Tracking & Trailing Workshops

Overview

Designed for both beginners and those wishing to refine their skills, these courses teach how to interpret track and sign and follow animals in the wild. Practical field experience is combined with theory to give a comprehensive understanding of animal behaviour, spoor recognition, and trailing techniques. Workshops can focus on general wildlife tracking, specific species, or specialised topics such as feathers or bones. In the past we have also tailored workshops for specific organisations.

Course Content

Track and Sign Workshops

Our track and sign workshops, lasting one to three days, teach participants to recognise the traces left by mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and occasionally insects. You will learn about foot morphology, tracks, feeding signs, droppings, resting areas, and other indicators of wildlife presence. Sessions combine classroom theory with practical fieldwork, often across multiple sites, allowing participants to see a wide variety of species in natural settings. These workshops provide a detailed introduction to tracking but are still packed full of information. They are suitable for newcomers or as a refresher for those seeking to deepen their knowledge.

Trailing Workshops

Trailing workshops, also lasting one to three days, focus on following animals in their natural habitats. Participants develop key skills such as spoor recognition, anticipation, alertness, and stealth, while learning to navigate potential hazards safely. The majority of time is spent on the trail, with participants taking turns to lead while learning from observing others. Courses are designed to simulate realistic tracking scenarios, typically focusing on ungulates such as fallow deer, and are limited to small groups to maximise hands-on learning and success.

Advanced Trailing Workshops

Our advanced trailing workshops are designed for experienced trackers who already have a strong understanding of trail-following principles and techniques. These sessions are aimed at participants who have already learned the principles of trail following. It provides an opportunity to refine and extend their skills without revisiting basic concepts. This is ideal for those seeking to consolidate their expertise, push their tracking abilities to the next level, and gain confidence in approaching wildlife.

A group of fallow deer John tracked and found

Fees

The cost of the workshops are variable depending on the duration and the location of the course.

Details

These courses is run by John Rhyder who is certified as a Senior Tracker having scored 100% in both track and sign and trailing in specialist evaluations, the highest assessed level possible in the Cybertracker system. John is also an evaluator for the CyberTracker in both track and sign and trailing.

As part of these workshops, we will spend time outdoors on field trips, the trailing course particularly are entirely outdoors and mostly on the move. This may involve walking for extended periods on uneven ground and being in areas without regular toilet facilities, so a reasonable level of fitness and preparedness is recommended. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further, please feel free to get in touch.

Booking

Please read the following information before booking:

• Terms & Conditions – by booking on to our courses you agree to our Terms & Conditions
• The Course Kit List

Please note these are self catered courses, we are not always working from our usual site for our tracking events and so do not normally offer camping. there are some excellent campsites close by which are reasonably priced.

You need to be over 18 years of age to attend this programme.

Course dates 2026

If these courses are full please contact us to be placed on a waiting list for cancellations. Should enough people express an interest we may run extra dates.