Tracking for Advanced - When Tracks Start to Tell

👉 The key facts from this guide

You know the feeling: You find a track and immediately know who was there. Deer, wild boar, fox – the basics are solid.

But you feel that there's more.

You no longer just ask "Who?", but "Who exactly?", "When?" and "Where to?".

What if you could read age and intent from a footprint?

What if you learn to watch time itself at work as it changes a trace?

This guide is for you. For the moment when determining becomes true understanding.

1. Each Footprint a Business Card – The Forensic Analysis

To examine a track in detail is like the work of a forensic scientist. Every groove, every edge, every asymmetry is a piece of evidence that goes far beyond mere species identification.

How an animal steps onto the earth

The foot anatomy of an animal is key to its way of life. We distinguish three basic types:

• Plantigrade: Bears, badgers, and raccoons walk on their entire sole, from heel to toe. This gives them stability and strength, but not top speed.

• Digitigrade: Canids and felids walk elegantly on their toes, their heel not touching the ground. This allows for a greater stride length and high speeds, because the foot acts like a spring.

• Unguligrade: Deer, wild boar, and other cloven-hoofed game move on their outermost tiptoes, which are transformed into hooves (in hunting jargon, "Schalen"). This specialization makes them enduring and fast runners – perfect for escape.

Die Anzahl der Zehen, die Sichtbarkeit von Krallen, die Behaarung der Sohlen oder der Abdruck der Afterklauen (das „Geäfter“) sind dabei die entscheidenden Merkmale.

The Art of Subtle Differences

True mastery reveals itself when the tracks are similar. A trained eye for the small but crucial details is required here.

Case Study 1: Wolf vs. Large Dog

A single paw print can look almost identical. The entire track reveals the truth: the wolf moves extremely energy-efficiently. Its typical gait is the "single-file trot," where the hind paws step exactly into the prints of the front paws.

The result is an almost perfectly straight track. A domestic dog runs more playfully, often in a zigzag; its track is more irregular and wider. Morphologically, the wolf track is also typically more elongated and symmetrical.

Case Study 2: Roe Deer vs. Piglet (young wild boar)

One of the most common confusions. The key characteristic is the dewclaws. In wild boars, the dewclaws are set low and laterally; their imprint is almost always visible and often extends beyond the width of the main hooves.

In roe deer, they are positioned significantly higher and only leave an imprint in very soft ground (or during a rapid flight). The roe deer's track also appears more pointed and heart-shaped, while that of the wild boar piglet is wider and rounder.

Case Study 3: Cat vs. Marten

Martens have five toes, even if not all of them are always visible. Cats only have four on their hind paws.

The most important feature, however, is: Cats retract their claws when walking. Martens cannot do that. So, if you see fine claw marks, it is most likely a marten.

Gender and Age: What we can know (and what we cannot)

Caution is advised here, as some old hunter's wisdom does not stand up to close scrutiny.

Roe Deer (Roe Buck vs. Roe Doe)

The belief that roe bucks have a wider 'cabinet' (the lateral distance of their tracks) is widespread, but demonstrably false. Specialist literature explicitly classifies this characteristic as 'unsuitable'.

Body stature has a much greater influence than gender. A sturdy doe can have a broader chest than a slender yearling buck.

More reliable are territorial signs such as rubbing posts on saplings or pawing spots where the buck strikes the ground with its front legs.

Wild boar (Age estimation of a boar)

Here, the track is much more telling. The life story of a wild boar literally etches itself into its hooves.

A young animal has sharp, pointed hoof edges. An old, heavy boar ("Main Boar") shows clear wear: The edges are blunt and rounded, the tips often curve towards each other.

Because its forequarters are so massive, it regularly places its weaker hind legs slightly offset behind its forelegs when walking calmly. This is called „trailing in the footprint“.

The following table gives you a good orientation to estimate the age of a wild boar based on its track:

Age Class	Track Length (approx.)	Stride Length (approx.)	Hoof Characteristics	Dewclaw Characteristics	Typical Track Pattern
Piglet (AC 0)	3 cm	15–25 cm	Pointed, sharp-edged	Long, pointed	Often in groups (sounder tracks)
Yearling (AC 1)	4–6 cm	25–35 cm	Still relatively pointed, slight wear	Still pointed and long	Forefeet wider than hind feet
Tusker (2–4 years)	6–8 cm	35–45 cm	Clearly worn, becoming blunter	Shorter, blunter	Solitary track possible
Mature Boar (>5 years)	8–11 cm	55–70 cm	Heavily worn, blunt, tips curved towards each other, pads cracked	Blunt, worn	Clear lagging of hind hoof in familiar gait

2. The Fourth Dimension – How Time Changes a Trace

A track is not a rigid image. It is a three-dimensional object in the fourth dimension – time. To learn how old a track is means to understand nature's dialogue with the landscape.

The Lifecycle of a Track: From Creation to Decay

• The Moment of Creation: A very fresh track has maximum edge sharpness. The soil displaced from the footprint can be darker and moister. No leaves, needles, or dust have accumulated in it yet.

• The Process of "Weathering": This English term describes the sum of all natural processes that degrade a track: wind, rain, sun, frost, and simple gravity. Knowing these forces is the basis for age determination.

The interplay of weather and substrate

The speed of aging always depends on the ground (substrate) and the weather.

• Sun/Heat: Dries wet clay, which lightens its color and can lead to cracks. In snow, it accelerates melting, rounds the edges, and visually enlarges the track.

• Wind: Acts like sandpaper. It wears away fine particles, rounds edges in sand or dust, and fills the track with wind-blown material.

• Rain: A heavy rain erases tracks and creates a "clean slate." A track made before the rain will be filled with water and its edges will be eroded by the impact of the raindrops.

• Frost: Frost crystals inside a track are a clear sign: the track was there before the frost.

• Gravity: This constant force causes the steep walls of a track in loose material (sand, dry earth) to slowly collapse over time ("slumping").

Table 2: Effects of weathering on traces in various substrates

Substrate	Sun (6h)	Wind (12h)	Light Rain (30 min)	Frost (overnight)
Dry Sand	No significant change	Edges heavily rounded, track becomes shallower, filled with fine sand	Contours sharpened briefly, then erosion begins	No significant change
Wet Clay	Edges dry and lighten in color, fine cracks may form	Surface dries faster, slight erosion of the edges	Surface becomes soft, details blur, splash marks at the edge	Track freezes hard and is preserved, ice crystals possible
Fresh Snow	Edges melt and round off, track gets larger and loses details	Fine powder snow is blown into the track, edges erode	Snow becomes wet and settles, track loses depth and definition	Surface hardens (crust), frost crystals form in the track
Forest Floor (Leaves)	Ground underneath dries, leaves spring back slightly	Dry leaves are blown into the track, obscuring details	Leaves get wet and are pressed to the ground, track may appear clearer	Frost forms on leaves and ground, preserving the state

Practical Age Determination in the Field

That is pure detective work. You link your observation of the track with your knowledge of the recent weather events.

• Track Analysis: How sharp are the edges? How much dirt is in it?

• Contextual Clues: Are there overlapping tracks? Does a beetle's track run undisturbed through the footprint? Then the deer track is older. Are there leaves in the track? Were they blown in or did the animal step on them?

• The Weather Diary in Your Head: When did it last rain? When was there frost? You compare the condition of the track with this mental timeline.

• A great exercise: Create a "Track Aging Box" – a sandbox where you daily create an artificial trace and document its change. This greatly trains your eye.

3. From Sign to Trail – The Art of Trailing

When perfect imprints become rare, the true art begins. Here, Tracking (the static analysis of signs) and Trailing (the dynamic art of following a trail over long distances) diverge.

Reading between the lines

When clear footprints are missing, the expert relies on the slightest disturbances, which are invisible to the untrained eye.

• Reading "Ghost Scale Sign": These are the most subtle signs.

  • Compressions: Even on hard ground, a foot leaves minimal compressions. Make them visible through "side-heading": bring your head to ground level and look at a low angle against the light. The compressions appear as subtle shadows or shiny spots.

  • Dullings & Shinings: In the early morning, a spot where dew has been wiped away appears as a dull patch (Dulling). Later in the day, a freshly pressed blade of grass can turn its shiny underside towards the sun (Shining). Both are signs of a very recent passage.

• Signs in the Upper Vegetation (Upper Vegetation Sign): An animal always leaves traces above the ground. Bent twigs, scuffed bark, disturbed leaves. The height of the disturbance reveals the size of the animal.

The Tracking Stick: More than just a measuring instrument

The tracking stick is your most important tool. It is not a simple stick, but an instrument to capture and predict the rhythm of the animal.

• Construction and Calibration: On a clear track, you measure the animal's individual gait parameters and mark them with rubber bands on the stick:
  • Length and Width of the footprint.
  • Stride (Step Length): Distance between two consecutive prints of the same foot.
  • Straddle (Track Width): The total width of the track.
  • Pitch: The angle at which the foot is turned outwards or inwards.

Practical Application (The Arc Method): When you lose the trail, the magic begins. You place the stick at the last visible print. Using the measured stride length (Stride) as a radius, you swing the tip of the stick in an arc in the presumed direction of movement. This arc defines the field of highest probability for the next print. You no longer search randomly, but systematically.

4. Osteology – The Messages of the Skulls

An animal skull is one of the most informative signs you can find. It unequivocally tells of the species, diet, and way of life of its former bearer.The dentition as a mirror of nutritionThe dentition is the most direct adaptation to food. Its composition of incisors (Incisivi), canines (Canini), premolars (Prämolaren) and molars (Molaren) is recorded in a dental formula.

• Carnivores: Large, pointed canines (fangs) and molars modified into sharp "carnassial teeth" that act like a pair of scissors (e.g., fox).

• Herbivores: Ruminants like the roe deer have a hardened dental pad ("horny plate") in their upper jaw instead of incisors, and wide molars with enamel ridges that act like millstones. Rodents have their typical, continuously growing incisors, separated from the molars by a large gap ("diastema").

• Omnivores: Wild boar or badgers have versatile dentition. They possess strong canines, incisors, and broad molars with rounded cusps ("bunodont"), which are suitable for both grinding and crushing.

Further Skull Features

• Eye Position (Orbital Position): Forward-facing eyes (predators) enable spatial vision for accurate distance estimation. Eyes positioned laterally on the head (prey animals) offer a wide panoramic field of view for avoiding enemies.
• Muscle Attachment Points: A prominent bone ridge on the skull roof, the "sagittal crest," indicates extremely strong masticatory muscles and high bite force, as found in many canids.

Dietary Type	Typical Dental Features	Example Dental Formula (one half)	Eye Position	Sagittal Crest	Example Species
Carnivore	Large, pointed fangs; sharp-edged carnassial teeth	Upper: I3/C1/P4/M2, Lower: I3/C1/P4/M3	Forward-facing (binocular)	Often pronounced	Red Fox
Ruminant	Upper incisors & canines missing (dental pad); wide, folded molars	Upper: I0/C0/P3/M3, Lower: I3/C1/P3/M3	On the side of the head (panoramic)	Not present	Roe Deer
Omnivore	Combined: Incisors, strong canines, broad molars with cusps	Upper: I3/C1/P4/M3, Lower: I3/C1/P4/M3	Mostly forward-facing	Moderate to not present	Wild Boar

Conclusion: The holistic tracker

You see: All these details – forensic analysis, trace aging, the art of trailing, and osteology – are the building blocks for a deep, holistic understanding.

It's about reading the complex stories that animals write into the landscape. The way there is not through books alone. It requires countless hours outdoors – what we call “dirt time.”

An invaluable tool for this is a track diary: Make sketches, measure the tracks precisely, note your hypotheses, and document the environmental conditions.

Thus, every trip into nature becomes a lesson, and you learn to speak the language of the wilderness more and more fluently.