Dawson Trail Dispatch, written by Norm Gregoire, January 2025
Page 17 https://issuu.com/dispatch222/docs/dawson_trail_dispatch_january_2025
Spending time outdoors has always been where I am happiest. Whatever I am doing outdoors, it is always made more memorable when wildlife is encountered. Whether that is welcoming back golden-winged warblers while birdwatching in the spring, sharing a blueberry patch with a black bear, or having a beaver slap its tail down in alarm while paddling a canoe, these small encounters make the outdoor experience more special. If I were to guess the percent of outdoor activities in which you get to experience these awesome encounters with wildlife, it would be very low. That’s the thing with wildlife; you know it is around, but unless you are lucky, you may not actually see it. I suppose the idea of wildlife being around and not seeing it was the main reason I became a self-taught wildlife tracker. Becoming familiar with animal tracks and sign has opened a whole new perspective on what is happening in these wild spaces we visit before we get there.
There are some fundamentals for learning how to track wildlife, but for me, a key skill to learn is to know the habits of what species are in your area. This includes what they eat, where they drink, and where they take shelter. Knowing this before you head into an area will already narrow down the options of what animal it is when you find sign.
Now when you find a track, how much detail you would like to get from it is up to you. Most Manitobans will recognize a white-tailed deer track immediately. Spend a few seconds looking at it, and you can determine the direction of travel. With more time spent and maybe with some quick measurements of the track and observing the gait (manner of walking), you may be able to determine an approximate age or size of the deer. Now follow the trail for a while. If you follow the trail to a tree that has been rubbed on so the bark is torn off, you can determine that this deer is most likely a buck and is in the rut, which is the period of breeding in deer. This leads to the next step of tracking, which is referred to as reading animal sign.
Animal sign is something that tells you the animal was there that is not a track. This could be a buck scrape, scat, nest, or day bed; a browse area where something was eaten; or even the remnants of an animal, like a shed antler or feather. I sometimes find a sign more interesting than a track, as it can be where real action has taken place.
The stories that we read while tracking wildlife allow you to be more in touch with the outdoors, and deeper connections can be formed when you understand what is happening around you. We are fortunate in southeastern Manitoba to have wild areas to explore, like the tall-grass prairie, and I would say that the most important part about learning to track is to get outside.
Adventures with Nature Norm
Winter is the best time of year to track wildlife. If you are interested in learning more about this skill, please join me for an introduction to wildlife tracking and how to read animal signs on January 18th at the Agassiz Interpretive Trail in the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve. Snowshoes will be provided if needed, adult sizes only. If you require youth sizes, please contact me beforehand. For more information on this free event, email info@sharedlegacymb.ca. Hope to see you there!