fundamentals of wildlife tracking
“We will be known forever by the tracks we leave”
– Native American Proverb
event Profile
Date
26-30 July 2026
price
£165-£250-£330
Location
Dartmoor
EVENT TYPE
tracking camp
Age Range
Adults/teens
Overview
Have you ever stepped over a track in the mud, seen a pile of scat on the ground or a scratch on a tree and wondered who made it and what it was up to? Have you ever wanted to learn how to read the landscape for signs of wildlife? Join Wildwise to learn about the fundamentals of the art and science of wildlife tracking and trailing with an expert tracking teacher. Through a combination of class time and field time, you will become grounded in the context for what wildlife tracking is, and particularly how it is relevant to a variety of people: from wildlife scientists, to conservationists, to educators, or simply for people who want to be more connected to the natural world in the places that they live. Wildlife tracking offers a holistic ecological window into the happenings of the living world around us. By becoming aware of wildlife that live in our backyards, the world around us will take on a completely different feel.
In this course, you will gain the skillset to start, or to continue, exploring the vast world of exploring the tracks and signs left behind by animals making a life on the planet. We will cover:
- Natural history, taxonomy and wildlife of the region
- Basic wildlife foot morphology
- Clear print identification
- Behavior and wildlife sign interpretation
- Track aging
- How wildlife interacts with landscapes
- The fundamentals of following animal trails
- And perhaps most importantly, the art of inquiry and engaging curiosity
While we will have a course structure to follow, every tracking experience is unique. We will follow the curiosity of the students who show up as well as the tracks and trails of the animals we come across. While this course is geared towards people closer to the beginning of their tracking journey, we will find ways to stimulate even experienced trackers. If you consider yourself a very experienced tracker, then this course may not be the best fit for you. Participants will leave this course looking at the ground in a completely different way with the tools to continue to develop themselves as connected naturalists who can read the stories left behind by the living world.
Timings: 2pm start on day 1 to 4pm finish on day 3
Cost: £165 / £250 / £330 (donation sliding scale) – see advice on suggested fees in How to Book below.
What's Included
- Wildlife & nature education
- Tracking instruction & practice
- Lecture, presentation & time in the field
- Dinner & breakfasts
- Refreshments
- Nature immersion and time away from devices
Essential Information
Marcus Reynerson
Marcus is a naturalist, educator, facilitator, photographer and filmmaker. He has worked in wilderness education, outdoor leadership, and conservation for numerous organizations and communities across North America, Europe, and Africa. He is engaged in telling stories that bring to light and life, the complexity of humans living in the 21st century and also is excited to support others in learning about the natural world. Marcus currently lives splitting his time between the Snoqualmie Valley in Washington State, just east of Seattle and the Louisville, Kentucky region. Until recently, he served for 18 years as the Lead Instructor for an internationally renowned environmental leadership program for adults at the Wilderness Awareness School in Duvall, WA, and he is currently an evaluator with CyberTracker Conservation and Tracker Certification North America, an organization dedicated to providing leading edge assessment and training in the art and science of wildlife tracking across the globe.
Full joining instructions, including a kit list, will be sent out after booking once the event fills and is confirmed.
In summary you will need to bring:
- a tent and sleeping gear (sleeping bag/mat/blanket/pillow) NB Tents may be hired on request
- any food for special diets (beyond vegetarian/vegan preferences or gluten & dairy free requests)
- any snacks/luxury foods
- lantern / torch with spare batteries
- notebook & pen
- something to sit on around camp fire (optional)
This event is held at a beautiful and very special wild woodland site on Dartmoor which is completely off grid, such that there is no mains fed running water or electricity. We do provide water on site however and there is access to a woodland stream. We also provide access to portable rigged woodland shower on request.
We recommend, to get the most out of this experience, to leave devices behind but if essential suggest you bring either a portable battery or else solar powered chargers for that purpose. Note however signal in this area is patchy.
The venue – Moor Barton woods – is a private woodland site on Dartmoor. The wood can be reached from the B3212 between Exeter and Moretonhampstead or the A382 between Bovey Tracey and Moretonhampstead. The approximate location is shown below on the map.
You can also view the What3words location slack.coast.truth online.
Full joining instructions including directions will be emailed to you after booking once the event is confirmed.
We provide dinners & breakfasts. You will need to bring food for lunches.
Note: We can cater for most common diets including vegetarian, vegan, gluten free etc. You will need to bring food for any other special diets and may wish to supplement what’s available by bringing luxury foods and/or snacks.
Hot and cold refreshments are also available throughout the day.
To register your interest please complete a booking enquiry form here.
Info on Fees:
Tier 1: Supported – £165 – For those with limited access to financial resources. Choose this tier if you:
- Have difficulty meeting basic needs
- Are a student, unemployed, or receiving benefits
- Would not be able to participate otherwise
Tier 2: Standard – £250 – choose this tier if you:
- Can meet your basic needs comfortably
- Have some expendable income
- Want to support the sustainability of this project
Tier 3: Supporter – £330 – for those with greater financial capacity. Choose this tier if you:
- Have access to savings or higher income
- Own property or travel for leisure
- Wish to support others in accessing this at lower rates
Before booking please note our cancellation terms for this event: fees are non-refundable. We are unable to offer a credit or refund if you decide to cancel at any point or under any circumstances