CASEY MCFARLAND
Wildlife Tracking
Custom Training and Courses
Casey also provides a variety of courses on wildlife tracking, ecology, and bird related subjects, as well as backcountry expeditions that can be customized for groups or organizations depending on their interests or needs. Contact Casey for details.
Track and Sign
-
Earth Reader: Track & Sign Basics
A comprehensive introduction to the track and sign of mammals, birds, reptiles/amphibians, and insects on your local landscape. Explore wildlife design, movement and gaits, wildlife behavior and natural history, track aging and more.
-
Wildlife Specific Track & Sign
Spend a day (or two) exploring track, sign and behavior of specific species. Locate habitual marking trails, bedding areas, scrape sites, wallows, rubs, marking trees, nursery trees, feeding zones, scat, etc, to learn about landscape use, behavior, remote camera set-up and more.
*Because bears and lions are hunted across the west, a course that involves locating core areas of individuals on the landscape is reserved only for participants involved in in research, monitoring, and conversation efforts, or those I've worked with before.
-
The Animal-Landscape Puzzle: Scouting
Explore the world as our species did for so long-- not simply as hunters, but as humans that valued, respected, and most importantly, constantly learned from the various "traditions", or behaviors, of different animals. Whether one wants to hunt for meat or for knowledge, we'll learn to piece together terrain to better understand animal whereabouts/movements by studying trails, age and placement of tracks, bedding and feeding areas, and landscape use. For budding hunters, wildlife photographers, and biologists working in research involving remote cameras.
Trailing
-
Trailing Fundamentals
A one or two day course covering all the essentials in good trailing practice: looking well ahead, recognizing subtle sign, moving smoothly, alertness, stealth, etc. Trails followed are divided between human and animal made to establish good methods for following and approach.
-
Recovery: Increase the Odds
Learn trailing methods that not only help to stay on subtle or difficult track, but that apply to faint blood trails. This course is built upon the primary techniques covered in other trailing courses, but introduces simulated blood trails to help hone the practice.
-
Tracking and the Mind of the Hunter Gatherer
An intensive backcountry week of tracking and trailing, with each day spent searching out and following the fresh trails of moose, elk, bear, or other large animals. Long hours of persistently staying on a string of tracks dramatically develops one’s understanding of wildlife, effective trailing methodology, sign interpretation, stealth, and the ability to assess landscapes for animal whereabouts. Nights around the fire are spent reflecting on our days, on trailing skill, on animals, and on how these practices deeply change us.
-
Persistence
This course is a one of a kind, game-changing trailing experience, only for skilled trackers with many hours of field time. This event is designed to wear out and wear down the tracker's over-thinking mind to allow for a semi-trance state that following for great distances facilitates. Being “on trail” for long hours erodes away the fumbling and mental chatter that are obstacles to good flow. With a light-weight overnight pack you’ll follow a pre-laid human trail for 8-10 miles across country. This course will completely transform your trailing fabric.