Hilltown Land Trust | Wildlife Tracking Resources

A group of five adults and children gathers around a set of tracks in a snowy forest. They are all warmly dressed and wearing snowshoes, and looking at and talking with each other.

Participants examined fisher tracks with HLT in Chesterfield, February 2025.

Are you curious who left those footprints in your backyard? Did you spy bobcat tracks on a hike and wonder where the cat was headed? Why did those squirrel tracks stop abruptly…with a print of large wings in the snow nearby?

Wildlife tracking offers a way to get curious about animals and the clues they leave behind in any season. We’ve put together some resources for you to start or further your own wildlife tracking journey.

Why track wildlife for conservation and stewardship?

As a conservation organization, once we take on responsibility for land, it’s our job to care for it – and the interconnected webs of life that make up the land. Wildlife tracking is one way to evaluate how well we’re stewarding the land in our care.

“Tracking can help us connect with animals as they move across the landscape,” says HLT’s Land Conservation and Stewardship Manager Jess Applin. “And it’s fun! The practice can build focus, help you set aside stress and worry, and let you be in the zone with the tracks. It’s great for building human relationships, too.”