Winter Tracking: Nature’s Story in the Snow
Winter has arrived in much of northern Turtle Island, and the landscape has transformed, blanketed in snow that both conceals and reveals. This season provides an ideal backdrop for learning the ancient art of wildlife tracking. Snow is a blank canvas where animals leave stories written in their footprints, trails, and other subtle signs. For those new to tracking, winter offers a unique opportunity to see animal behaviors and habits clearly, almost like flipping through the pages of a well-worn book. Yet, tracking goes beyond identifying footprints; it involves reading the landscape and uncovering the history of movement on the land.
Tracking in winter opens a world of connection and discovery, inviting us to experience a deeper understanding of nature's rhythms. Let’s explore the intricacies of winter tracking and learn why this season is an invitation to connect with the landscape.
Why Winter is an Ideal Time to Learn Tracking
Tracking can be practiced year-round, but winter offers advantages that make it particularly appealing for beginners. Snow provides a blank canvas, preserving footprints and other signs longer than dirt or forest floors, where wind, rain, and foot traffic quickly erase an animal's tracks. In winter, tracks can remain visible for days, offering ample time for study and observation. Snow also records more than footprints—it captures slides, scrambles, and wingbeats that add depth to the story.
Fresh snow acts as a natural whiteboard, instantly capturing each movement made on its surface. The clarity of tracks and patterns left in the snow makes it easy to distinguish between recent activity and older signs, as fresh tracks are more defined, while older ones soften and blur with time or melting snow. This time-stamping aspect of snow allows trackers to determine the type of animal and often when it passed by, whether it was traveling alone, and how it responded to its surroundings.
With each snowfall, the canvas is erased and reset, offering new clues and a renewed chance to learn. While many animals leave tracks year-round, winter often brings wildlife into closer proximity with humans as they seek food and shelter, increasing the chances of finding signs in accessible places.
Going Beyond Footprints
Tracking isn’t just about following "sign", or footprints on the ground; it’s about reading the subtle messages animals leave behind. A skilled tracker can learn to see beyond the tracks themselves, discerning the intentions, emotions, and interactions of wildlife. Each sign is a thread in the fabric of the landscape’s story, revealing not just where animals have been but what they were doing and how they navigate their world.
When you spot tracks in the snow, they’re often just the beginning, the first line in a story, or the end of a long string left on the land. To understand what they reveal, consider the larger context. Where are the tracks heading? What kind of terrain are they moving through? Do the tracks suggest curiosity, a search for food, or escaping a predator? Tracking invites us to go beyond identification and enter a space of interpretation, where we can understand why the animal was there and what it was doing.
As you study a set of tracks, pay attention to their direction, depth, and spacing changes. Look for nearby signs that add to the picture: broken twigs, rubbed-off tree bark, or disturbed vegetation (nothing is too small or insignificant). For example, a rabbit’s tracks leading to a patch of chewed bark tell a story of feeding behavior, while a series of shallow, meandering steps by a fox might indicate a relaxed exploration.
Recognizing these behavioral cues turns a simple footprint into a living portrait of survival, curiosity, and instinct.
Movement as a Language
Wildlife tracking reveals how animals move through their environment, offering insight into their survival strategies, habits, and daily routines. Tracks are not isolated marks on the ground; they form trails that tell stories. A fox’s direct path across an open field, with minimal stops, suggests focus, perhaps the pursuit of prey or evasion of a predator. In contrast, a deer’s careful, cautious steps near a water source indicate alertness, as an animal is on high guard against predators.
Some animals leave complex trails that indicate playfulness or curiosity, while others show signs of intense focus while hunting or an urgent escape. A skilled tracker learns to distinguish between these different behaviors, sensing whether an animal is relaxed, cautious, or experiencing sudden fear. By following an animal's trail, you can gain insight into its individual personality, preferences, and survival instincts—almost as if you were spending time with it.
Tracks in Snow: Key Species
While tracking involves a holistic approach, learning to identify common animal tracks is a fundamental skill and a great place to start. In winter, certain animals are more active and easier to observe. Here’s a look at some frequent winter visitors and how to recognize their tracks:
Deer (Cervidae family)
Deer tracks are among the most common in many regions and are easily identifiable by their distinct, heart-shaped hoof prints. Their tracks appear as pairs of pointed marks, often forming a direct line as they walk. In winter, deer often move along established trails to conserve energy. Look for patterns where deer gather for food like areas with stripped bark or patches of ground pawed clear of snow.
Rabbits and Hares (Leporidae family)
Rabbits and hares leave a unique “Y”-shaped track, with their larger hind paws landing ahead of the smaller front paws as they hop. This bounding pattern helps them navigate open ground quickly to avoid predators. Rabbit tracks often lead to areas with cover, such as shrubs, bushes, or hollow logs, where they forage for food and hide.
Fox and Coyotes (Canidae family)
Fox and coyote tracks can appear similar at first glance, but there are subtle differences. Fox tracks tend to be smaller and often include signs of tail drag in snow, while coyotes leave larger, more prominent prints. Both animals use a “direct-register” gait in deep snow, where each hind foot steps into the print of the front foot, reducing drag and allowing them to conserve energy.
Squirrels (Sciuridae family)
Squirrel tracks form a bounding pattern, often leading from one tree to another. They are wide and feature larger hind paw prints in front, with smaller forepaw prints behind. In winter, tracks left by squirrels can reveal an interesting story of their foraging as they dig through the snow in search of hidden caches of acorns and other nuts.
Honing Your Observational Skills
Winter tracking also involves learning to recognize non-track signs. In a snowy landscape, animals leave behind more than footprints, and understanding these clues is essential for a well-rounded tracking experience.
Scat: A Sign of Diet and Presence
Scat, or animal droppings, offers valuable information about an animal’s diet and recent activities. In winter, scat often stands out against the snow and is easier to identify and study. Fox scat, for example, often contains bits of fur and bones, while deer scat resembles clusters of small, dark pellets. Observing scat near a set of tracks can help confirm which species you’re tracking, giving you further insight into its diet and health.
Browsing and Chewing Marks
Winter forces many herbivores to rely on tree bark and twigs as primary food sources. You can often identify animal presence by observing bite marks on shrubs, trees, and exposed roots. For instance, deer frequently browse on woody plants, leaving clean bite marks, while rabbits leave smaller, sharper cuts. These browsing patterns reveal dietary habits and survival strategies.
Tree and Ground Markings
Animals sometimes leave marks on trees and the ground as part of their territory-marking behaviors. Scratches on a tree, for instance, can be left by a bear sharpening its claws, while territorial markings from animals like coyotes often include scent marks along trails. While not always obvious, these signs add depth to the tracking experience, hinting at interactions among animals within a shared territory.
Patience and Deepening Observation Skills
Tracking in winter requires patience, awareness, and a willingness to slow down. Unlike fast-paced hikes, tracking invites you to move gently upon the land, pausing often to observe and interpret signs. You might spend several minutes examining a single print, noting its shape, depth, and orientation. The more time you spend in this stillness, the more your senses sharpen, helping you see nuances that would otherwise go unnoticed.
Try implementing a sit spot* in areas with visible tracks to hone your observation skills. A sit spot is a place where you sit quietly and observe the landscape around you. Here, you can watch animal behavior unfolding, noting how they interact with each other and their surroundings. Over time, you’ll develop a natural sensitivity to subtle movements and sounds, enhancing your ability to track and understand wildlife.
*The Sit Spot exercise is included in our field guides, Wild Edibles: Vol 1 and Primal Awareness: Earth as Teacher.
Tracking as a Practice of Connection
Winter tracking goes beyond technical skills; it becomes a practice of connecting with the natural world on an intimate level. When you track an animal, you step into its world, learning to see through its eyes and walk its path. You begin to understand its daily challenges, habits, preferences, and resilience. Tracking is an invitation to empathize with other species, fostering respect and awe for the lives they lead.
As you practice, you may find that tracking becomes a form of meditation, bringing you closer to the rhythms of the land. The quiet of winter, combined with the focus required for tracking, invites reflection and mindfulness. Tracking connects us to the ancient human practice of moving through nature with curiosity and reverence.
Practical Tips for Beginning Winter Tracking
If you’re ready to start your journey into winter tracking, here are some tips to get you going:
Start Small: Begin in areas where you’re likely to find tracks, like near rivers, trails, or fields. Observing familiar areas can also help you notice changes and identify new signs.
Bring the Right Gear: Staying warm is essential in winter. Layer up, wear waterproof boots, and bring a notebook and pencil to sketch or jot down observations.
Practice Identification: Use a guidebook or app to help you learn to identify common animal tracks. Take photos of tracks and compare them with resources for practice.
Take Your Time: Tracking is about observing, not rushing. Spend time with each track or sign, examining it from different angles and perspectives.
Stay Safe and Aware: Always keep an eye on weather conditions and be mindful of your surroundings, as winter tracking can lead to encounters with wildlife or unpredictable terrain.
Winter wildlife tracking is both a skill and an art. It offers a window into the intricate lives of animals and a means to deepen our bond with the land. Each track, trail, and sign reminds us of nature’s resilience, creativity, and constant movement. It invites us to step into the stories etched in snow and carry forward the age-old tradition of tracking with gratitude and respect.
Zak Baker founded Bushlore Press, a publishing company rooted in Earth-based wisdom and ancestral skills. With over 25 years of experience as an outdoor skills instructor, author, and naturalist, he has shared his knowledge with diverse groups, including the Sierra Club, USGS, the State of Utah, and countless students. He has received traditional teachings from indigenous elders and is a certified Master Herbalist, Backcountry Guide, Wilderness First Responder, and Wilderness Quest facilitator. Zak's passions include ethnobotany, Earth-based ceremony and cosmology, and ancestral skills. He resides with his family near the Rocky Mountains of Utah, where they live deeply connected to the land.
