Are there any Trackers here?
Long time Tracker student myself, just wondering if there are any others?
Comments
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I don't understand what a Tracker is. Could you clarify? Thanks!
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I wish I were a tracker! I own 70 acres, have no real neighbors to speak of, but have all my game cameras disabled by some unknown individual, yearning to be tracked! My unseen buddy also enjoys turning off the electric fencing for the goats. The goats love it, but I don't always find it to work in my schedule to herd up the goats.
Many animals I do well tracking, but this human has me stumped.
From where are you obtaining your training education? What a great thing to learn!
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@Laurie simply anyone who tracks, animals or humans.
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@dimck421 how wonderful-70 acres, your own small country. I imagine its beyond frustrating having someone disabling cameras and fences. Would it be possible to camouflage a camera in a tree or bush near another camera or the control box to your fence to possibly catch the culprit? If you wish to capture the tracks of your "unseen buddy", you might lay down sand or create an area of soft ground by discreetly breaking up the soil in an area near the control box or a camera. If you can pick up a couple of tracks, you may be able to determine at least the direction he travels and the track size and depth might give you an idea if it's male, female, child (or alien LOL) . My late husband worked for Tom Brown Jr's Tracking and Survival School for a couple of years and I was fortunate to be able to take classes during that time. Reading track an excellent way to completely lose oneself in the world of nature, almost merging with the animal you're tracking.
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Avoided this discussion, as never heard of a "tracker" before. But now this concerns us+Homestead too.
Supposing you had (homeless+Drugged+Drunk+Threatening thieves...) yup as one 1 person, after another !!, parked... for 13to19 months on other side of fence. - It gets better: a few years ago 1 night I heard strange noises coming from 1 end of the homestead INside, only do discover next day that several of them had set-up shop under a 40 ft.tree & 2 giant Evergreen Laurel hedges (which are soo thick+dark as to securely hide about anything...) Found were broken Liquor bottles, Drug-paraphernalia, dozens of cigarette butts, sleeping-bags, blankets, weapons, etc. etc. - Obviously we had to cut the last Remaining Shade tree down, plus the Laurels. ((Um, for those who think Blackberry bushes are tough to get rid of, be THANKFUL if you have no such Laurels)).
So, one can call the Police, IF you have a license-plate #. You can call the far-off city. You can call the county Sheriff. You can Ignore Everything. Now if you are Not in a position to move... for any # of reasons, you can also just go more! Insane, than you were up to this point. OR you can ask a community of Caring individuals, simply this: What would you DO ??
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@rainbow Oow, sorry to hear this is happening! First thing you must do is fortify your home and living areas. Think of a defensive plan for travel between house and outbuildings. Get the means to defend against a home invasion. Simple homeless might leave you alone. Drugged up people are dangerous and might decide to see what you have in the house. The Sheriff should be willing to drive by periodically to check on things. I suggest bringing this situation up to the town council as this problem is bad for everyone. Good luck.
@dimck421 Your situation sounds devious. There is work involved to disable all your systems, what is the payback for them? The person could be a major poacher or a drug grower/dealer using your land. The person could also be a human smuggler that passes through regularly. You need to persuade the police to provide assistance. Good luck.
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@shllnzl this is great advice. The whole topic of tracking is fascinating for me -- how would a total newbie go about learning to do this?
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My grand kids always enjoyed tracking animals on the trails we have running through our land. Here is a primer from the Missouri conservation Dept. : https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/general-species-information/mammal-facts/mammal-tracks At the time I was taking them out I found, downloaded and laminated a tracking guide to take out with us. Just google animal track guide and you will find loads of options. Have fun!
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@VickiP I just pulled up that link, very nice, thanks for sharing.
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@merlin44 Of course, I did know what that is! I had been stumped as my little brain pegged it as some type of other thing.
I enjoyed watching the show, Mantracker. My mom hated it. She put herself in the hunted category, but as if she was in huge trouble or going to be eaten or something. 😂 To find that out was very entertaining.
One thing he said when tracking people was to look for anything that the person left behind that would not be a cause of nature...obvious items of course, but as far as tracks, a right angle, perpendicular lines, certain ways plants would lay, branches, etc.
We often try to ID tracks here. Fox, moose, bear, coyote, cat, dog, rabbit, weasel, skunk, etc. It is important to know what predators you have lurking around.
To those having people problems, neither sound very good. I agree with @shllnzl 's approach.
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I am a hobby tracker! Always fascinated by the prints left behind and wondering about the story they tell. I'm also quite nearsighted which adds a touch of extra fun to the whole thing LOL.
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I'm a hobby tracker too. It is so fun and relaxing! Especially love to go out after a little snow or rain so that tracks show up really well. It's really helped me to know what animals are around here because some of them are pretty sly and you rarely see them. Also fun to see the trails they make and where they are traveling to and from.
Kathryn
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After 40yrs in the medical field, I am beyond aware what drugs do to people : our outbuildings had the lock broken off, the doorframe destroyed, machines & equipment stolen, plus Fruiting-bushes & trees uprooted & also stolen. - While E-neighbor sent to prison for domestic+neighborhood violence, was just released, S-neighbor taught their Guard-dogs to clear the fence whenever I dared to garden.... on W 5th. down is a meth-house, & 3rd. down 3 squatters were evicted after 2 yrs.. Right across our fence. While walking to get our mail, the neighbor also drugged repeatedly screams... in my face inches away GET OFF MY !! street" - Calmly I tried to remind her that as only a renter she does Not own any city street, in fact none of us do. the N-family (across from my rainbow) try to kill each other about monthly. -
Between the 14 to 18th last week, discovered were 1 of our newer Tree-planters, the criminals had used it as a giant ashtray ! which last Friday they started a FIRE in, as they know we don't have hoses long enuf to reach to the fence. While pre-occupied extinguishing the 7+ft. tall flames, during that same hour the criminals used their intentional... fire to steal out of the van.
Now then, re "bring all such problems to the Town Council" : they have known about every last 1 of those, plus 100's like them, but so long as our Taxes... pay for their paychecks, they can't be bothered.
re: the sheriff or police: Sure, for the past 20 years we've lived here, they drive by once weekly in broad day-light, while the criminals sleep hidden.
re: "get the means to Defend against invasions": Surrounded...by above, how would you respond?
re: "Fortify your home and environment": Surrounded...by above, what do you suggest?
Because this thread was started with "disabled fences & tracking... people", I thought this was a discussion re Safety. That led me to post what I did. - No clue was given at first re "have fun..."
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@rainbow If it was my situation & in my power to do so, I'd move. We are in a bad neighbor feud situation here and a community that gossips & looks found the nose at others rather than helps or cares, but we have nothing like you do.
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@rainbow Wow, your situation sounds so much worse than I had feared!! I wish there were some way I could help you. Your positive postings give no clue to what you are experiencing.
Sounds like you are in the midst of a societal breakdown. Are the police trusted to respond to an emergency call? Do the criminals and bums outnumber the productive people?
I moved away from a big city for less reason than that. I was blessed to be able to do so.
This is what I would do if I couldn't move. The productive, sober people, rich and poor, need to band together to throw out the useless politicians. This could start with a church group or any groups that already meet regularly.
Alert any charitable groups that may exist to the problem, see if the agency is willing to help some of these people.
Animal Control should respond to dangerous, unrestrained dogs. Dog owners can face fines and lawsuits if their animals threaten or attack.
Depending where you live, fire departments as well as police can and should respond to arson because the fire could burn the whole state. Meth houses have the tendency to explode.
If it were me, I would scale back any new operations at the further reaches of your property. You're lucky the fire didn't hurt you. The work you are doing is being undone by those SOBs.
As far as the outbuildings and house, prepare against a home invasion. I hate to sound so negative, yet it sounds like you are under constant, preliminary attack. You need ways to keep the bad guys out and ways to defend yourself if they get in. In normal places, it takes the police about 6 minutes to respond to a 911 call. Make sure you keep a charged phone with you at all times.
All of these ideas will require lots of effort on your part, there is no way around that fact.
None of us meant this discussion thread to be so serious. However, this is a caring group that will help however we can despite large geographical distances. Please keep us informed as I will worry about you.
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@merlin44 , I did find some human tracks. The print is crazy big. I am not sure what this means, perhaps wears a thin-soled shoe? There is an outline around the footprint, but the footprint is very detailed. Even the toes" prints are easily seen. They follow my woods line, come out, visit animal enclosures, walk about, and return into the woods. My cameras are either shot or hit with a large object. Why not simply take the card? I gave up replacing the cameras. It rather seems whoever enters the property does so, for the sole purpose of letting me know they can.
I spoke with law enforcement. The intruder never "hurt any of us", only a few dead animals or released, so they suggested I put up cameras.
I had already told them my cameras were being destroyed. Sooooo, not much help from the law. My internet is unreliable, so I can't implement cameras that rely on bluetooth.
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@shllnzl I worried about those things too. One never knows what another person is up to! I'd even understand someone snooping about, if I had one of those really great homesteads with ponds and all sort of different animals, and....., but I don't. lol I have an old tobacco farm I am working hard to restore, surrounded by woods. Hunters love those woods, so during deer season, I stay out of them, even though I own the land. Whoever it is takes nothing. They move things around. They knock hard on the doors. They may/may not have killed animals. Several mysteriously died. They put odd things in with the animals. They removed feed bowls and such. Bewildering.
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@dimck421The activities sound a lot like those of a bored teenager who may live nearby. My sympathies are with you.
I have been thinking about the prints you found. Moccasins on the feet might flex enough to make a big footprint but I doubt toe prints would show through. The barefoot shoes I know about are either sock like with individual toes or have a very thin rubber sole. Maybe the first type would make that type of print. I had the odd thought (among many) that someone put on "bigfoot" type boots to add to the mystery.
I feed a feral cat. If I leave the food bowl out too late, raccoons empty it and leave it all over the place. Depending on food bowl size and content, you may have visiting raccoons too.
If the odd things left with the animals are small, there are small mammals that do things like that like the packrat.
I'm pretty sure that animals are not targeting the cameras or the electric fence.😉
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@shllnzl I considered a teen also. Unless they are willing to take quiet a hike, there is no teen near. It is a person with tons of empty time, for sure! We have a kennel of feral cats we saved from being coyote snacks. After whoever it is kept releasing the cats, we added locks, but the kennel doors can be lifted and moved. Whoever removes the bowls and scratch limbs, even the blankets we add to keep them warm. If it all was not sort of annoying, it would be rather humorous.
The cameras were able to snap off what looks like a big white board or something, coming at it, before no longer snapping photographs. Some are definitely shot, while others are quite bent up. I am paranoid enough to think someone, perhaps, wants the land, so they would like to chase us off. Yup. Paranoid. lol
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@dimck421 I would bet that someone wants the land as well. The person(s) have so far kept from committing a felony and doesn't want to be caught on camera. It is cruel to you and the animals to do such mischief though. Maybe some kind of disguised camera that you can install without being observed... I hope for your sake they grow tired of the game.
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@shllnzl So far, this game has gone on with no break for almost 6 years. Just found tobacco sticks in with the goats. Like, every day, there is a new thing. Since it simply can't be a fun thing to do, it must be for the land. Truly bewildering.
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@dimck421 Has this gone on since you bought the place? I am wondering if there is a family member from previous owner who is disgruntled, thinking they should have gotten the land? Maybe when you have free time, you could search county records for likely suspects. It also could be someone who lost the bidding war when you bought the place. What you are experiencing is resentment held in check by a cautious brain. Too bad, people suck sometimes. If you could afford it, you could hire a private detective to skulk around and ID the person.
You will be in my thoughts. I will practice gratitude for the neighbors I have that have only expressed good will towards me.
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@Laurie re MOVE... a subject more emotionally burdensome, than Hopeful for me. As in https://community.thegrownetwork.com/discussion/842018/🦷-natural-dental-care-🦷I said there last week "After being flown to the U.S.A. my mouth hung open in utter astonishment for at least nine years! re the Different realities I faced every single day: in Family-life, in Eating, in Schools, & most alarmingly in the sick industries that previously I had only 2 brief/1day emergency experiences with. Talk about culture-shock ! ..."
After I was torn at age 12 from my (in all but 1 way) sheltered Healthy German childhood, the change to the USA I found soo Different.... that I wrote back to Germany "am no longer on earth, no way. I can Not believe what life is like here".
And mind you that was in the 1960's, when the societal madness was no where near as hopeless, as it became with each passing decade. - But even then it was traumatizing.... - And truth be told, altho as a basic Extrovert I easily form friendships no matter where I have lived; - When a person is impacted, & countless others intentionally-harm... incldg. wanting someone dead, & acting in that direction, it does affect people, iow after so many passing traumas, the post-traumatic stressors left me so chronically anxious!!, with Cortisol-levels OFF the chart, - that I moved, & moved, & moved 130x Hopefully finding a Homestead allowing expression of my Healthy passions all of which I continue loving...
Naturally, No one wants to keep running, - so for 20 years surrounded by criminals, we have given it our best here to Stay.
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@dimck421 You indeed have an annoying mystery. How often do you find evidence of this person on your property? Do the tracks always come and go in the same direction or is there any variance in route? Do you have dogs that free range the property? How large are the "crazy big" tracks, can you match them to a man's shoe size? The clear toe prints and outline are a puzzle, even moccasins don't leave obvious toe imprints. The uselessness of replacing your cameras is obvious but I would consider one well camouflaged camera near the animal enclosures, possibly in a tree (most people don't look up), out of easy reach and a big dog if you don't have one. Safety has to be considered, rural law enforcement often cannot be counted on so I hope you carry adequate protection with you.
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@rainbow @dimck421 Wow. Both your situations sound so difficult. As much as ours has the potential to turn life fully upside down (unless one of those neighbors die), it is not scary in the same way nor quite that creepy in the same way. Our situation keeps us wary and cautious, always expecting bad to come down if there is one perceived misstep. If money comes our way, we are either buying the land around us (offered by the one neighbor & would ease our situation), or moving. Moving is our preferred option if we can do it, for so many reasons. We have been here close to 20 years (so at least 19 years too long), so who knows.
Rainbow, I still think it still sounds like it is in your best interest to move (for so many reasons), but carefully do your research first so that you can determine the community vibe. There are much, much safer places to be, maybe even another state. It sounds as though @shllnzl is in a good place, possibly many others on this forum are too. Put a post out there to see who is happy with their surrounding community, take a trip out to wherever sounds best (more than one area) & check it out for yourself...and ask questions of that person & others in the area. I KNOW there are good places out there where you could relax. You need that so much. Where you are is just keeping you in that bad place that you were trying to escape from. You aren't where you want to be yet. If the money is there...don't stop looking. You gave it many years and it isn't working out...it is time to move forward to better things.
Dimck421, I am thinking as the others here. If the problem has been 6 years, it is most likely not a teen as they would have moved on to other things by now. Your situation would make me very uneasy. Is it even worth keeping the land if this doesn't stop? Is it worth continuing to fight the battle?
Part of me says to feel things out with a fake "for sale" sign and see who comes knocking or talking. Does nobody else around have this same problem? Is there no gossip or such making its rounds about this happening to more folks in your area?
I posted a bunch of questions to the community asking questions about their satisfaction of living in their area. I am hoping to get some good responses.
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@rainbow I am in southern Utah. It is one of the fastest growing areas in the country, especially for retirees. I left Las Vegas, Nevada, part of a county of 2 million people. (I had lived there for over 30 years.) The county I live in now has 180 thousand. There are farms and gardens here in the desert although it can be difficult. We are zone 8. There is much less crime here and a lot more church people. I live near Zion National Park so we get a share of tourists.
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@rainbow Moving is a very emotional time,especially if you have lived somewhere for awhile. BTW: Germany is also going through societal change.
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@shllnzl This is old family land. Unfortunately, as some families do, there was some bickering when the estate settled. Some were not super happy with results. That said, at this point, all those folks are older, so I dismissed them from my list of suspects. The land is surrounded by timber land and hunt land. It is pretty nice land, so I sort of think others may want it. OR I over think matters. lol
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@Laurie I have a portion of my grandaprents' tobacco farm. It was 150 acres. Three family members divided it. Way odd things happen to two of us. The third own is pretty much left alone. I thought about selling out and packing it in many times. Tough decision.
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@dimck421 Could your third family member be doing the mischief? Strange how that person is left alone from the sabotage.
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