How Kids Can Become Animal Trackers

Equipment

• Every child tracker should have some equipment for his adventures. A kid-size backpacked should be filled with a journal, pencil, eraser, ruler, magnifying class and an animal tracker book. When he goes out on the hunt for tracks, he should wear weather-appropriate clothing and some waterproof boots. An adult companion is also strongly advised because many animals can be territorial, especially around a den or nest. A bottle of water to stay hydrated and a digital camera are also recommended for the journey.

Books

• Your child can read several books to familiarize himself with animals. He can find information about their behavior, natural habitats, where they live and what their paw prints look like. Books can also provide information on which animals live in your area. ̶0;The SAS Guide to Tracking,̶1; by Bob Carss, ̶0;A Field Guide to Animal Tracks,̶1; by Olaus J. Murie, and ̶0;Track Pack,̶1; by Ed Gray, take a more serious approach, while ̶0;Tracks in the Snow,̶1; by Wong Herbert Yee, and ̶0;Big Tracks, Little Tracks: Following Animal Prints,̶1; by Millicent E. Selsam, is educational and entertaining.

Study Tracks

• Studying animal tracks is part of becoming an animal tracker. Your little explorer should look on the ground for tracks, either in the back yard, a park, a wooded area or a nature trail. After a fresh snow cover or a light rain is a good time for hunting for animal tracks. Once your child finds one, he can sketch the animal prints in a tracker journal, measure the prints with a ruler and write the measurements down. He should count how many segments are in the print, and how many claws it has. During or after his excursion, he should look up the print and label it in his journal. For instance, he might have found cat, dog, skunk, deer, wild turkey and squirrel prints during his tracking and the sketches and measurements can help him identify each one.

Animal Signs

• Another vital aspect of being a successful tracker is being able to identify rubbings and chew or bite marks. Once your tracker has found some tracks, have him look around for other signs to indicate which animal has left this trail. For instance, rabbits and rodents might chew on low branches with their two enlarged front teeth. When deer eat twigs, they rip them from the branches and leave torn edges on the branch, while rabbits use their teeth to bite the twigs off at a 45-degree angle. Male deer often rub their antlers on trees at the end of summer and this is evident on the trees where the bark is rubbed off. These signs can tell you which animal has been roaming around the area.