For our Junior's (Teens) and beginers to the Wilds: Leave No Sign
While they are made fun of by a lot of kids and adults, the Boy Scouts teach the basics of what one needs to survive in the wilds, here is what they say on Leava No Sign, a motto all should adhere to and practice everytime you go into the woods. Most wildlife can adapt to consistent patterns of human activity, but it's best to learn about wildlife through quiet observation.
Do not approach or follow wildlife for a "better look." Carry binoculars, a spotting scope, or a telephoto lens to view and photograph wildlife from observation areas and trails. Observe wildlife from a distance so they are not scared or forced to flee. You are too close if your presence or actions cause wildlife to alter their normal habits. Large groups often cause more damage to the environment and can disturb wildlife, so keep your group small. If you have a larger group, minimize your impact by dividing into smaller groups if possible. Plan your trip to avoid critical or sensitive wildlife habitats or times when wildlife are nesting and rearing their young. Quick movements and loud noises are stressful to animals. Travel quietly and do not pursue, feed, or force animals to flee. (One exception is in bear country, where it is good to make a little noise so as not to startle the bears.) In hot or cold weather, disturbance can affect an animal's ability to withstand the rigorous environment. Do not touch, get close to, feed, or pick up wild animals. It is stressful to the animal, and it is possible that the animal may harbor rabies or other diseases. Sick or wounded animals may bite, peck, or scratch and send you to the hospital. If you find sick animals or animals in trouble, notify a game warden.
Considerate campers observe wildfire from afar, give animals a wide berth, store food securely, and keep garbage and food scraps away from animals. Leave young animals alone and remain at a distance from nesting birds, denning animals, and newborn animals. Young animals removed or touched by well-meaning people may cause the animals' parents to abandon their young. Remember that you are a visitor to their home. Never feed wildlife or allow them to obtain human food, even scraps. Wildlife that obtain human food become nuisance animals that are often killed by cars, dogs, or predators because they left the safety and cover of their normal habitat. Such animals often get into human trash, eating things such as plastic food wrappers, which can become trapped and clog their digestive systems. Human food also is not nutritious for wildlife and can cause tooth decay, gum infection, and ulcers. The chance of survival is slim when wardens must be called in to trap and relocate a bear or deer.
Allow animals free access to water sources by giving them the buffer space they need to feel secure. Ideally, camps should be located at least 200 feet or more from existing water sources. This will minimize disturbance to wildlife and help ensure that animals have access to their precious drinking water.
With limited water in arid lands, desert travelers must strive to reduce their impact on the animals struggling for survival. Desert dwellers are usually most active after dark; you will be less likely to frighten them by avoiding water holes at night. Washing and human waste disposal must be done carefully so the environment is not polluted and so animals and aquatic life are not injured. While swimming in lakes or streams is fine in most instances, in desert areas, leave scarce water holes undisturbed and unpolluted so animals may drink from them.
TRACKING
Following the tracks of an animal can teach you much about what it eats, where it sleeps, and its daily habits. Your tracking skill may lead you right to the animal itself
Tracking is not limited to following mammals
Insects leave tracks, too. So do reptiles. You can spend an hour of careful tracking and not move more than a few feet. In fact, if you can track a beetle through the jungles of a grassy lawn, you probably have the skill to track larger animals across any terrain.
Tracking is a skill... that you can learn only by doing a lot of it. You can learn in your own yard, vacant lots, fields, and forests. The following guidelines will help you get started:
First, find some tracks!
You must find some tracks before you can follow them. Winter snows hold a surprising number of tracks. During other seasons, try the soft soil near ponds and streams. In dry country, scan the dust for prints and look for pebbles and rocks that have been disturbed.
Study a single track
Get down on your hands and knees to study the shape of the track you wish to follow. Fix its details in your mind. You might even measure it and make a sketch of it. That will help you find it later, even when other tracks are mixed in with it. Use a tracking guide to identify the tracks, and the animal that made them.
Track early or late
Tracking is easiest early in the morning and late in the day, when shadows cast in the prints make them more obvious.
Look for more than just the prints
As you follow a trail of tracks, keep your eyes peeled for other evidence of the animal. Bent grass, broken twigs, and displaced pebbles help you see the animal's path. Watch for places where the animal has scratched or rubbed against trees or rocks.
Droppings
Animal dropings or 'scat' give evidence of an animal's diet. Break scat apart with a stick. Hulls of seeds, skins of berries, and bits of leaves suggest the animal is a vegetarian. Small bones, fur, and feathers appear in the scat of meat eaters. Scat tends to dry from the outside in. If it is completely dry, you know the animal passed by some time ago. Moist scat was left more recently. The animal may be near.
Imagine yourself in the place of the animal
If you lose the trail, ask your self where you would go if you were the animal. Look in that direction. Mark the last track with a stick, then explore all around it until you find the trail again.
Notice important landmarks as you proceed
Don't become so interested in following a trail that you get lost. Be alert to your surroundings. Notice and remember landmarks that will guide you back to your starting point.
Don't disturb human artifacts
Over the centuries, humans have left traces of their passing. You may be fortunate enough to discover an arrowhead, broken pottery, or other artifacts of earlier cultures. If so, let them lie where you find them. Note the location very well and draw a map so you can find the spot again. Then alert local authorities. They will know if archaeologists should examine the site. The position in which artifacts are found can tell scientists a great deal about the people who made and used them. That's why it is important not to disturb them.
COLLECTING TRACKS
Perhaps you've heard the old saying about low-impact hiking: "Take only photographs, leave only footprints." By making plaster casts, you can bring home some footprints, too.
When you find a track you want to preserve, mix up some plaster of paris. (You can get the plaster at a drugstore. The label will have mixing instructions.) Turn a cardboard strip into a collar by notching the ends together. Place the collar around the track and pour in the mix. Let it harden 10 to 15 minutes in warm weather. Remove it and brush off the dirt. On the back of the cast, write the date and the location where you found the track. You can also cast plaster molds of tracks in the snow. In addition to plaster of paris, you'll need a mist bottle such as those used with window cleaner. Spray the track with a fine mist of water and wait a few moments while it freezes. Mix the plaster using cold water (warm plaster will melt the print). Put a collar around the track and pour in plaster. Allow it time to harden.
By themselves, casts of prints are fine souvenirs of your adventures. You can also press them into damp sand to recreate the original prints - a valuable study aid for improving the tracking skills of everyone in your patrol.
