Learn how to track animals by reading footprints, trails, droppings, and feeding signs. A simple, step-by-step guide for beginners learning to hunt in the wild.

How to Track Game in the Wild

Tracking is one of the oldest—and most useful—skills a hunter can learn. Before modern tools or technology, humans relied entirely on reading the signs nature left behind. Every print, broken twig, or half-eaten plant tells a story.

If you can learn to spot and understand those clues, you’ll not only find more game but also gain a deeper understanding of how animals move, rest, and feed.

This beginner’s guide breaks down how to track game using footprints, trails, droppings, and feeding marks—the simple signs that tell you who was here, when, and where they went.

Step 1: Start with Fresh Eyes (and Fresh Signs)

When you’re just starting out, the trick isn’t finding any tracks—it’s finding fresh ones.
Older tracks can mislead you, sending you hours behind your prey instead of minutes.

Look for these indicators of fresh activity:

Moist soil around tracks instead of dry, crumbling edges
Wet or shiny droppings instead of hard, cracked ones
Bent or green grass rather than brown or brittle stems
Clear imprints that haven’t been filled by leaves or rain

If you’re unsure, compare several sets. Older prints will look weathered, while newer ones still hold sharp edges and defined shapes.

Step 2: Understanding the Basics of a Track

Before you try to name what made the print, take a minute to study it. Every good tracker starts with observation.

Look for:

Shape: Is it a paw, hoof, or a unique pattern like bird claws?
Size: Measure it roughly with your finger width or knife blade.
Number of Toes: This instantly separates cats, dogs, and small mammals.
Claw Marks: Visible claws mean canines or raccoons. No claws usually means cats.
Stride: The distance between tracks tells you how fast the animal was moving.

If the tracks are faint, angle your view so sunlight hits them from the side. Shadows reveal more detail than direct light.

Tip: Keep a small ruler or a straight edge in your kit for quick measurements.

Step 2: Hoofed Animals

Deer

Shape: Heart-shaped, narrow hooves with a pointed tip.
Size: 2–3 inches long.
Pattern: Front tracks are larger than the rear.
Clues: Deep impressions mean running; shallow means walking or feeding.

Fresh deer tracks often appear near water sources or along narrow game trails. Look for paired droppings and rubbed trees in the same area.

Wild Hog

Shape: Similar to deer but rounder, with a blunt tip.
Size: Around 2 inches wide.
Pattern: Often splayed at the tips, especially in mud.
Clues: Torn-up soil, rooting holes, and nearby wallows are giveaways.

Hogs are heavy animals—tracks sink deep and are often surrounded by churned earth.

Step 3: Predators and Canines

Coyote

Shape: Oval with four toes and visible claw marks.
Size: 2–2.5 inches long.
Pattern: Straight line of single prints—coyotes walk efficiently.
Clues: Tracks often appear on trails or dirt roads near small animal prints.

Coyotes drag their toes slightly, so the prints may look elongated compared to dogs.

Domestic Dog

Shape: Similar to coyote but rounder and less symmetrical.
Pattern: Wandering or looping paths instead of straight lines.
Clues: Dogs tend to zigzag, showing play or curiosity instead of focus.

If the path looks messy or playful, it’s usually a domestic dog, not a wild hunter.

Bobcat

Shape: Round, four-toed paw with no visible claw marks.
Size: 1.5–2 inches wide.
Pattern: Soft, direct register—hind paws often land on top of front ones.
Clues: Found near rocky areas, cliffs, or dense brush.

Cats are silent walkers. The edges of their prints are smooth and round.

Step 4: Small Mammals

Rabbit

Shape: Two long oval rear feet and two small round front prints.
Pattern: Rear feet land ahead of front feet when moving—tracks look like a “Y.”
Clues: Found near brush piles, gardens, or grassy clearings.

Rabbits almost always leave trails leading toward cover, not open fields.

Squirrel

Shape: Tiny front paws with four fingers, larger back paws with five.
Pattern: Often side-by-side pairs that form small bounding marks.
Clues: Look at the base of trees, fallen logs, or near nut shells and bark scraps.

You’ll often see scratch marks where they land and launch up a tree.

Raccoon

Shape: Looks like a tiny human hand—five long toes and a palm pad.
Size: 2–3 inches wide.
Pattern: Alternating steps like a shuffling gait.
Clues: Tracks near water, mud, or trash sources.

Raccoons have one of the most distinctive and easy-to-spot tracks for beginners.

Step 5: Birds and Other Small Game

Turkey

Shape: Three long forward toes and a shorter rear one.
Size: 4 inches long, narrow and crisp in dirt or sand.
Pattern: Tracks in straight lines with drag marks from spurs or wing tips.
Clues: Look for scratch marks where they’ve been feeding or dust bathing.

Duck or Waterfowl

Shape: Webbed with three forward toes connected by skin.
Pattern: Found along muddy shorelines or near ponds.
Clues: Splashes or tail drag lines usually close by.

Crow or Raven

Shape: Small “V” shape, narrow toes, claw tips visible.
Clues: Paired with small droppings and scattered feathers.

Reading the Story in the Tracks

A single print gives a name.
A set of prints tells a story.

Ask yourself:

Was the animal walking, running, or resting?
Was it alone or part of a group?
Are there predator and prey tracks crossing paths?
Which way is the wind blowing—and did it work for or against the animal?

Once you start asking those questions, the woods stop being quiet. They start talking back.

Practice and Compare

Take photos of tracks you find and label them later.
If you’re unsure, return after a day of rain to see how they’ve changed—it helps train your eye for age and shape.

Keep a small notebook or your phone camera handy, and reference your findings against track charts or guides like our Animal Tracks Tip Card

Step 3: Follow the Trail

Once you’ve found consistent signs of movement, follow the animal’s trail, not just individual tracks.
Animals are creatures of habitthey take the easiest and safest routes between food, water, and bedding areas.

Watch for:

Flattened grass or pressed leaves forming faint paths
Hair or fur caught on bark or low branches
Rub marks where animals brush past trees or rocks
Repeated prints along narrow corridors or game runs

These paths are often the best ambush points for primitive hunters using bows or slingshots. Set up downwind, and use your stealth skills from [How to Move Quietly and Stay Hidden in the Woods].

Step 4: Droppings Tell the Story

It might not sound glamorous, but droppings (also called scat) are a hunter’s notebook in the wild. They tell you what the animal eats, how recently it was there, and sometimes even what direction it was heading.

Here’s what to look for:

Freshness: Glossy or wet scat is recent. Dry and cracked means hours—or days—old.
Content: Seeds, fur, or grass can tell you what the animal was eating and help identify it.
Location: Near feeding areas means it recently stopped to eat. Along trails means it was traveling.

The more droppings you find, the more confidence you can have that the animal still frequents the area.

Step 5: Feeding Signs

Animals leave obvious marks when they feed. These signs can point you toward active areas even when footprints are scarce.

Gnawed plants or branches: Clean cuts may mean deer or rabbits; shredded bark could be squirrels or porcupines.
Dug-up soil or overturned leaves: Often signs of hogs, turkeys, or small mammals searching for insects.
Feather or fur piles: Evidence of predators or scavengers feeding nearby.
Tree rubs or chews: Bucks rub antlers to mark territory and remove velvet.

Follow fresh feeding areas outward—you’ll often find trails leading between those spots and bedding zones.

Step 6: Reading the Bigger Picture

Tracking isn’t just following footprints—it’s reading patterns.

Ask yourself:

Where is water nearby?
Where could this animal bed down safely?
What’s the wind doing right now?
How would you travel through this terrain if you were the animal?

Use those answers to predict your quarry’s next move. Over time, you’ll start feeling where animals are likely to be, even before you see a single track.

Step 7: Mark and Remember

When you find a good trail, mark it mentally or physically.

Drop a small natural marker (a stick or stone) for orientation.
Note time, weather, and direction.
Use GPS or a compass if you’re covering wide ground.

You’ll start learning how game patterns change with seasons, temperature, and daylight, knowledge that lasts a lifetime.

Step 8: Practice Every Time You’re Outdoors

You don’t need a hunt to practice tracking. Do it on hikes, camping trips, or even after rain in your backyard.

Try these drills:

Pick an animal and follow its prints for 10 minutes, then guess what it was doing.
Compare old vs. new tracks to see how weather changes them.
Study droppings and nearby vegetation to connect the dots between feeding and movement.

Every bit of practice sharpens your awareness. Once you start spotting signs, you’ll wonder how you ever missed them before.

(Available Tracking References)

The Bottom Line

Tracking game is about patience, not speed.
The forest leaves you a thousand clues—it’s your job to notice them. Every track and trail you follow builds your awareness and helps you understand how animals live, move, and survive.

With time and practice, you’ll stop chasing game and start finding it.

How to Track Game in the Wild: A Beginners Guide