Mantracking Unit

Mantracking is the practice of following and interpreting the physical signs left behind by a person to locate them. It involves identifying and analyzing disturbances in the environment, such as footprints, broken vegetation, scuff marks, displaced soil/stone, or other subtle clues that indicate a person’s movement.

Mantracking is highly specialized with training that involves more than just looking for footprints.

Mantracking combines observation, training, and experience to detect and follow signs, even in tough conditions. Its goal is to efficiently track individuals in wilderness or disaster scenarios, aiding in their rescue by narrowing search areas and focusing resources.

Signs of passage can include: Damaged vegetation, interlaced grasses, clothing fibers, and other subtle clues. Our training enables us to detect things that most people wouldn’t notice. While anyone can follow clear footprints in mud, we track barely perceptible signs such as flattened vegetation, scuff marks, and dislodged pebbles.

We are skilled in following a subject even across difficult surfaces like concrete.

Additionally, we are trained to interpret the signs we find. For example, from a single footprint, we can estimate when it was made, how the subject moved, their speed, and predict the location of the next footprint. We can identify where a person sat or placed their pack and infer whether they were carrying something and the effort involved. 

By studying these signs, we gain insights into the subject’s state of mind, which aids in locating them. We employ various signcutting techniques to pick up a trail and different tracking methods to follow it.

Our work complements the overall search effort, serving as one of the tools in the search manager’s toolbox. Once we pick up a trail, search managers can concentrate resources more effectively.

People travel at about 3 mph and search operations can quickly become overwhelming.

However, if mantrackers can determine a direction of travel from the Point Last Seen (PLS), they can reduce the search area from an entire pie to just one slice (shown in light orange), eliminating about 85% of the potential area quickly.

Mantrackers work in teams, with one team staying on the known trail while others leapfrog ahead to search for signs of the subject. Once a team finds new signs, they follow the trail, and the process continues until the subject is located. This strategy allows for rapid coverage of large areas.

When non-tracker searchers discover clues, trackers can verify if they belong to the subject and continue the trail. This makes trackers a vital asset in enhancing the efficiency of search and rescue efforts.

A small number of trackers can greatly enhance the effectiveness of a search and rescue effort!