Resources for the Developing Tracker

Pocket guides for your pack

I don’t leave home without ’em! These are the guides I use for my classes.

• Animal Tracks of the Midwest by Jonathan Poppele (Bookshop, Amazon)
• Bird Tracks: includes 55 North American Species by Jonathan Poppele (Bookshop, Amazon)

Minnesota Wildlife Tracking Project

Our community of volunteer trackers runs a monthly free tracking club, regularly facilitates workshops and surveys with Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve and the University of Minnesota College of Biological Sciences, and frequently hosts Cybertracker Track & Sign and Trailing Certifications in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Sign up for the monthly newsletter here.

Resources & Further References

Bookmark these webpages for future tracking questions:

• Jonah Evans’ Nature Tracking and iTrack app (free & $15 Pro)
• Kim Cabrera’s Animal Tracks Den
• Feather Base
• US Fish & Wildlife Service Feather Atlas
• Tracker Certification North America: offers free Tracker Tuesday talks as well as certification opportunities from master teachers across the country

These are highlights of my tracking reference shelf. I often pull these down to read more after a morning in the field. 

• Mammal Tracks & Sign: A Guide to North American Species, 2nd Ed by Mark Elbroch & Casey McFarland (Bookshop, Amazon)

Online Tracking Courses

• Original Wisdom’s Tracker Mentoring Course: online course teaching foundational tracking skills
• Southwest Online Tracker Training: online course teaching foundations of tracking for Southwest desert ecosystems

This social network of naturalists, citizen scientists, and biologists is designed to map and share observations of biodiversity across the globe.

View Kirsten’s observations » North American Animal Tracks Database Minnesota Wildlife Tracking Project Want to create your own account to share track photos & get ID help? Start here.