Animal Tracking

1. Animal Tracking

2. Large Scale Sign • Landscape Tracking – reading the landscape to locate animals • “Islands” where animals can be found • Find best “islands” for herbivores and you will find carnivores. • Areas between islands tend to be scarce of animals except pass through

3. Wildlife Needs • Food • Water • Shelter (Cover) • Space

4. Indicator Species • The presence of these animals is an indicator of the “value” of the habitat • One present – good habitat • All present – excellent habitat • Vole, Rabbits, Deer

5. Types of Habitat • Deep Forest • Very poor habitat • Little undergrowth and poor cover • Vegetation not varied • Raccoons, birds, rabbits

6. Types of Habitat (cont.) • Fields • Very poor habitat • Little to no cover except at side of fields • Middle field is open territory for hawks and owls

7. Types of Habitat • Transition Areas (Edges) • Zone of intersection between two habitats • Excellent habitat • Wide variety of vegetation and cover

8. Travel Routes • Trails - super highways • Species nonspecific • Frequently used, rarely changed • Animals know them intimately • Troughs, no vegetation or battered vegetation

9. Travel Routes (cont.) • Runs • Less frequently used, subject to change • Some definite wearing into the landscape • Connect watering, bedding, feeding areas to a trail • Species specific • Good for trapping.

10. Travel Routes (cont.) • Escape Routes • Push Down – used only once, crashing through the brush from a trail • Established Escape Routes – pushdown used repetitively, often leads to a hide

11. Animal Sleeping Areas • Bed – consistent sleeping place • Transit Bed – established bed used every so often • Lay – used only once or twice, broken down and crushed vegetation • Den – used only to bear and raise young

12. Feeding Areas • Varied Run Feeding Area – eat off trail or run further • Single Plant Feeding Area – run ends at a single plant or group of plants • Eat-through: animal eats through a patch of vegetation and comes out other side • Patched- irregular nibblings along edge of trail or run

13. Medium Scale Signs • Rub – polished areas on the landscape • Unintentional – rubbing up against an object that protrudes onto the trail • Intentional – specific area where an animal is rubbing itself

14. Medium Scale Signs (cont.) • Hair and Feathers – loss • Present at rub or snag • Loss during molting • May indicate a kill site

15. Medium Scale Signs (cont.) • Gnaws and Chews • Tell animal by size of teeth where a plant has been bitten off • 45 degree clean cut – animal with incisors • Serrated Edge – pull plant up against pallete and sickle it off by pulling neck • Masticated – teeth marks with saliva – predator chew to get minerals • Scratchings – digging

16. Medium Scale Sign (cont.) • Ground Debris – debris that is scratched, pinched, dented, abraded unnaturally, holes, stone rolls, broken twigs

17. Medium Scale Sign (cont.) • Scat – feces of animal • Determine species by size, shape, and consistency • Determine diet of species • Animals leave scat in “safe” places, often near lays

18. Scat Analysis • Tubular Shape • Canid Family (Dog) • Raccoon • Skunks • Oppossum • Bears WOLF SCAT COYOTE SCAT

19. Scat Analysis (cont.) • Oblong: may have nipple at end • Ungulates – Deer Family DEER SCAT in SUMMER MOOSE SCAT in WINTER

20. Scat Analysis (cont.) • Tear Drop or Tapered • Feline – cat family MOUNTAIN LION SCAT BOBCAT SCAT

21. Scat Analysis (cont.) • Fattened Threads • Mustilids – Weasel Family OTTER SCAT with FISH SCALES MINK SCAT

22. Scat Analysis (cont.) • Pencil Lead • Rodents MOUSE SCAT PORCUPINE SCAT

23. Scat Analysis (cont.) • M & M’s • Rabbits and Hares JACK RABBIT SCAT

24. Scat Analysis (cont.) • Tubular and Tapered at both ends • Foxes FOX SCAT with HAIR FOX SCAT with BEERY SEEDS

25. Aging Scat • Greasy Scat – fresh meat or plants • Chalky Scat – old, scat dries from the inside out, bacterial residue forms • Hairy Scat – carnivore feeding on a old carcass, eating fur and skin last

26. Raptor Pellets • Raptor (hawks eagles, and owls) regurgitate pellets of hair, bone and feathers - undigestible

27. Small Scale Signs • Compressions – dust particles and grit on surface is either pressed into the surface or removed when animals walk over it • Sideheading - technique of keeping the track between you and the light source

28. Ghost Scale Sign • Dullings – morning dew is wiped away by animal, plant dull – not shiny • Shinings – during day, animals press down shiny side of grass • Leaf Depressions – leaves are compressed as animal walks, leaving a compression outline

29. Tracks • Line of Travel: heel to heel • Length of Track • Width – widest part of track • Stride – heel of one foot to heel of the other • Straddle – distance between the right and left feet • Pitch – degree foot angles out from line of travel

31. Register • Direct Register: front foot is lifted up and the rear foot on that side drops directly into the front track (Cat and Fox) • Indirect Register: front foot is picked up and the rear foot on that side drifts slightly behind and to the right or left of front track

32. Continuum of Speed • Stalk -------Slow Walk-------Walk----- • Trot-----Bound----Lope-----Gallop

33. Pattern Classification Pacers – move the same side of the body at the same time • Diagonal Walkers – animal moves opposite side of body at same time • Bounders – front feet land together, then the rear feet behind • Gallop (Hoppers) – front feet land first, rear feet come on outside of front feet and land ahead

34. Diagonal Walkers • Deer, Canids and Felines • Stalk • Slow Walk • Pace when bored, annoyed, aggravated • Walk • Rarely hold a bound except in soft or rocky terrain - prefer to gallop; on clear terrain hold a bound on for a few patterns before going into a gallop - prefer to trot or lope - can go straight from a walk to a gallop (e.g. if suddenly frightened)

35. Bound Walkers • Mustilids (Weasel) except skunk and badger • For a shear burst of speed will gallop - seen just before a kill • Will diagonal walk when approaching hunting territory e.g. slowing down to be more quiet • Will stalk when hunting game • Will pace when aggravated, bored or agitated, threatening, seen just before going out on hunt

36. Gallop (Hoppers) Walkers • Rabbits, Hares and Rodents except porcupine and ground hog • Prefer to gallop but will bound in soft terrain i.e. snow, mud or rocky terrain • Will diagonal walk if it needs to cover a shorter distance than a hop would cover, e.g. rabbit moves 2" over to feed • Will stalk when moving away from danger • Will pace when aggravated, threatening or bored

37. Pacers • Move the same side of the body at the same time • Wide, rotund bodies • Can go from stalk to gallop • Badgers, Skunk, Porcupine, Raccoon, Opossum, and Bear

38. Sex Determination for Diagonal Walkers Only • Doe – narrow shoulder girdle, wide pelvic girdle for birthing • Buck – wide shoulder girdle for antler support, narrow pelvic girdle • Works only for adult animals

39. Aging Tracks • 3 Factors the Degrade Tracks • Weather and Weather Fluctuations • Gravity • Type of Substrate or Soil WISDOM AND EXPERIENCE