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A scientifically credible look at tracking Oct 12, 2003 (27 of 29 found this helpful)
Mark Elbroch's new book is a scientifically credible look at tracking
The tracking world has once again gained a great resource in the new book by Mark Elbroch. "Mammal Tracks and Sign: A Guide to North American Species" fills a gap in the availability of good quality photographic guides to tracks and sign. This is a book for the serious tracker! At 784 pages, it is the most complete guide available today on the subject. The tracking world has long awaited a book to rival Olaus Murie's "A Field Guide to Animal Tracks," which has been the field standard for years. Elbroch's book covers some new ground, bringing together coverage of subjects that previously were found only in specialized, and not widely available, publications. These include: mammal remains, a large section of sign on vegetation, identification of kills, burrows/beds/lays/nests, and a big photographic section on scat and other secretions. The very complete section on gaits will help you identify those difficult trails. Photos, drawings, measurements, and range maps are included for each species. Throughout the text are sidebars with tips to distinguish between easily confused species. This is especially useful if you have ever found yourself struggling with an identification in the field. The appendices list other tracking resources for further study, including schools, books, web sites, tracking teachers, and more.
The book is a little heavy to tote into the field, but it offers so much information that it may be prudent to buy two; one to haul into the field and bang around, and one to keep at home for reference. Its weight is compensated for by the fact that it has information you would find in many different field guides all in one book, so you can leave the others at home and bring this one along. It sets a new standard for tracking as a science and brings it new credibility that may help increase its use as a tool for wildlife management.
The initial price may be discouraging to many trackers, but in the end, I think you will find it is money well spent. There are many books on tracking out there, quite a few with poor drawings, inaccuracies, or errors. Although those books are much less expensive, and are probably better "mass market" sellers, a tracker needs accurate information, and this book provides it. This book is destined to become one of my favorites, and one I will recommend when people ask me which book to purchase.
I think you will agree that Mark's two new books are great additions to the tracking library, and offer the serious tracker valuable resources, although these are not books that will sit on the shelf and gather dust. They are the books that will become worn and dog-eared from being hauled into the field and used. I look forward to using them in years to come as I further my own knowledge of the unlimited field of tracking.
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Take this book with you when you go into the field! Jan 30, 2005 (17 of 18 found this helpful)
I have never really "tracked" animals before but recognition and identification of animal signs is part of my job. I recently received my copy of this book and in just the first few minutes of thumbing through it I can see that my money was well spent. The scope of this book is amazing... as its name states, its a guide to North American mammals and it covers them well from Florida to Alaska. Though the author states in his review below that there are 1058 color photos, it seems there is much more. With nearly 800 pages and most pages containing 2-4 photos, there is no shortage of of illustrations to reinforce the text. And speaking of text, the explanations of tracks and other signs are well detailed and typically include comparisons and notes on confusables. The author even includes notes about the habits of the animal which will help the reader understand how to better track it. Regarding a review below that suggests the need for a scale with the photos, the author uses pennies as scale for small tracks and scat while the larger signs I find sufficiently scaled against the background. And there is always a size description in the text in both English and metric units.
Its hard to pin down what I most enjoy about this guide but I think it would come down to two things: First, the explanation of how to interpret tracks. The first 80 or so pages I think will really get a novice started on understanding how a track is left and how to interpret them. Second, the book is broken into sections. The bigger portion of the book contains track information but also in separate sections you get detailed information on beds/denning/nesting, scat/urine, feeding signs, etc... There is a brief section on mammal remains which I would like to see expanded but that's only a wish list item, not a gripe.
I think the detail in this book will really impress the reader. As nerdy as this may sound, I haven't been this excited about a field guide in a long time. I'm really anxious to get this book in the field... oh, and speaking of taking it to the field, yes its a large book at a bit over 1.5" thick and nearly 3 lbs but slap a book cover on it and haul it with you. There's too much information in here to leave it at the house or even the base camp.
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You can't get a better tracking book Dec 5, 2004 (13 of 14 found this helpful)
I work at an outdoor youth camp and this book has quickly become the favorite tracking book we have. It has taken over our Peterson guide as THE BOOK we need to take along on our hikes. Well done, great photography, and more information that can be had from one reading. Mine became so beat up I bought another.
We own every tracking book there is here and this and Elbroch's "Bird Sign" are our favorites. They are a little bit more pricy than other track/sign books, but well worth the cost.
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National Outdoor Book Award Winner Dec 29, 2003 (14 of 16 found this helpful)
I am the author of this book. Just a few comments and news:
Mammal Tracks and Sign is the recipient of a 2003 National Outdoor Book Award: Winner in the Nature Guidebooks competition. NOBA's comments can be read in full at http://www.isu.edu/outdoor/books/ and include:
"Mammal Tracks and Sign is one of the most thorough and complete guides to animal tracking ever published...It's a monumental effort and an invaluable reference for anyone who enjoys tracking and viewing wildlife."
I've awarded the book five stars not for myself-although I'm proud of the achievement-but for Stackpole Books, the publisher. When you hold this book, feel its weight, and flip through the 1058 color photos, over 300 illustrations and close to 800 pages, consider the material costs of such an endeavor-the investment and the risk for a publisher. Stackpole committed to creating the most comprehensive guide to mammal tracking in North America, and possibly the world. I think they've done it. It is beautiful and far exceeds previous publications on tracking; it stands as a testimonial to the importance of saving wildlife tracking skills around the globe. My thanks to Stackpole Books for unending support and enthusiasm.
(Funny enough, 115 pages were cut from the initial layout, to address concerns over the strength of the resulting binding.)
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The most comprehensive tracking guide available! Sep 8, 2003 (7 of 7 found this helpful)
This book is astounding! The number and quality of the pictures is nothing short of amazing while the breadth of detailed tracking information is unparalleled. This guide is the most comprehensive one out there and should be in every tracker/naturalists backpack and bookshelf. Full of information never before printed it can help you answer many questions you may have while in the field. I love it and bought two, one for home and one for the woods!