Tracking...

[TheViking]

Recently there has been a lot of requests for books about tracking. I love tracking and stalking myself and a few weeks ago I found this site which is absolutely excellent. I'm not a very good tracker myself, but this and stalking are the skills I will practice most next year. :biggthump

The site has a section on stalking: http://www.geocities.com/~pack215/bsa-stalking.html

One about tracking in general: http://www.geocities.com/~pack215/bsa-tracking.html

And one with animal tracks, etc: http://www.geocities.com/~pack215/wildlife.html (just scroll down).

I hope this can be of some help. :wave:

 

[TheViking]

Oh! Forgot something. Feel free to post all your tracking links and tips etc. here. :biggthump

Perhaps someone could do a mini tracking tutorial on the subject, and include some stalking also??

 

[TheViking]

Look here: http://www.bear-tracker.com/guide.html

and here: http://www.bear-tracker.com/thepawsprinciple.htm :biggthump

 

[Evil_squirrel(aaaaaagh)]

hi everyone,

im thinking about doing the woodlore woodsense and tracking course, has anyone done it?

 

[Tony]

There's probably a few that have, from what I've hear it was good when Ray and Woody instructed them, I've no idea who's taking them now, I expect that there's someone on here that knows, some of the Woodlore instructors pop in so they might be able to tell you more about who's teaching it...Anyway, if you get Ray (I know he loves teaching that one) you'll be on to a winner

 

[Gary]

Pagannwolf can help you there as he's on their next course - two courses were amalgamated into one of decent size and it appears that since woody left the baton has fallen upon Ray to lead it.

I have done this course some time ago and it was very good but very tiring - real tracking is mentally exhausting!

 

[Fallow Way]

I did the Woodlore Woodsense course a few years ago and whole-heatedly agree with Gary, its exhausting the mental focus required.



I was taught by Ray and Juha and loved the course. I found I left feeling as though I was not very good, but over the following weeks things started to kick in so to speak (as with everything, practice attunes your senses) and found myself able to read more sign than i ever thought i would. Highly highly recommend any course of this nature that teaches you to use your senses to the full.





Best Wishes



Paul Moseley

 

[Wolfie]

Don't forget to check out Shadowhawks courses. I've just done the Back to Back foundation and intermediate course and had a great time! I'll try and write a review when I get chance.

For more details look at www.shadowhawk.co.uk

Rhoda has just put details of a tracking course in Portugal this August on the website.

 

[Mr Cissey]

Might be useful:

http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/nature/tracking.shtml

 

[Richard]

When learning tracking, a lot of books and courses and websites will focus on single print identification and analysis. Whilst this is of course important, rarely in nature do we find perfectly clear prints. In my experience, the best tracking books concentrate as much on gait patterns and typical behavious of different species so that you can interpret and follow subtle disturbances and know where to look. In most of my wildlife surveys and tracking efforts, I have learnt as much if not more from other sign as I have from single footprints (feeding signs, droppings, hairs, trail widths/heights, and trail/gait patterns). The best book I've read on tracking re-inforces this approach (Paul Rezendes' 'Tracking and the Art of Seeing'). I firmly believe that native trackers are as good as they are because they have an intimate knowledge of how the animals in their area behave and interact with the landscape around them. In essence, to be a good (animal) tracker you need to be a good naturalist. Most of the literature on animal ecology and behaviour doesn't have the word 'tracking' in it, so for the non-naturalist it can be easy to miss, but there's plenty out there.

 

[leon-1]

Another very good book is "The Art Of Tracking" by Louis Liebenberg, I have just obtained a copy and it covers a lot in a small book with a good amount of detail.

The ISBN for it is 0-86486-293-8.

A big thanks to Stuart for pointing it out to me

 

[Richard]

A difficult book to get hold of Leon (is it out of print?). Well done in finding it! Can I ask where you sourced it?

 

[leon-1]

A difficult book to get hold of Leon (is it out of print?). Well done in finding it! Can I ask where you sourced it?

It is not out of print as far as I am aware, I bought it yesterday brand new, but unfortunately it would be a long trip for most people to pick up a copy, I picked my copy up from Johannesburg airport.

The current publishers are David Phillip publishers based in Cape Town and the third impression was published in 2003. I know that it is a difficult one to get hold of so I hope that the details of publishers and ISBN will help people in thier search for it.

 

[Moonraker]

It is not out of print as far as I am aware, I bought it yesterday brand new, but unfortunately it would be a long trip for most people to pick up a copy, I picked my copy up from Johannesburg airport.

The current publishers are David Phillip publishers based in Cape Town and the third impression was published in 2003. I know that it is a difficult one to get hold of so I hope that the details of publishers and ISBN will help people in thier search for it.

Sounds a good excuse to visit South Africa Leon

You can read more about the book here:

The Art of Tracking - Review

details:

The Art of Tracking: The Origin of Science
Louis Liebenberg, David Philip, Cape Town. First published 1990.
Second impression 2001
Softcover R94,95
ISBN 0 86486 293 8, 150mm x 232mm, 176 pages


You might be able to get it direct from the publishers? Try here:

David Phillips New Africa Books - The Art of Tracking - The Origin of Science

They link to this (Amazon like) web site where they list it as available in 10 days and they do International shipping.

Kalahari.net The Art of Tracking: The Origin of Science

Pricing from site. 140 Rand about £12 plus 180 Rand/ £15.50 International delivery

I have not ordered it from them so can't vouch for the service but thought it may help.

Happy hunting

 

[leon-1]

Sounds a good excuse to visit South Africa Leon

I wasn't visiting South Africa, I was visiting Namibia to do a little tracking and bushcraft. Beautifull country and I got to meet the bushmen whilst I was there

 

[Moonraker]

I wasn't visiting South Africa, I was visiting Namibia to do a little tracking and bushcraft. Beautifull country and I got to meet the bushmen whilst I was there

How horrid Sounds great mate. Any photos?

 

[leon-1]

How horrid Sounds great mate. Any photos?

I have a few, but would rather not post them here and hijack the thread.

 

[Justin Time]

I got a copy of the Liebenberg book from kalahari.net, service was very good. Great book, although a big chunk of it is an academic discussion about how tracking developed rather than "how-to".