Tracking Resources-Atlantic Coast

Humans do not levitate.  A tracker of humans must first realize that anywhere a person goes, they leave evidence of their passing.  Trackers call this sign.  Foot or shoe prints are just one type of sign.  First we look for anything (sign) that shows us a human has passed through an area.  Then we try to establish, what things about the sign do we recognize as being particular to a singular person or the sign maker's characteristics.   With information, it's a process of elimination.  Do these signmaker characteristics match the subject were looking for.

Tracking Notable Quotes!

“No doubt to you it appeared a mere trampling line of slush, but to my trained eyes every mark upon its surface had a meaning.”

Sherlock Holmes, “A Study in Scarlet:

“You didn’t jump from your mother’s womb to running a race, and neither can you expect to be a tracker after one day with me.”

Ab Taylor, “Fundamentals of Mantracking”

“No matter how long it takes, you are not making progress unless one team is on the last known track looking for the next.  Without a Step-by-Step team giving direction, all other methods of locating sign are like sailing a ship without a rudder; to achieve your goal, you have to be the luckiest son-of-a-bitch in the world.”

Ab Taylor, “Fundamentals of Mantracking”

“Much of our current awareness of tracking derives from Hollywood’s romantic versiuons of the winning of the West.”

Jack Kearney, “Tracking: A Blueprint For Learning How”

"Tracking can be a great aid to any investigation because it is an outstanding information gathering process.  Tracks are clues, and they are by far the most plentiful type of clue that a lost person or law violator will leave behind.  To the eye of an expert tracker, a bit of evidence will appear just about every place that the person he is seeking has moved.  In ideal circumstances this means a clue just about every 18 to 20 inches.”

Jack Kearney, “Tracking: A Blueprint For Learning How”

 "What is not looked for, will not be found!"

William Bodziak



“A tracker does not go somewhere to track, but tracks everywhere he goes.”

Joel Hardin

“The foundation of tracking knowledge and skill development is first, the belief that anyone who walks about leaves physical evidence of their presence or passage, and second, that training equips trackers to see this evidence that others look at and do not recognize.  Trackers who are not able to see sign with understanding are unable to track. Recognizing the evidence of human sign and understanding what one sees, is the foundation to tracking.”

Joel Hardin,  “JHPTS Basic Tracker Training Manual”

 "Even a blind mouse finds the cheese once in a while."

 Joel Hardin

“If you always do what you’ve always done, then you will always be what you’ve always been.”

 Joel Hardin

What trackers do...

The photograph of the shoeprint shown above is a classic "gimmie."  A perfect print that allows the tracker to identify a specific individual.

However, that is not the case 99% of the time.  The tracker more often faces the task of identifying small compressions or scuffs in their tracking line.  And that's all they get.  Now, what do you do?

LOCATE - IDENTIFY - FOLLOW

 The tracker's main objectives are:

1) to find that "first track", the starting point of the subject;

Upon finding that "first track," the tracker must determine if the sign found, is the:

           RIGHT:      

Time, Age, Place, Size, Shape, Composition, Tread Pattern and Behavior

2) determine the direction of travel. By doing so, the tracker assists search command to narrow the focus of the search efforts.

Gaining a factual understandiong of the sign maker, will verify the tracker is now upon the tracks or sign of the person or subject they are looking for.

Once the correct sign and direction of travel have been determined, the tracking resources will follow the sign...

STEP-BY-STEP

... until the mission has been resolved or as much information has been gathered as is possible.

It sounds simple in theory, but tracking is often very complicated and consuming of both time and effort.  However, tracking has proven itself time and again, as a reliable and beneficial resource in the Search and Recue, Law Enforcement and Military communities.