Customer Reviews

Tracking and the Art of Seeing: How to Read Animal Tracks and Sign

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Understanding elusive animals is a bit like being a detective: all you have are the clues they've left behind. As a professional ecologist, I heartily recommend "Tracking and the art of seeing" to anyone interested in the outdoors. Paul (and Paulette!) have created a marvelous contribution to both science and art. I especially appreciate Paul's emphasis on using all of your senses effectively, which is the most difficult skill to master.

Sounds like a 5 star review so far, right? Unfortunately, I feel compelled to warn those who live west of the Mississippi that Paul does not discuss some of the West's most noteworthy animals, including mule deer, bighorn sheep (he does discuss Dall sheep), pronghorn, prairie dogs, badgers, and so on. Likewise, Paul does not include domestic cattle, sheep, goats, and horses, although I've discovered that novices can often mistake these for wild ungulates.

Nevertheless, "Tracking and the art of seeing" is a wonderful example of what an outdoor reference can be: a source of both information and inspiration. It deserves an honored place on your shelf, or in your pack!

This is a truly magnificent tracking book. The book has no pseudo-spiritual dribble about tracking ants across rocks or pressure points; it is full of useful information, and it is clear that the author is as genuine of an expert naturalist as they get. He shares an incredible wealth of information on how to examine and analyze the wilderness from a microcosmic level. The photography is outstanding and the descriptions of animal signs are excellent. Being a survival instructor, I have read many fine books on tracking animals and observing their signs, but I have never read one that I learned more from than this one.

I own the first edition of this book, which I consider to be a wonderful resource not just for reading tracks, but to learn about the animals in general. I refer to the book quite often at work ( I work as an interpretive naturalist at a state recreation area) and bought a copy to keep at home as well. The excellent photographs alone make this book a real keeper.

I used this as the science text for my homeschooled 11 year old. There is a ton of information on animal habits, tracks, diet, etc..It's been a lot of fun to go on a walk in the forest to track deer or determine what kind of animal has been eating at shrubs and trees. This book covers in detail what it means to be serious about animal study. Not too many other books out there that go into the detail this one does on animal scat!!Although there are many impressive pictures, it's not just a "cute animal picture" book. The need for conservation of land and habitats is implicit with this book. This was a welcome change from the almost "anti-human" bias many books dealing with an aspect of the environment take. This is a great book to take hiking, camping, or in the field.

Paul Rezendes brings to life and makes possible the intimate experiences of wildlife interaction. This book has allowed me to track such elusive wildlife as black bear, moose, and timberwolves. As a Native American, I was pleased to read and experience the same intimate interactions with nature that my ancestors once experienced. The detailed descriptions of individual tracks and the explanations of the differences between similar tracks has proven a great assistance while on my own expeditions. This book also contains the most important element necessary for successful tracking which most fail to provide - pictures. The impressive photography clearly provides undeniable evidence of Paul Rezendes actual expertise in his field of practice. I highly recommend this book to all trackers - from novice to expert.

I do a lot of tracking, both animal and human. I have read most books on the subject in print. This book is excellent for the beginner and expert and focuses on animal tracking. Rezendez helps the tracker learn both the animals track characteristics and its living habits. If I had to recommend only one book on tracking, this would be it, hands down.

This book provides an excellent introduction to reading animal tracks. In the first chapter the author explains why we should try to understand the tracks around us in the forest, and what we might see. He then delves into the kinds of observations we need to make, such as trail widths and trail patterns and scat. The rest of the book is divided into chapters by animal family, including chapters for rodents, rabbits, weasels, dogs, cats, bears, and hoofed animals. There is also an extensive bibliography and index.

Each chapter is comprised of short articles about the specifics of tracking the individual animals that make up the family covered in the chapter. Rezendes provides a short informative description of the animal with a color photograph. The descriptions cover behavior, range, and diet. Rezendes also includes black and white photos of the animal's feet, both front and back. The next section of the article covers tracks and trail patterns, and it includes illustrations or diagrams, photographs, and typical trail width and stride measurements, as well as a lot of information to help you sort out this critter's tracks from all the others out there. He also includes short sections on signs, such as dens, food caches, kill sites, and scat, also with photographs or illustrations.

I purchased this book after moving out into the country because I wanted to identify the critters that visited at night leaving their tracks in the snow around our house. I found Rezendes' approach captivating and easy to understand, even as a beginner. Rezendes explains how tracks can tell us much more than just the identity of an animal- -through a careful study of tracks, you can determine how fast the animal was moving, whether it was browsing, being chased, or chasing another. This book is a highly informative reference; it's also a delightful read on a blustery winter afternoon.

Excellent, easy to read and understand. Photos Photos Photos! Unlike other tracking books that rely on sketches, this puppy is packed with photos. Photos of actual paws, tracks, sign, and scat galore! Don't hesitate...this one it the essential guide.

Absolutely the best tracking book your money can buy- the illustrations of different gait patterns are superb. The only thing I would like to see more of is his techniques for measuring stride, sraddle, etc. This is the single instance in which Halfpenny's book is superior to this one.

Detailed accounts of wildlife encounters. Personal stories put you in the shoes of the tracker. Great pictures and examples of animals and their tracks. Easy to read, loaded with information. A must have for field work.