealth of knowledge in a non judgemental way with many useful and meaningful anecdotes. Great book, I am going to read it again and not loan it to my friends.