The Art of Seeing
Welcome to Tracking 101. Here I’ll give you the little bit of initial information you need before heading out into nature and beginning to identify any evidence of animals that you can find. It takes time to learn reading tracks and signs, aka, “The Art of Seeing,” but with practice, you’ll find that trying to uncover these mysteries is as exciting as the animals themselves. Tracking can be a fun experience in deductive reasoning, and I think once you begin to develop the sight for animal evidence, you’ll find it everywhere that you go. There is a whole hidden world in your backyard, neighborhood, and local park just waiting to be uncovered. From fox prints, to peanut shells, to a knocked over bird feeder, I hope to give you the confidence to investigate any disturbance or evidence you find and uncover the cause! Remember, no crime is solved from a single clue, so be sure to find as much information as possible before making your hypothesis about who is the culprit! I highly recommend the three sources in my references section. They're a little dense but have really in-depth information and, most importantly, fabulous pictures to help with any identification.
Before heading out, be sure to pack a bottle of water, a tape measure, a notebook with pens or pencils, binoculars, and tracking book, like the ones mentioned above and in our references section.
Tracks
In real life, animals don’t make perfect tracks. They can change based on weather and season, the type of ground, or even the behavior of the animal. In fact, many experts in the “Art of Seeing” believe that individual tracks are not as important as track patterns. So, since this is such an inexact science, in most cases, you’ll need to gather more evidence than just a single track to determine the identity of the animal. Remember, no crime is solved from a single clue, so be sure to find as much information as possible before making your hypothesis about who is the culprit!
Measuring the size of the tracks can be an effective way to determine who left them behind. Best practice is to make multiple measurements to account for changes in conditions, and then compare those measurements. Embrace Google for learning more about what you find! Use iNaturalist or your local Department of Natural Resources website to help you find out what animals are local to your area, and compare all tracks and signs you find to other examples online or in your tracking book. Sometimes, the track may look completely different than expected and seeing new images online can spark recognition of the track or other patterns that you may have missed. When in doubt, try to look for more information beyond the animal print. Sometimes there might be more useful information surrounding the track, than the track itself!
Red fox print. Photo Credit: Wiley Spears
Raccoon prints. Photo Credit: Wiley Spears
Scat
An example of that additional useful information is scat. Animal droppings can be one of most accurate ways to identify backyard visitors. It can tell you not only what kind of animal it was, but also what the animal was eating, how long it was there, and what other animals were nearby. As funny as it may seem, searching for an animal’s scat online and comparing it to the poop you found is one of the simplest ways to help you uncover an animal’s identity. Your tracking book will also have pictures of scat included with every species. It really is an incredible way to make a quick profile of your suspect!
PLEASE be careful though when examining. Don’t touch or dissect any scat you find. Only observe and photograph. Animal droppings can contain a huge host of parasites and bacteria, and solving any backyard investigation is never worth injury or illness.
River Otter Scat. Photo Credit: Wiley Spears
Signs
In addition to the easy to find evidence like prints and scat, always be on the lookout for other signs left behind by animals. Whether it is a nest or marks in a tree, any information you can find could be key in uncovering the identity of the backyard visitor.
Keep your eyes open for gnaw or rub marks on trees or other vegetation. Outside of prints and scat, these sorts of behaviors can be one of the most accurate species markers available to the backyard detective.
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Rub - affected areas on the landscape
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Unintentional - animal rubbing up against an object that protrudes onto the trail (e.g. a branch).
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Intentional - specific area where an animal is rubbing itself. E.g. deer scraping velvet off antlers, wallowing in dirt to rid itself of mites etc.
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Hair and Feathers - especially at a rub or a projection where the hair or feather gets snagged. Clumps of hair may either be purposely pulled out by the animals or clumps of hair or feathers may indicate a kill site.
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Gnaws and Chews
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Gnawing - like a beaver, on nuts, trees bones (rodents get their calcium from gnawing bones). You can tell the animal by the size of the teeth marks.
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Chews - where a plant has been bitten off (twigs, stalks of grass, etc.)
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Clean Cut - caused by an animal with incisors
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Serrated edge - caused by deer pressing grass to upper palette
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Masticated - teeth marks could show mineral use (many herbivores chew bones for health benefits) or predatory chewing
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Scratchings - these can be made by claws digging in on trees, ground or grass.
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For example skunk, otter, or raccoon scratching in the ground for grubs or scent markings
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Cat or bear sharpening claws on a tree.
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Ground Debris
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any debris on the ground that is scratched holes, stone rolls, broken twigs etc. (stone roll = a stone out of its bed, rolled over, skidded etc.)
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Vegetation
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Vegetation breaks
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Grass impressions
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Roll marks
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Also, animal sleeping sites can be another important and commonly found sign, so be aware of broken or crushed vegetation, digging, or lay marks. A hole is any easy sign for a groundhog or breeding fox pair, while crushed grass can be a tell-tale sign of a deer resting spot.
River otter latrine scrapings. Photo Credit: Wiley Spears
White Tail Deer antler marks. Photo Credit: Wiley Spears
Beaver chew marks. Photo Credit: Wiley Spears
"Pics or it didn't happen"
Sometimes, you just need to see it to believe it. An easy way to discover any backyard visitor is pairing a trap camera overnight with any discovered tracks or signs. There is no better feeling than evaluating the evidence, coming up with a theory, and then having your video surveillance match-up with your suspect! In some cases, the video may reveal an entirely different culprit than what you expected based on the tracks and signs. Either way, video evidence is the best evidence that there is! Check out out our resources section for trap camera recommendations. Plus, who doesn't love some hilarious animal candid camera moments!
Installing a trail camera. Photo Credit: Tacticam
Great Blue Heron with Hogsucker. Photo Credit: Wiley Spears
Raccoon at bird feeder. Photo Credit: Wiley Spears