Friday, October 17, 2014

Wildlife Tracking Evaluation

Last weekend, Casey McFarland, of Wildlife Tracking Southwest and CyberTracker Conservation, came out to hold a wildlife tracking evaluation. Ten participants joined in, and we spent two days immersing ourselves in tracks, sign and animal behavior. At first, the "evaluation" aspect is daunting, and a little stressful, but we all found it to be the best tool to learn wildlife tracking. I was amazed at the diversity of sign we encountered: pigeon, deer, raccoon, mink, swallow, bear, dog, coyote, domestic cat, woodrat, wild turkey, beaver, downy woodpecker, sapsucker, cottontail, squirrel, prairie dog and deer mouse. It was a great experience, and I am grateful to all of the participants for the enthusiasm and friendships that developed over the course. In these evaluations, which are standardized internationally, it is possible to get a score based on your ability. In this evaluation, Levels One, Two or Three in Track and Sign were possible. We had two Level 1, four Level 2, and three Level 3. We plan to hold these events yearly, so we hope you can join us!
~Neal

Looking close


Getting a better angle

Raccoon

Bear

My first mink tracks!



A raccoon latrine


Can you see the "thumb" on this left, front deer mouse track?

Casey finding questions to ask

The group

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