How skilled are you at tracking?

Years ago, I was fortunate to attend a jungle tracking course conducted by the Phillipine Army (Scout Regiment). Obviously, it was a military course focused on tracking humans but almost everything that I learned enhanced my game tracking skills. A few years after that, while TDY at Ft. Huachuca, AZ, I attended another tracking course conducted by the US Border Patrol. It was a multi-service course and it was taught by a full-blooded Apache professional tracker. That course, conducted in the desert, was remarkable. I was impressed to say the least.
I am not an expert but I can track.

Greatgrandad said:

One book I always loved from decades ago. While not an indepth teaching on tracking, it is a composite of a few of his best tracking adventures and reveals just what a good tracker can do.

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Just one of several decent books on tracking from years back, but there are several newer and decent ones out there.

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Thanks, I will look for these. never too old to learn a little more

Well, what I can say about my ability to track came from a tactical class I was part of teaching at INEEL in Idaho Falls, ID. One of the other instructors was a gentleman named David Scott-Donelan. David was a former Selous Scouts, Rhodesia SAS. David and I had a few beers together, and he pointed out that the things I thought were good about my tracking were Bovine Anal Seepage; in other words, I couldn't track a Hamster in a small cage. This was many years ago, and David has since passed, but I found that tracking is a real art; most of us just stumble through it. But! It's fun to try anyway. Cheers

I consider myself pretty good at tracking. I only ever lost 2 deer and that was my own dumb fault. Both were archery and I took uo the trail too quickly, jumped the deer and it never bled anymore. One of these in did find about 10 days later. It was lying in a depression that I probably walk 15 feet past looking for it.

Im not the best tracker, just the best Ive ever tracked with , except for a good dog. People can't scent trail and have a big disadvantage.
I started tracking wounded game about 4 years old.
I'm of the opinion that you can never be really good unless you start really young.
I started with my boys about the same age. Just take them along and track healthy animals. Teach them walking tracks from running how old the tracks are how heavy the animals are how worn are there hooves which says allot about there age.
Not magic just attention to detail. Panicked animals leave scuffs pay attention to all the vegetation even up high.
1. Take compass bearing
2. Mark your trail
3. Practice

Clem Bronkoski said:

I consider myself pretty good at tracking. I only ever lost 2 deer and that was my own dumb fault. Both were archery and I took uo the trail too quickly, jumped the deer and it never bled anymore. One of these in did find about 10 days later. It was lying in a depression that I probably walk 15 feet past looking for it.

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Easy enough to pas by and miss it. I will place something in the area I think the animal was at and work out from there. Generally in a 360 circle, keep increasing my circle. Other times I get to where the animal was at and find a blood trail. I try not to shoot in closed areas. Hard to find and track.

I can track down an Italian restaurant with no problem. So humans can scent trail a little bit.

I would do real good if the deers had GPS transmitters attached to their bodies.

Cartridge and distance matter, but recovery skills matter just as much. I've had clean shots still turn into tracks, so I don't rely on blood alone. Reading sign, shot placement, and terrain awareness are what really make or break a recovery.

A few things that I've learned regarding tracking are: 1. Determine the direction of travel and then follow the path of least resistance (keep the size of the animal in mind). 2. Get low to the ground to read tracks because looking straight down is 2 dimensional while viewing from the side, close too the ground, is 3 dimensional (you'll see more local disturbances). 3. Try and determine gait or stride length and it will help you know were to look for the next disturbance. 4. Have patience, relax, get into the groove of it. Being anxious or trying to hurry produces nothing but frustration. 5. Mark your trail as it develops and listen to what it is telling you (visually).

Best regards

Hope this doesn't come across as I'm bragging, this is simply numbers.
Started bow hunting at age 16. Lived in Alabama my entire life except for military service.
I mostly bow hunted from age 25 until age fifty! Alabama has very liberal seasons and bag limits on deer. At one time you could kill three deer per day,the whole season,99 plus days.
I averaged about six to eight deer early on. Later as many as 16-18, deer reduction for farmer's.
I've taken about 200+ with a bow. Another150-180 with a gun. So,I've some experience tracking bow killed deer.

Place a marker where the deer was standing, if there's blood there, great!
Place markers that will not wash away in rain every fifteen yards. Constantly look ahead for the deer on the ground, well struck deer with a good broad head will not make it past 75 yards. Squat down and look ahead and to each side from last blood spot. Southern woods can be very thick, keep to blood and the 15 yard marks! Most time they die on a dead run, other times they vere off the last twenty yards of the run.
If blood starts to run out and get spotty, slow way down. If you can't find blood in the next 15 yards looking both left and right. STOP! Come back the next morning or at least 4-6 hours! Do not push the deer out! Find a tracking dog if possible.
Hunters loose deer every year pushing them out of their beds! Let them bleed out and expire!

My hunting buddy is red color blind, I have to track his ( not dead right there) deer while he looks ahead and to the sides.
Best advice is to slow way down and be patient. If you're deer has gone more than150 yards it wasn't hit as well as you think.
Now if the woods looks like someone walked through the woods slinging blood everywhere, just follow it. Won't take long!

I'm color blind, making tracking difficult in many situations!

Perhaps that is one of the reasons that I much prefer to hunt with a cartridge and bullet that add a great deal of insurance with those "less tha perfect" shots! A concept that is foreign to many! memtb

memtb said:

I'm color blind, making tracking difficult in many situations!

Perhaps that is one of the reasons that I much prefer to hunt with a cartridge and bullet that add a great deal of insurance with those "less tha perfect" shots! A concept that is foreign to many! memtb

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I'm reluctant to kill one with a crossbow now, I just don't want to have to chase them up in the Mt,s I live on. If I can't drive the Kubota up to it I'm unhappy. Like them dead right there!
Was hunting on my buddies farm on a big power line cut. Pine thicket on each side. Early muzzle loaded season. Descent buck sticks his front half out and buddy says shoot him! I replied that we would have to trail him up in the thicket. As we debated it the buck decided it by leaving. Not a fan of looking for them in twenty foot tall pines, with wild roses and honey locus trees!
Like you I've gone to gun hunting exclusively!

I had one that I gut shot. It dropped like a rock. Figure is was down. Man was I supprised when I got to the spot. What I didn't want see green body fluids. I was in dry and small rock area. It took me awhile to follow his track of what I could see. Found where he had bedded down. The deer crossed a divided 4 lane Fwy to the other side. I kind of feel where he had gone. Had a long walk be to my car. No water, had to ge back and get water. Then went back to where I felt he cross at. Man did I find a rattlesnake. I think I would have won the Jump Hop and leap that time. Finishs it and back to tracking. Mostly by gut feeling, and some sign. Found where he had bedded down again. Track him over a hill on to the other side. Getting dark now. Figured I had about all I could do, and didn't fine much in tracks either. Going by gut feeling. with one run a round with a snake I figure I better get back while I could see. Went back the next day, but didn't come up with anything. I think I did fine a possible Indian burier site. Do to how some rock were placed.
I did lean something that day. Make sure you have water, and after making a shot and animal goes down. stay and watch for 10 minutes or so, before heading out to the kill. I could have made another shot if I have stayed in place, and watched, for a few minutes. I still think about even now. What I did wrong. That's the only one I believe I losts that I shot. I have tracked other people animals, some found and some not. I have sent all day looking for someone else animal. Again so wins, and lost. Even if I think or feel I missed a shot, I still go to the site and check it out.