Tracking and the Art of Seeing: How to Read Animal Tracks and Sign

by Paul Rezendes

Book Overview

"If Thoreau's Concord neighbors led lives of quiet desperation, many people today rush through lives of frantic, noisy alienation. Paul Rezendes's book is about tracking, but also much more; it shows... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0944475299
• ISBN13: 9780944475294
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: Camden House Publishing (Ontario, CA)
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.51 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 7.0" x 10.0"

Customer Reviews

Bummed on missing info on Rabbits

This is a good book, but I was surprised to find it almost totally skips over rabbits. It goes into tons of info about different animals in their own categories, but the rabbit section is only a few pages. They are also completely missing from the Quick Reference Charts at the end. What's up with that? No in-section detail about trail width measurements, stride patterns, etc either. Bunnies are the most common thing we see tracks from, so being able to play detective and match up measurements and things was something I was really looking forward to.

Best Tracking Book to Be Found

This is a truly magnificent tracking book. The book has no pseudo-spiritual dribble about tracking ants across rocks or pressure points; it is full of useful information, and it is clear that the author is as genuine of an expert naturalist as they get. He shares an incredible wealth of information on how to examine and analyze the wilderness from a microcosmic level. The photography is outstanding and the descriptions of animal signs are excellent. Being a survival instructor, I have read many fine books on tracking animals and observing their signs, but I have never read one that I learned more from than this one.

My First Choice

I do a lot of tracking, both animal and human. I have read most books on the subject in print. This book is excellent for the beginner and expert and focuses on animal tracking. Rezendez helps the tracker learn both the animals track characteristics and its living habits. If I had to recommend only one book on tracking, this would be it, hands down.

Very Informative book

I used this as the science text for my homeschooled 11 year old. There is a ton of information on animal habits, tracks, diet, etc..It's been a lot of fun to go on a walk in the forest to track deer or determine what kind of animal has been eating at shrubs and trees. This book covers in detail what it means to be serious about animal study. Not too many other books out there that go into the detail this one does on animal scat!!Although there are many impressive pictures, it's not just a "cute animal picture" book. The need for conservation of land and habitats is implicit with this book. This was a welcome change from the almost "anti-human" bias many books dealing with an aspect of the environment take. This is a great book to take hiking, camping, or in the field.

More than just tracking....

I own the first edition of this book, which I consider to be a wonderful resource not just for reading tracks, but to learn about the animals in general. I refer to the book quite often at work ( I work as an interpretive naturalist at a state recreation area) and bought a copy to keep at home as well. The excellent photographs alone make this book a real keeper.

This book should be the "Bible" of all novice trackers!

Paul Rezendes brings to life and makes possible the intimate experiences of wildlife interaction. This book has allowed me to track such elusive wildlife as black bear, moose, and timberwolves. As a Native American, I was pleased to read and experience the same intimate interactions with nature that my ancestors once experienced. The detailed descriptions of individual tracks and the explanations of the differences between similar tracks has proven a great assistance while on my own expeditions. This book also contains the most important element necessary for successful tracking which most fail to provide - pictures. The impressive photography clearly provides undeniable evidence of Paul Rezendes actual expertise in his field of practice. I highly recommend this book to all trackers - from novice to expert.