Wolf Tracking Immersion

February 11-17, 2024

at

Teaching Drum Outdoor School,

7124 Military Road, Three Lakes, WI, 54562

 

Step into Their World

What stirs within you when you first come upon the tracks of wild wolves in the snow? Join us as we unveil the story the tracks tell of wolves’ movement patterns and relationships with packmates. Tufts of fur, bones, bloodstains, scat, and scent markings paint vivid scenes. Tune in to the sights, sounds, and smells of the forest. Tune in to your own wildness. Walk in step with Wolf.

This course features:

  • In-depth in-person experience of the track and sign of wild wolves

  • Expert guidance from CyberTracker certified trackers

  • Informative and inspiring evening recaps of the day’s adventures

  • 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

Workshop Format

We spend the day reading a pack’s story, which is written in the sign left behind. Tracks in the snow show a pack’s movement patterns around kill sites, loafing areas, playgrounds, and rendezvous, and denning sites. You’ll learn about the skills and talents of each individual in the pack, and each one’s archetypal role.

Every evening, we gather around in a circle to explore the mysteries uncovered in the field that day. Special guests with intimate knowledge of Wolves will join us and share their stories.

Wolftracking

Your Guides

Abel Bean

Abel Bean guides participants through the life-changing experience of the Wilderness Guide Program. He has been training with Tamarack Song, founder of Teaching Drum Outdoor School, for this role for the past 20 years. Before that, he was an award-winning high school science teacher. Conflict resolution, group process, clan integration, dream interpretation, weather-forecasting, direction-finding, and tracking are just a few of the skills Abel brings. He holds a Professional-Level CyberTracker  certificate. He has watched wolves re-inhabit the Teaching Drum area, observing the first individuals move through after years of absence.

 

Susan Bean

Susan Bean brings her conscious nurturance to Teaching Drum in the form of food preparation, volunteer coordination, and numerous behind-the-scenes activities that keep the school operating. She has lived and worked at Teaching Drum Outdoor School for 20 years. Susan is a graduate of the Wilderness Guide Program, a mother, and she holds a CyberTracker Level 3 Certificate in Track and Sign Identification. Her intuition guides her in her current, dedicated study of tracking and trailing. The ways of the feminine, moontime, and honoring the cycles within ourselves are important themes in her life.

 

Matt Nelson

Matt Nelson shares his deep observations and his love for all things wild. A lifetime hunter and woodsman, Matt has spent time in the dirt and has learned from teachers, elders, and animals across the country. Matt holds a Senior Tracker Certificate and is a Track and Sign Evaluator with CyberTracker. 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. Matt currently lives and works at Teaching Drum Outdoor School. He strives to bring transparency and openness to his teaching and finds joy in helping others to see and appreciate their worlds.

 

Course Information

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.

Five-Day-Immersion – February 11-17, 2024

Tuition options:

  • $1,500 Includes 3 meals/day and lodging. (Early-bird deal: $1,400 until December 15!
  • $800 (Volunteer Discount—3 spots open)

*To give the opportunity for people to pay in  accordance with their financial means, we offer a sliding-scale tuition. Contact us to learn more.

This course is open to 10 participants.

Videos

Two wolves meet up

How to age tracks

Where would you sleep

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