Methods to track animals when hunting

There are several methods to track an animal when hunting.

Professional hunter Gerrie Odendaal said that one of these methods is the spot-and-stalk method. "The idea behind spot-and-stalk is to spot the animal from a good distance away and plan a stalk to get close enough for a shot."

Odendaal said that when using this method, hunters also take into consideration the location where the animal is most likely to be and the time of day.

“For instance, in the morning certain species will be out in the open areas grazing, while later in the afternoon they will move into the bush for cover.”

He said that another method to track an animal is to pick up a fresh trail and start following it.

He added that you can also look at spots that a certain species often visits. “For example, an eland likes the bush while gemsbok and springbok are more often found on the plains.”

As a result, you will head to different habitats Odendaal said.

He added that the moon plays an important role in hunting. “The moment there is a full moon, animal activity is much less because they graze much more during the day.”

He said that a lot of wildlife also visit drinking holes early in the morning, so you should visit these to see what species is moving in what direction.

“Another important thing is the wind. Many antelopes graze 'wind-up'. Because its head is down while it grazes, it is in a threat zone. So, when grazing, its nose is more important since its eyes are downcast and a threat is more easily smelled.

Therefore, hunters should remain aware of this and the wind direction as they should come from behind.

Odendaal said that the biggest thing when tracking is that you should try to determine the age of the animal as an “age-related measurement system” was introduced by the Namibia Professional Hunting Association (NAPHA) aimed at incentivising the hunting of old animals that are past their prime.

According to Odendaal, an animal's tracks can indicate age, like an old eland bull's spoor will stand out more, while with a rooibok or springbok, there won't be much of a difference.

He added that the identification of different species is sometimes challenging, giving the example of springbok and rooibok tracks that are very similar.

He said that in these incidences you will look at other signs such as the browse height of the animal and branches that are broken.

“Your binoculars obviously play a big part in determining the outcome.”

He explained that while there is plains game hunting and big game hunting, the tracking methods do not differ much. "While big game can travel over vast distances more quickly, the biggest difference is the danger element."