Animal Tracks and Tracking, SAR Search and Rescue, Military and Law Enforcement Tracking, Dinosaur Tracking Books and More

Beartracker's Bookstore
The books on this page are recommended for trackers just learning, or those who are more experienced. They cover animal tracks, military and law enforcement uses of tracking, search and rescue (SAR) tracking, and animal tracking for kids!
Beartracker owns most books offered on this page, and recommendations are below each book. Beartracker's Animal Tracks Den earns a small commission from each sale made from this page. All commissions earned go directly to support this web site and keep Beartracker's Animal Tracks Den online and always FREE! We are celebrating ten years online this year! Thank you for all your support!

General Track Identification and Tracking Field Guides

This was the first guide that had color photos of the tracks. Still an excellent choice for a beginning or experienced tracker.	The Peterson Guide has been updated with new photos and more information, making it a great choice. The low price and amount of information makes this an excellent choice for someone who wants a great all-around guide.

This is a detailed guide to tracking certain species. It includes detailed accounts of the chosen species, as well as tips for tracking them.	This is a good guide to learning gaits and track and scat identification. Lots of information for a low price!

A more detailed guide covering the widest variety of species. This book includes tracks, scats and other signs. Color photos and drawings help the tracker identify tracks found in the field.	This one is great for birders or anyone interested in bird tracks and signs. There are sections on nests, feathers, skulls, and scats too.

A wonderful guide that will help you identify the tracks you find in snow. Snow can be an easy or difficult medium to track in. Get this guide if you live where it snows! Great low price too.	This book takes a different approach than a general field guide. It offers tips for teaching yourself awareness and observation skills that will help you be a better tracker.

This guide covers mainly eastern species, but the animal behavior notes will help even western trackers learn about the species they are interested in. Many of these species have close cousins who live in the western parts of the country. This one is a good choice!	Great book covering European tracks and signs. Includes not only the tracks, but other signs as well. A very complete and useful guide.

An autobiographical account of the life of Tom Brown, Jr. He is a well-known tracker who teaches tracking and wilderness survival and more. He learned his skills from an Apache named Stalking Wolf. Great reading and you can find some nice tracking tips in the text!	Tom Brown's more detailed tracking guide. This guide introduces concepts not found in other guides, including Tom's system called Pressure Releases.

This book is great for those wanting to learn tracking and observation skills. Activities and lessons help you develop your skills as you read along and practice the techniques. Includes a section on identifying tracks, with drawings.	This book has lots of information in it. The author is an outdoor writer and has written a lot about hunting and outdoor skills.

A short book with introductory information about tracks and tracking. This would be a good one for a young tracker or someone who just wants a lightweight guide to take along on hikes in the wilderness. Low price!	Ellsworth Jaeger's book has been around for many years and is a great tracking collection. This one has been in my collection since day one. Nicely done with great illustrations.

Plenty of information about the animals and their tracks and signs. A nice novel-sized book. Easy to carry on camping trips.	This is a small book that gives information on primarily eastern species.

Another nice compact guide that you can carry in a pocket or pack.	Small, compact and printed on water resistant paper for field use.

An Audubon guide with photos of the animals and drawings of their tracks. Very small and easy to fit in a pocket or pack. Great for Scouts of hike leaders!	This is a very well-done guide written by a student of Paul Resendez.

A good guide to get if you visit Glacier or the area near it.	A short and compact guide that you can take with you into the field. Hey, it even mentions Beartracker's Animal Tracks Den in the resource section at the back! A must! :)

A good one to have if you live where it snows!	This guide has good illustrations and text that gives an introduction to tracking.

This one has been around a while, but tracks don't change.	A compact guide that fits in a pocket. Take it in the field or put it in your pack. A good value for the price.
Tom Brown Jr.'s Other Books (tracking and other skills)

A biographical book about Tom's life.	This book tells about some tracking cases Tom Brown has been involved in. Great reading for any tracker!

Tom's guide to wilderness survival has some information on tracking. It is packed full of useful tips on how to survive in the wilds!	This is one of Tom's autobiographical books. This is more on the philosophical side of his writings.
Animal Tracks of Other Countries

Eurepean animal tracks. This is an excellent, well-written guide!	Tracks of Britain!

African animal tracks	African animal tracks by Louis Liebenberg, a member of International Society of Professional Trackers too!

An excellent book about Australian animal tracks. Beautifully done with photos and drawings. A great addition to your library!
Can't decide which book to buy? Go here to search for everything else!

James Halfpenny's Regional Tracking Guides
The regional tracking guides below offer brief information about approximately 70 species per book. There is some overlap as many of these species are found in multiple regions. These guides are lightweight and easy to carry into the field. They aren't real pricey, so they make great gifts. Get one for your region as well as places where you vacation or hike!










Kid's and Children's Books Teach your kids to love nature and track animals!

Nice introductory book for kids.	A really cute story!

This is an activity pack about tracks. Great for kids!	This book shows the tracks in life-size drawings. A nice way to introduce kids to tracking.

Many kids get their first introduction to tracking by finding tracks in snow.	A nice guide for young children.

Very nice boo for kids. Jim Arnosky's books are entertaining.	A good book to teach kids about the tracks left by lots of animals!

A great way to learn about scats and tracks! This is part of a series set in national parks.	A great way to learn about scats and tracks! This is part of a series set in national parks.

A great way to learn about scats and tracks! This is part of a series set in national parks.	A great way to learn about scats and tracks! This is part of a series set in national parks.



The Crinkleroot books are very well-done with nice illustrations. A creative story and character to introduce tracking!

This is one I have in my collection. Well-done and good scientific concepts for kids to learn.

	All of Gary Paulsen's books are recommended. One of my favorite writers!

	This book is about Sue Morse, who runs Keeping Track. They provide tracking training to citizen scientists all over the US.



Books Recommended for Parents and Teachers

The Last Child in the Woods is a great book that tells what is causing Nature Deficit Disorder among our children. Beartracker's Animal Tracks Den highly recommends this book. All schools should have it, and it should be required reading for parents and teachers. The time has come to get kids back out into nature and away from television and video games. The stories and statistics in this book will seem unreal, but that's why we need to concentrate on awakening a love of nature in our kids! Tracking is my way of doing that, but there are many ways to do it.

Tracking at Crime Scenes / Evidence / Law Enforcement / Military Applications

This book is great for law enforcement or military tracking techniques. The author runs a well-known tactical tracking school and has used these techniques his entire career. Recommended!	This book may be pricey, but it's worth it. It shows how shoes are manufactured, how they can be identified using various marks that come from wear or from the manufacturing process, and much more. Shows how to collect tracks for evidence purposes. It's a fascinating look at footwear that will benefit any tracker of people! This book is the standard for track evidence collection! Highly recommended!

This book is applicable to search and rescue, but most of the examples are of military uses of tracking. It offers useful tips and has a tracking story that runs throughout the entire book. The story provides examples of the techniques being illustrated and provides a better grasp of the concepts being taught for the reader.	This book is also good for military applications. Good examples and tips!

This is a good book on this subject. Pricey but worth it. Shows how to collect the evidence, how tires are made, how marks can be identified that will identify particular tires, etc.	A much shorter book than Bodziak's above, this one offers a lot of the same information in a less expensive package.

Also much briefer than Bodziak's book. This one doesn't provide nearly the amount of information you'll get with the more expensive book. It's a good brief introduction though.
Tracking Dinosaurs and other Ichnology Books

A fascinating subject for modern-day trackers. Yes, you can actually find ancient tracks from dinosaurs!	This one has photos and diagrams of dinosaur trackways from the West. Very good collection of information for those interested in dinosaur tracking.

This book will give you a good introduction to the subject of dinosaur tracking!	This book has dinosaur tracks found in Europe. A nice addition to any tracker's collection!

A great book for dinosaur trackers!
Search and Rescue / SAR / and Dog Training Books

This book includes a section on SAR (search and rescue) tracking. Great for those who are learning and who want to get NASAR certification.	For anyone interested in training a SAR dog.

This is not visual tracking, but tracking with dogs. A great book for anyone who wants to train their dog for SAR work!	How to train your dog to be a SAR tracker dog.

All about tracking dogs. Not visual tracking of signs, but of scents etc.	A good book on how visual trackers can work in the field with dog handlers. A must for any SAR tracker!
Ian Sheldon/Tamara Eder Regional Tracking Guides
This is a large collection of regional tracking guides by these two authors. They are inexpensive and small enough to stuff in a day pack. Take them hiking or camping. Easy to carry and easy to use. There are drawings of the tracks and lots of good information about each species. Get one for your region and one for each region where you camp, hike, hunt, or fish! Tracking will make any outdoor excursion more memorable. These guides cover both US and Canada regions.






























Chris Stall's Regional Tracking Guides
Another set of regional tracking guides. These ones are very inexpensive and lightweight. Easy to carry in your pack or pocket. Get them for all regions you visit. Carry them on hiking and camping trips. Good introductory tracking guides and they make great gifts for all your outdoor friends!






Tracking Fiction by Hannah Nyala

Edge of your seat suspense and great tracking action by Hannah Nyala.

Hannah's own story. Frightening at times, but hopeful. Tracking is a central theme in this book.
OK, so this one is not a tracking book. My dad wrote this fiction book and I figured I'd offer it here since he's a relative and all. :)

Fictional story about a lawyer in prison.
Thanks for stopping by! Come back any time and see what new books we offer! All sales help keep Beartracker's Animal Tracks Den online and updated regularly! Thanks again and HAPPY TRACKING! REMEMBER: Animals Don't Cover Their Tracks! (tm)
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Updated: March 26, 2018
Member: International Society of Professional Trackers