Trackards for North American Mammals by David Brown
Twenty-six card sides present the tracks and sign of over 30 wild animals that range across much of the United States and Canada.
Accurate. Each image was produced directly from photographs or casts of the tracks and sign of live, free-ranging wild animals.
Life-size. The images are printed, life-size for direct comparison with found sign.
Waterproof. The cards are made of waterproof, synthetic material that is impervious to water, mud or snow. This allows the cards to be placed on the ground next to found sign for comparison of size and appearance.
Transportable. The card deck is ring-bound and measures 6X9″, large enough to accommodate the largest tracks but small enough to carry in a large jacket pocket or pack.
Packed with information. The cards have images of tracks and a scat as well as a trails section that shows typical gait patterns and measurements that contribute to identification in the field.
Field-tested for over a decade, the Trackards are unmatched in accuracy, usefulness and field usability. The system of identification they represent is much more likely to result in a successful identification than any other tracking guide available.
Trackards for North American Mammals improves on the accuracy and field usability of every other tracking guide available. It and the companion book are published by McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company. Please see below for current availability
Read a review of the Trackards/Companion Guide here: http://northernwoodlands.org/wood_lit/entry/trackards-mammals
The Companion Guide to Trackards for North American Mammals
The Companion Guide provides 245 pages of additional information including detailed measurements of track size, gait appearance, preferred habitats and other sign typical of each species. Additional illustrations of tracks and sign are presented as well as notations on the ‘signature’ aspects of tracks and scat. Ways to distinguish similar tracks and sign of different animals are also included. This is all original work representing 26 years of tracking experience by the author. The book is sized like the Trackards so that both may easily be carried in the field. Together they represent an identification system that ensures success. See below for current availability.
The Next Step: Interpreting Animal Tracks, Trails and Sign
This book is intended for the reader who wishes to advance his or her knowledge beyond identification into using the evidence that has been discovered in order to relate the animal to its habitat: why was the animal here and what was it doing? This is “eco-tracking.” Gait analysis allows the tracker to put the still image of the animal into motion in the mind’s eye and sense its behavior as it relates to its surroundings. In order to do this, an awareness of the context in which evidence is found is discussed in detail from the macro-context of the forest, field and wetland down to the closer context of the immediate surroundings in which the evidence is found. Tracking tips are presented to help with all aspects of tracking, and a set of tracking problems are provided at the end of the book for the reader to solve by using his interpretive skills. Appendices are included with tips on subjects like how stay warm outdoors in the winter while tracking, emergency shelter building and land navigation. Detailed directions are also provided in the appendix for making casts of animal tracks. 558 pages and an index.
Read an excerpt from The Next Step in Northern Woodlands Magazine here: https://northernwoodlands.org/articles/article/what-does-the-fox-see
Availability: McDonald & Woodward, the publisher of the above books and cards, is currently entering receivership. As a result, while an alternative publisher is being sought, new copies cannot be obtained. However, used copies sometimes show up on the secondary market and may be listed on Amazon. As soon as a new publisher is found, notice will be posted on this page.