Track & Sign Evaluation

March 05-06, 2022

at

Teaching Drum Outdoor School

7124 Military Road
Three Lakes, WI 54562

 

Tuition: $250

Discover the Life Around You

While it will help you know where you are with your skill, a Track & Sign Evaluation is more than a test. It’s likely the absolute best way to become more proficient at animal tracking. The quickest way to learn, and to know how to proceed forward in your growth. With feedback from the evaluator and an honest, open dialogue about every track or sign seen, you will come away with a greater understanding and an idea of what’s possible as well as how to get there. There’s something about the process of being with a track, and having to come up with an answer, with the added pressure of the test format that cements what you learn and inspires openness.

The Northwoods are a unique and richly varied environment full of wildlife. From frogs to wolves, from turkeys to turtles, it’s a spectacular place to gauge your abilities and learn about the lives of animals.

Register
Tracks - Who were those two animals?

This course features:

  • In-depth in-person experience of the track and sign of wild wolves
  • Expert guidance from CyberTracker certified trackers
  • 3 meals/day
  • Lodging (optional)
  • Transportation to tracking sites
  • Supplementary resources for further education
  • Connection with fellow wolf tracking enthusiasts
Wolf tracks
Wolftracking
Wolf tracks
Wolftracking

Teaching Drum’s wolf tracking immersion is a thrilling and educational experience that will keep you engaged the whole time. Whether you are in the field following the tracks or in the classroom learning about the culture of the wolf, you will be captivated. The instructors are some of the best in the world and their combined experience and wisdom will leave you in awe. They take a very holistic approach to teaching about the wolves in their entirety. They know the wolves that they track, they know the land that they live on, and they know how to make you feel like you belong.

~ Nick Harnish, 2020 Wolf Tracking Immersion participant

I enrolled in the wolf tracking course as a way of getting to know more about the territory and guides before I fully committed to the Wilderness Guide Program. Indeed I was impressed! I was surprised about the level of care Teaching Drum staff brought to this event. The amount of focus, effort, and soul they put in was evident. The food was top notch, the housing was cozy, and the tracking was insightful and fun.

I was worried about the cold, but as soon as I started tromping through the woods I was taking off layers I was getting so warm. I went solo, but there is something about the community of Teaching Drum that draws in a good crowd because we all ended up like family.

Matt, Abel, and Susan are wonderful. Extremely knowledgeable, encouraging and there to help. Their devotion to tracking is strong, and their combined knowledge is powerful. Their impact on my life is something I carry with the utmost gratitude.

~ Joe Colder, 2019 Wolf Tracking Immersion participant

Register

About the region…

Matt Nelson is a CyberTracker senior tracker and evaluator and has a passionate relationship with the forest, waterways, and animals here in Northern Wisconsin.

We are located in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest of northern Wisconsin, in a 40-by-60-mile area of the Forest known as the Highland Lakes Plateau, which lies on the Eastern Continental Divide. It is also called the Headwaters because it is the fountainhead of the major rivers of northern Wisconsin and the adjacent Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Along with being the highest area in the upper Midwest, its beauty comes from being carpeted by dense forest and sprinkled with a profusion of glacial lakes. You can learn more about Wisconsin’s Northwoods here.

The Track and Sign Certification is an internationally applied, professional-level certification used to promote wildlife tracking and knowledge. This two-day field experience is both an assessment and a training, with an emphasis on open dialogue and real learning.

Wolftracking
Register
Matt Nelson

Matt Nelson is a CyberTracker senior tracker and evaluator and has a passionate relationship with the forest, waterways, and animals of Northern Wisconsin. A lifetime hunter and woodsman, Matt has spent time in the dirt and has learned from teachers, elders, and animals across the country. After graduating from the Wilderness Guide Program, he went on to work on numerous wildlife research projects, including the Gualala River Watershed council, the Garfield/Mesa Lion project, and the East Bay Puma Project. He strives to bring transparency and openness to his teaching and finds joy in helping others to see and appreciate their worlds.

Location: Lodging, meals, and indoor activities take place at the Teaching Drum Outdoor School’s Giant Pine Lodge near Three Lakes, Wisconsin. We track the Wolves in the surrounding Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest.

COVID-19 Protocol: Cybertracker International follows CDC guidelines regarding COVID-19 safety. CDC guidelines for outside group events states that non-vaccinated people should wear a face mask when interacting within 6 ft. of others while outdoors.

This course is open to 10 participants. 

Registration deadline is February 1, 2022.

Tuition: $250

Register

Two wolves meet up

How to age tracks

Where would you sleep

For more information, contact tracking@teachingdrum.org
or (715) 546-2944.