How Animals That Track Prey for Hunting?
Tracking is like reading and analyzing. It is about analyzing some tracks or symbols to find a certain thing. It is the art of observing the animal or the signs of the animal to find it for certain purpose. The intelligence agencies also use this process to trace criminals or enemies.
Tracking various types of animal for hunting is a common matter nowadays. This process helps the hunter greatly. The game animals live in the wild places. So, it is not easy to find them quickly. Tracking is a quality of a hunter. This is one of the best qualities that a good hunter needs. But various types of the animal may need different types of the tracking process. But there are some basic steps that are used for tracking all the game animals. Those are the very simple process. You can easily track animals for prey or hunting.
Why Animal Tracking is Important
Tracking makes the hunting process easier. This type of task needs good visualization power. So, practicing tracking will improve your visualization capacity. Find the suitable game animal is the primary goal for hunting. If you unable to find the game animal, your hunting process will become a failure. Tracking can save your time and effort. Good tracking skills can increase your success rate in hunting.
Tracking is also useful for other works like an observation of animals, protecting their natural habitats etc. It is also a useful skill to photograph animals. Skilled trackers can use his skills to earn money also. So, tracking is important for those reasons. It allows gathering practical knowledge about the animals and their behavior patterns. Moreover, it is almost impossible to find some rare animal without expert tracking.
If you follow some technical steps, those steps will help you at the time of tracking. Then the tracking may become more exciting as well as enjoyable.
Tracking Processes
Tracking is a skill-based work. So, always try to do this work in a technical way. By forwarding step by step, tracking will become more easy and enjoyable.
Choose the Best Time for Tracking
For doing any work, selecting the best time is the first and foremost step. Select the best time will increase your success rate. So, it is important. Early in the morning and early in the evening are the best time for tracking. Because the slope of light makes it easier to see the shadows of the tracks. Moreover, many animals are active in the morning and evening than the middle of the day. Low light is not a suitable time for tracking. So, night time is not an ideal time for tracking.
Use a tracking stick
A tracking stick is a tool for observing tracks. A tracking stick may make from any stick. But first, it is important to learn how to use it properly. It is more helpful for the beginner. It is useful to find the tracks, focus, and measure as well as make marks. If you are experienced enough, the tracking stick will not necessary for you.
Examine the selected animal’s footprint
Different animals have different types of a footprint. It is important to pay attention to some factors. These are the size of the print, the nail prints, the number of toes, the front and back prints, as well as the prints is left by a hoofed animal or not. Because the hoofed animal’s print is quite different from the pawed animal’s print. It is quite easy to find footprints in the mud or snow. Almost every animal has a unique footprint. If you know what the uniqueness of the prints, you will able to tell what type of animal there nearby or what type of animal has crossed recently the path.
Examine the track pattern
It is the next step after the step of examining the footprint. First, look at where the prints fall. Then try to recognize the pattern of the track. There are some common track patterns. These are diagonal walker pattern, galloper pattern, pacer pattern, bounder pattern and hoppers vs. walker’s pattern. The track pattern will help you to figure out where the animal may go. You can also figure out what was the animal.
Identify other track signs
There are many other track signs that can help a tracker to identify what kind of animal he is tracking. Some of these are how the print register, scat, tail print, hair or fiber, any kind of droppings. Pay maximum attention to get any kind of smell from the selective area. Those things help you to get a more clear idea about the animal.
Compare with a field guide
It is important to take a field guide of the animal that you try to track. Next, take all the clues from the field guide to gather particular knowledge about the animal’s track signs. It will also help you at the time of matching the tracks. This step can save your time. Moreover, the experienced trackers are able to identify tracks without a field guide.
Find the animal highways
Finding the animal highways or trails is one of the most important steps in the process. Normally, animals follow those roads. So, they leave some sings behind on those roads. It is much easier to find the track sings there. Also, you may find the animals what you are tracking for hunting. It is ideal to check the areas where meadows or fields meet forests.
Check the age of the signs
It is easy to know if the animal is nearby or far away by checking the age of the sings. It is not very difficult to determine the age of the sings if you look carefully. If you press your hand into the ground close to the sing, you can understand some important data about the sing age. New signs have sharp edges but the old sings will be rounded off. By following new signs, you may find the game animal you want.
Think like the game animal
It is an interesting way to track the animal. Try to understand the animal behavior. It helps to predict where it may go and what can it do. Most animals have a certain habit and they try to follow the short paths to find food, water etc. They also use the same paths regularly. So, this type of step can help you a lot.
Tracking animals for prey may different for various types of animals. But those basic processes will always be same.
Safety and Ideal Steps
Safety is the first and foremost step for any kind of work or task you want to do. Always remember that your safety is the most important of all things. Tracking animals for pray or hunting is a dangerous task. Because you have to go in the wild places for tracking. So, it is ideal to follow some safety steps.
- Try to avoid the night time. Most of the predator animals come out for hunting in the night time.
- Wear suitable and lightweight dress. The heavy weighted dress is problematic for the tracking works.
- Take a hat and eye-glass when doing your work. Because these organs are vital parts of your body. Any harm on those organs can suffer a lot.
- Do not go far closer to the wild animals. Always keep a safe distance from the animals. Wild animals can become very dangerous in the wild place.
- Do not do anything that can scare the animals.
- Keep a GPS device or map with you.
- Keep a satellite phone with you. You can call for help by using it from anywhere.
- Take necessary emergency tools. These tools will help you at the emergency time or for daily use.
Wait for the suitable time for tracking.
Conclusion
Tracking is an exciting task. It will help you to find the game animals easily when you are hunting. You can take it as a profession because this type of work offers a good amount of money. Tracking will teach patience and how to choose the right of action. It will also improve your visualization capability.
