Tracking Questions from Readers

"When measuring stride length, do you go from the heel of one print to the heel or toe of the other print?"

I measure stride length from the toe of one print to the heel of the next. Using a stride stick, also called a tracking stick, I can mark the stride length I'm tracking and if I can't find the next sign easily, the arc that the stride stick makes from the toe of the previous track narrows down where to look for the next sign. My stride sticks are 1/2 inch oak dowels, 36 inches in length. You can make one in the field with any decently straight stick at least 18 inches in length.  You can mark measurements by making notches on the stick.


And what am I looking for? Any flattening, disturbance, regularity or color change.

Using a rubber band or a tight fitting rubber washer is a good way to mark the measurements on your stride stick.  With more rubber bands or washers, you can also measure and mark width in the ball of foot; heel width or length for broken heels or raised heels. Half inch rubber washers will last longer than rubber bands and are easier to move when changing measurements.

In the picture below it appears that I am measuring from heel to heel, but look for the black rubber washer on the stride stick. It is located at the top of the print in front of me (see arrow). The end of the stick now can create an arc so I know where the next stride should be.

It's six of one, half dozen of another if you measure heel to heel or toe to heel. I was taught, 30+ years ago, to measure from toe to heel so that's how I do it...........oh, and sorry for taking three paragraphs for a question that could have been answered in one sentence.




"Can you go into more detail about "Pressure releases" and why or how they are important to tracking?"

When an object such as a human foot or animal hoof hits the ground, it disturbs the ground. It may be so subtle as to be undetectable by the naked eye, but it can compress, or gouge, or leave a regularity such as pattern or a line not seen else where. Disturbed dirt and bruised vegetation can provide a color change to indicate passage.  This is the flattening, disturbance, color change or regularity I'm talking about.

As the foot or hoof pushes off to leave the ground, that release also impacts on the disturbance left behind,  much more so in softer ground than in rocky, hard ground. The weight, speed and angle of the foot or hoof leaving the ground also influences what that pressure release looks like, often providing a clue as to what the human or animal was doing.....increasing stride and therefore speed, jumping side ways, stopping abruptly, looking up, moving with a leg injury, and getting tired are some things you can often tell from reading a pressure release.

So to answer your question, reading pressure releases are not critical to being able to cut sign or track. It just gives you more insight to your target, it's condition and what it may be thinking or doing.  Just one of many factors to consider.

Mantracking - Reading Deceptive Print, Walking Backwards

Continuing on with some short videos on Mantracking, I am depicting what it looks like for someone to be deceptive and walking backwards to throw off the tracker.

The three biggest indications of someone walking backwards trying to make you think he is moving in one direction when actually moving in another, are:

Absence of Toe Dirt. When moving forward, the toe of the footwear will drag dirt and debris forward creating what we call "toe dirt" indicating direction of travel. When walking backwards there is no forward momentum to create the natural plume of dirt in front of the toe.

Light Pressure Release in the Heel. Because when the individual is walking backwards, a lot of pressure is taken off the heel and in effect the walker becomes a toe walker.

Shorter Stride. The stride length,....distance between the toe and the subsequent heel,...are greatly reduced when walking backwards, sometimes as much as half - even more when the individual is carrying a heavy load like a rucksack.

To a lesser obvious extent, the pressure release in the toe of the boot is deeper and as the foot rolls from the toe to the heel, the ball of the footwear creates a good readable pressure release on the ball of the footwear.

If the individual is trying to walk backwards fast, there will normally be some dirt dragged by the heel as it rocks off the ground and is pulled backwards. This can help identify the deceptive practice of walking backwards and the direction of travel.

Mantracking - Stride Length and Using a Tracking Stick

I show how I use a tracking stick on the below short video. Sorry about the wind noise, but I think you'll be able to hear it.

I normally mark a print I find with a "U" around the outside of the heel so I can tell I've been on the track before, so tell someone who is following me that I'm on this track.

I sometimes use a tracking stick to measure normal stride length in order to find it again when I lose it, especially in hard ground. Once you are behind enough sign you'll get a feeling for the size of the foot gear that made the track; reading pressure release which combined with stride length and size footgear will give you an idea on speed, weight of the person and possible load he/she may be carrying; and in sometimes provide other clues such as if they are injured or tired, looking behind or up into the sky and other things as well.

A 1/2 inch 2 or 3 foot oak dowel makes a good tracking stick. You can use rubber bands tightly wrapped onto the stick or rubber grommets in order to have a movable point of reference for measuring tracks,...not just their stride length, but the width of the heel and the widest part (ball) of the print as well.

Eventually you'll get to where you do not use the tracking stick, but may perhaps use a piece of stick you find on the ground. I have even carried a 2 foot tape measure to precisely measure the print for future positive identification.

Tracking on Horseback sometimes provides a better perspective on the sign, unless the Sun is directly overhead. Sometimes you'll need to dismount and look more closely at the sign to determine what you think you are seeing.

Mantracking - Reading the Print

Several friends of mine have asked me to post some articles on tracking. So starting with this post, I'll do some basic tracking posts every so often in case there are any readers interested in learning and practicing this craft.

Cutting for sign. Sign is any evidence of someone or something's passing. Everything that walks on the ground leaves some sort of sign...the trick is to see it and read it.

Sign can be a flattening of the ground; a disturbance such as pushing a twig or rock into the ground; a regularity caused by lines in their footwear; or a color change or shine from the subject's passing. When I'm looking to pick up sign, I cut for sign by moving perpendicular to the direction I think the subject is heading and pick up a starting point...and like I said, we call this 'Cutting for Sign'.

It is valuable to place the area you are looking at between yourself and the Sun as this provides the best light situation, both contrast and shadow wise, to notice disturbances. If I pickup a track, I'll study it to ensure I can recognize it again. Sometimes I'll take pictures, like I did for evidence when I was building a case of Archeological or Environmental crimes as a Conservation Law Enforcement Officer. Sometimes I would even fill out a Track Report with full measurements and pattern descriptions for future reference and identification.

The basic sign you'll see is a foot print, full print or partial. You can tell many things from one or more prints: type of foot gear, rate of travel, and stride (distance between toe of one print to the heel of the next). You can gain some perspective on what the subject is thinking such as evidence left, such as the pressure release created by his footwear, which can show things like him turning around checking his back trail from someone trailing him or even looking up.

The disturbed area caused by the foot, called the Pressure Release, can give you an indication on the individual's weight, balance and speed. Normally the toe of the foot gear pushes sand or dirt forward in the direction of movement and this is called toe dirt.

An interrupted heel can add a little difficultly at first in reading the pressure release, but this can be overcome by comparing several prints or pressure releases to see what is normal.