How to Recognize Animal Tracks

Mother Nature allows us a glimpse into her world of the wild with each passing day, providing a canvas of artwork that is constantly changing. Nature can also be a dangerous place, and that is why it's important to know what is in your surroundings. Recognizing animal tracks will not only help you to avoid some danger, but it will also give you critical insight into the world around you and what the animals were doing at the time they left their marks behind.

Instructions

    • 1

      Use all of your senses. Recognizing animal tracks starts with having keen senses and being able to use them and focus them when necessary. Instead of relying on sight alone, use your other four senses to help you identify if animal tracks could be near. For instance, your sense of smell can lock in on animal droppings or specific odors, while your sense of hearing can be used to listen for abnormal disturbances in your surroundings.

    • 2

      Learn the indigenous animals in your environment and their tracks. It will be very difficult to recognize an animal track if you're unsure what animal could have made it. Learning some animals that inhabit the surrounding environment and their habits will give you precious insight into recognizing their tracks. This will also help you to know where to look in tracking, hunting, observation and avoidance situations when you're outdoors.

    • 3

      Look for unnatural disturbances. Broken twigs, beaten paths and removed bark from trees are some of the typical animal markers that you'll want to keep an eye out for. Some deer, for instance, rub their antlers on trees or rocks, while bears often scratch trees to sharpen their claws and mark territory. Look for unnatural occurrences, such as these, and you'll often find animal tracks nearby.

    • 4

      Visit a common resource. Every living thing on Earth needs water to survive. Visiting areas where waterholes, lakes or small streams exist will turn up the best animal tracks. Since most animals need a daily water supply, you will often find that highly visible animal track prints are left on the edge of a water source. It is especially important to practice visiting these places when you're learning the fundamentals of animal tracking in order to get better acclimated to the animals in your area.

    • 5

      Watch for common warning signs. After you have located some animal tracks, ensure that you sweep the surrounding area for other tracks as well, for safety reasons. Animals that travel in packs, such as wolves, can be very aggressive if mistakenly walked upon. Or you may notice that there are wolf tracks following those of a deer, for instance. This is a sign that an animal is being stalked and could mean the predator is still in the local area.