<s>
A	O
further	O
goal	O
of	O
tracking	O
is	O
the	O
deeper	O
understanding	O
of	O
the	O
systems	O
and	O
patterns	O
that	O
make	O
up	O
the	O
environment	O
surrounding	O
and	O
incorporating	O
the	O
tracker	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Trackers	B-Application
must	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
recognize	O
and	O
follow	O
animals	O
through	O
their	O
tracks	O
,	O
signs	O
,	O
and	O
trails	O
,	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
spoor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
skilled	O
tracker	B-Application
is	O
able	O
to	O
discern	O
these	O
clues	O
,	O
recreate	O
what	O
transpired	O
on	O
the	O
landscape	O
,	O
and	O
make	O
predictions	O
about	O
the	O
quarry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
tracker	B-Application
may	O
attempt	O
to	O
predict	O
the	O
current	O
location	O
of	O
the	O
quarry	O
and	O
follow	O
the	O
quarry	O
's	O
spoor	O
to	O
that	O
location	O
,	O
in	O
an	O
activity	O
known	O
as	O
trailing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apart	O
from	O
knowledge	O
based	O
on	O
direct	O
observations	O
of	O
animals	O
,	O
trackers	B-Application
gain	O
a	O
detailed	O
understanding	O
of	O
animal	O
behavior	O
through	O
the	O
interpretation	O
of	O
tracks	O
and	O
signs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
modern	O
science	O
of	O
animal	B-Application
tracking	I-Application
is	O
widely	O
practiced	O
in	O
the	O
fields	O
of	O
wildlife	O
biology	O
,	O
zoology	O
,	O
mammalogy	O
,	O
conservation	O
,	O
and	O
wildlife	O
management	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
science	O
of	O
tracking	O
is	O
utilized	O
in	O
the	O
study	O
of	O
forest	O
carnivores	O
like	O
the	O
Canada	O
lynx	O
(	O
Felis	O
lynx	O
)	O
and	O
the	O
wolverine	B-Application
(	O
Gulo	O
gulo	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
order	O
to	O
recognize	O
a	O
specific	O
sign	O
,	O
a	O
tracker	B-Application
often	O
has	O
a	O
preconceived	O
image	O
of	O
what	O
a	O
typical	O
sign	O
looks	O
like	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
preconceived	O
image	O
of	O
a	O
specific	O
animal	O
's	O
spoor	O
in	O
mind	O
,	O
trackers	B-Application
will	O
tend	O
to	O
'	O
recognize	O
 '	O
spoor	O
in	O
markings	O
made	O
by	O
another	O
animal	O
,	O
or	O
even	O
in	O
random	O
markings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Decisions	O
made	O
at	O
a	O
glance	O
can	O
often	O
be	O
erroneous	O
,	O
so	O
when	O
encountering	O
new	O
signs	O
,	O
trackers	B-Application
take	O
their	O
time	O
to	O
study	O
signs	O
in	O
detail	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
preconceived	O
images	O
may	O
help	O
in	O
recognizing	O
signs	O
,	O
the	O
tracker	B-Application
must	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
avoid	O
the	O
preconditioned	O
tendency	O
to	O
look	O
for	O
one	O
set	O
of	O
things	O
in	O
the	O
environment	O
to	O
the	O
exclusion	O
of	O
all	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Trackers	B-Application
will	O
always	O
try	O
to	O
identify	O
the	O
trail	O
positively	O
by	O
some	O
distinguishing	O
mark	O
or	O
mannerism	O
in	O
order	O
not	O
to	O
lose	O
it	O
in	O
any	O
similar	O
spoor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Experienced	O
trackers	B-Application
will	O
memorise	O
a	O
spoor	O
and	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
distinguish	O
that	O
individual	O
animal	O
's	O
spoor	O
from	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
following	O
a	O
spoor	O
,	O
trackers	B-Application
will	O
walk	O
next	O
to	O
it	O
,	O
not	O
on	O
it	O
,	O
taking	O
care	O
not	O
to	O
spoil	O
the	O
trail	O
so	O
that	O
it	O
can	O
easily	O
be	O
found	O
again	O
if	O
the	O
spoor	O
is	O
lost	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
shadows	O
cast	O
by	O
ridges	O
in	O
the	O
spoor	O
show	O
up	O
best	O
if	O
the	O
spoor	O
is	O
kept	O
between	O
the	O
tracker	B-Application
and	O
the	O
sun	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
sun	O
behind	O
the	O
tracker	B-Application
,	O
however	O
,	O
these	O
shadows	O
will	O
be	O
hidden	O
by	O
the	O
ridges	O
that	O
cast	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Trackers	B-Application
will	O
never	O
look	O
down	O
at	O
their	O
feet	O
if	O
they	O
can	O
help	O
it	O
,	O
since	O
this	O
will	O
slow	O
them	O
down	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Over	O
difficult	O
terrain	O
it	O
may	O
not	O
be	O
possible	O
to	O
see	O
signs	O
well	O
ahead	O
,	O
so	O
trackers	B-Application
will	O
have	O
to	O
look	O
at	O
the	O
ground	O
in	O
front	O
of	O
them	O
and	O
move	O
more	O
slowly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Trackers	B-Application
must	O
also	O
avoid	O
concentrating	O
all	O
their	O
attention	O
on	O
the	O
tracks	O
,	O
thereby	O
ignoring	O
everything	O
around	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
in	O
principle	O
it	O
is	O
possible	O
to	O
follow	O
a	O
trail	O
by	O
simply	O
looking	O
for	O
one	O
sign	O
after	O
the	O
other	O
,	O
this	O
may	O
prove	O
so	O
time-consuming	O
that	O
the	O
tracker	B-Application
will	O
never	O
catch	O
up	O
with	O
the	O
quarry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
,	O
trackers	B-Application
place	O
themselves	O
in	O
the	O
position	O
of	O
their	O
quarry	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
anticipate	O
the	O
route	O
it	O
may	O
have	O
taken	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Trackers	B-Application
will	O
often	O
look	O
for	O
spoor	O
in	O
obvious	O
places	O
such	O
as	O
openings	O
between	O
bushes	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
animal	O
would	O
most	O
likely	O
have	O
moved	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Where	O
one	O
of	O
several	O
paths	O
may	O
have	O
been	O
used	O
,	O
trackers	B-Application
must	O
of	O
course	O
determine	O
which	O
path	O
that	O
specific	O
animal	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
once	O
tracks	O
have	O
been	O
located	O
on	O
an	O
animal	O
path	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
often	O
possible	O
for	O
a	O
tracker	B-Application
to	O
follow	O
the	O
path	O
even	O
though	O
no	O
further	O
tracks	O
are	O
seen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
looking	O
to	O
either	O
side	O
of	O
the	O
path	O
,	O
the	O
tracker	B-Application
can	O
establish	O
if	O
the	O
animal	O
has	O
moved	O
away	O
from	O
the	O
path	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
follow	O
the	O
new	O
trail	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
difficult	O
terrain	O
,	O
where	O
signs	O
are	O
sparse	O
,	O
trackers	B-Application
may	O
have	O
to	O
rely	O
extensively	O
on	O
anticipating	O
the	O
animal	O
's	O
movements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Trackers	B-Application
sometimes	O
identify	O
themselves	O
with	O
the	O
animal	O
to	O
such	O
an	O
extent	O
that	O
they	O
follow	O
an	O
imaginary	O
route	O
which	O
they	O
think	O
the	O
animal	O
would	O
most	O
likely	O
have	O
taken	O
,	O
only	O
confirming	O
their	O
expectations	O
with	O
occasional	O
signs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
trackers	B-Application
come	O
to	O
hard	O
,	O
stony	O
ground	O
,	O
where	O
tracks	O
are	O
virtually	O
impossible	O
to	O
discern	O
,	O
apart	O
from	O
the	O
odd	O
small	O
pebble	O
that	O
has	O
been	O
overturned	O
,	O
they	O
may	O
move	O
around	O
the	O
patch	O
of	O
hard	O
ground	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
find	O
the	O
spoor	O
in	O
softer	O
ground	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
trackers	B-Application
lose	O
the	O
spoor	O
,	O
they	O
first	O
search	O
obvious	O
places	O
for	O
signs	O
,	O
choosing	O
several	O
likely	O
access	O
ways	O
through	O
the	O
bush	O
in	O
the	O
general	O
direction	O
of	O
movement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
several	O
trackers	B-Application
work	O
together	O
,	O
they	O
can	O
simply	O
fan	O
out	O
and	O
quarter	O
the	O
ground	O
until	O
one	O
of	O
them	O
finds	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
experienced	O
tracker	B-Application
may	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
predict	O
more	O
or	O
less	O
where	O
the	O
animal	O
was	O
going	O
,	O
and	O
will	O
not	O
waste	O
time	O
in	O
one	O
spot	O
looking	O
for	O
signs	O
,	O
but	O
rather	O
look	O
for	O
it	O
further	O
ahead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Knowledge	O
of	O
the	O
terrain	O
and	O
animal	O
behavior	O
allows	O
trackers	B-Application
to	O
save	O
valuable	O
time	O
by	O
predicting	O
the	O
animal	O
's	O
movements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
anticipate	O
and	O
predict	O
the	O
movements	O
of	O
an	O
animal	O
,	O
trackers	B-Application
must	O
know	O
the	O
animal	O
and	O
its	O
environment	O
so	O
well	O
that	O
they	O
can	O
identify	O
themselves	O
with	O
that	O
animal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
the	O
animal	O
was	O
moving	O
in	O
a	O
straight	O
line	O
at	O
a	O
steady	O
pace	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
is	O
known	O
that	O
there	O
is	O
a	O
waterhole	O
or	O
a	O
pan	O
further	O
ahead	O
,	O
trackers	B-Application
should	O
leave	O
the	O
spoor	O
to	O
look	O
for	O
signs	O
of	O
it	O
at	O
the	O
waterhole	O
or	O
pan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
the	O
trackers	B-Application
know	O
the	O
animal	O
's	O
favored	O
food	O
,	O
and	O
know	O
moreover	O
how	O
they	O
generally	O
move	O
,	O
they	O
need	O
not	O
follow	O
its	O
zigzag	O
path	O
,	O
but	O
leave	O
the	O
spoor	O
at	O
places	O
,	O
moving	O
in	O
a	O
straight	O
course	O
to	O
save	O
time	O
,	O
and	O
pick	O
up	O
the	O
spoor	O
further	O
on	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Trackers	B-Application
may	O
therefore	O
have	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
working	O
hypothesis	O
in	O
which	O
spoor	O
evidence	O
is	O
supplemented	O
with	O
hypothetical	O
assumptions	O
based	O
not	O
only	O
on	O
their	O
knowledge	O
of	O
animal	O
behavior	O
,	O
but	O
also	O
on	O
their	O
creative	O
ability	O
to	O
solve	O
new	O
problems	O
and	O
discover	O
new	O
information	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Such	O
a	O
working	O
hypothesis	O
enables	O
the	O
trackers	B-Application
to	O
predict	O
the	O
animal	O
's	O
movements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
order	O
to	O
come	O
close	O
to	O
an	O
animal	O
,	O
trackers	B-Application
must	O
remain	O
undetected	O
not	O
only	O
by	O
the	O
animal	O
,	O
but	O
also	O
by	O
other	O
animals	O
that	O
may	O
alert	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Moving	O
as	O
quietly	O
as	O
possible	O
,	O
trackers	B-Application
will	O
avoid	O
stepping	O
on	O
dry	O
leaves	O
and	O
twigs	O
,	O
and	O
take	O
great	O
care	O
when	O
moving	O
through	O
dry	O
grass	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
the	O
trackers	B-Application
are	O
in	O
close	O
proximity	O
to	O
the	O
animal	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
important	O
that	O
they	O
remain	O
downwind	O
of	O
it	O
,	O
that	O
is	O
,	O
in	O
a	O
position	O
where	O
the	O
wind	O
is	O
blowing	O
away	O
from	O
the	O
animal	O
in	O
the	O
direction	O
of	O
the	O
tracker	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Trackers	B-Application
will	O
therefore	O
usually	O
be	O
downwind	O
from	O
them	O
as	O
they	O
approach	O
the	O
animals	O
from	O
behind	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
the	O
wind	O
direction	O
is	O
unfavorable	O
,	O
the	O
trackers	B-Application
may	O
have	O
to	O
leave	O
the	O
spoor	O
to	O
search	O
for	O
their	O
quarry	O
from	O
the	O
downwind	O
side	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
trackers	B-Application
get	O
closer	O
to	O
the	O
animal	O
,	O
they	O
must	O
make	O
sure	O
that	O
they	O
see	O
it	O
before	O
it	O
sees	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
trackers	B-Application
maintain	O
that	O
an	O
animal	O
keeps	O
looking	O
back	O
down	O
its	O
own	O
trail	O
,	O
always	O
on	O
the	O
alert	O
for	O
danger	O
coming	O
from	O
behind	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
spoor	O
is	O
very	O
fresh	O
,	O
trackers	B-Application
may	O
have	O
to	O
leave	O
the	O
spoor	O
so	O
that	O
the	O
animal	O
does	O
not	O
see	O
them	O
first	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
stalking	O
an	O
animal	O
,	O
trackers	B-Application
use	O
the	O
cover	O
of	O
bushes	O
,	O
going	O
down	O
on	O
their	O
hands	O
and	O
knees	O
where	O
necessary	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Trackers	B-Application
take	O
their	O
time	O
,	O
moving	O
slowly	O
when	O
the	O
animal	O
is	O
not	O
looking	O
,	O
and	O
keeping	O
still	O
when	O
the	O
animal	O
is	O
looking	O
in	O
their	O
direction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
stalking	O
an	O
animal	O
,	O
trackers	B-Application
must	O
also	O
be	O
careful	O
not	O
to	O
disturb	O
other	O
animals	O
.	O
</s>
