Tracking & Field Craft Course An introduction to wildlife tracking and nature awareness.
In our high-speed age of information technology, information has become mistaken for knowledge. Yet the age-old wisdom of how to track and trail remains a skill that requires you to slow down, observe quietly, pay attention to detail, hunker to the ground, move cross-country, indulge your curiosity and use your powers of deductive reasoning. Tracking is the most elemental and sensual skill of the backwoods, demanding that you relearn to read, to look again, to listen intently, smell deeply, remember accurately, feel carefully and yes, even taste tentatively – and suddenly you find that you have become immersed into the story of the trail. However, to learn to track you must put in the ‘dirt-time’ and learn, through direct experience, the effects of the wind, rain and sun upon the tracks and trails left in the mud, dust and snow.Once indivisible from daily survival, the ability to read the landscape formed an integral skill, enabling native peoples the world over to become experts at natural resource utilization. Knowledge and experience of tracking, permits the student of nature to identify and trace a string of footprints, marks or events. Additionally, tracking forms a deeper and more holistic skill; through heightening your senses and tuning into your surroundings, you embark on a journey to uncover the secrets of the forest and all her hidden resources.
A master tracker once said, “Tracking is an educational process like learning how to read. In fact it is learning to read.” Through a variety of exercises designed to re-discover the power of your senses, you will gradually attune to the language of the forest, enabling you to move silently and unobserved, enhance your nature awareness skills, recognise the sounds and smells in nature, and read the signs left behind by it’s inhabitants.
This course is a comprehensive introduction into the secretive and mesmerising science and art of tracking. Initially covering simple track and sign identification in the seclusion of the woods, we'll progress into the more advanced techniques of unravelling speed and gait from the trails left in the sand on the windswept Cumbrian coast. You will benefit from the combined knowledge and experience of our team, who have trained extensively under international tracking experts, and who bring a wealth of domestic and international tracking experience to this course.
Topics covered:
- Trailing
- Tracking etiquette and lost track procedures
- Recognising animal tracks
- Gait analyses
- Feeding sign and scat
- Calls, homes, and behaviour.
- Stalking and silent movement
- Camouflage and de-scenting
- Sensory awareness
- Observation techniques
- Bird Language
| "I no longer think 'how am I going to get around that muddy path
without getting my boots messy?' I'm thinking 'cool - wonder if there
are any good tracks?' You've changed my view of the world!" - Yee-Lin Tan Search the WILD ON ARRAN blog archive for 'Tracking School' for a review of our 2011 Tracking Cours |
Heads Up... Whilst not essential, if you are keen on doing a bit of pre-course reading, we would recommend the following books - Pocket Guide to Tracks (USA based pdf. but lots of UK crossover)