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Animal Tracking Course – Level 3 (NCFE IIQ Accredited)
Duration: Friday 7 pm to Sunday 12 pm
Accreditation: NCFE IIQ Level 3 Certification
- Course: Animal Tracking Course (CQ10672)
- Dates: 10th-12th APril 2026 in Devon and 24th-26th April 2026 in Staffordshire.
- Venue: Devon (Near Exeter - EX11 1LU) and Staffordshire (Near Burton upon Trent - DE13 9RW).
- Times: 7pm on the Friday - midday on the Sunday.
- Ages: All ages above 14 years welcome.
- Certificates: From 1st August 2022, all certifications will be in the form of eCertificates.
Course Overview
Dive into the world of wildlife tracking with our Level 3 Animal Tracking Course. This immersive weekend is designed to introduce you to the art and science of reading the woods — learning to identify animal tracks, signs, and behaviour, and to quietly shadow wildlife until you get 'eyes on'. No prior tracking experience required.
Whether you’re a complete beginner or someone who already enjoys bushcraft and outdoor skills, this course offers a deep, rewarding insight into how to truly observe and interact with nature with patience and awareness. Under expert guidance, you’ll learn to see the woods in a new light.
What You’ll Learn & Do
- Track & Sign Identification: Learn how to spot and interpret animal footprints, trails, feeding signs and other spoor.
- Fieldcraft & Observation Techniques: Develop stealth, awareness, camouflage, and observation skills — how to blend into the environment and move quietly without disturbing nature.
- Stalking & Following Wildlife: Gain hands-on experience in following animal trails and attempts to track live animals, using everything from visual cues to environmental clues and contextual signs.
- Night Tracking: Experience tracking in low-light / nighttime conditions — enhancing your senses and tracking awareness beyond daytime visibility.
- Understanding Animal Behaviour & Ecology: Learn what different tracks and signs tell you about animal habits, behaviour patterns, and movement — giving you a deeper understanding of wildlife and their environment.
Why Choose This Course
- Accredited Qualification: Earn a Level 3 NCFE IIQ certificate — a recognised credential confirming your tracking and field-craft skills.
- Practical, Immersive Learning: It’s a fully hands-on course: there’s no classroom-only theory — you’ll be out in real woodland, using all your senses to track and observe wildlife.
- Beginner-Friendly: You don’t need any previous tracking experience to attend — the course is designed to take you from novice to confident tracker over a single weekend.
- Transformative Perspective: Many past participants report that after the course, they “never look at the woods in the same way again” — you’ll begin to read nature in a whole new way.
Ideal For
- Anyone curious about wildlife and nature — from total beginners to seasoned bushcraft enthusiasts.
- People interested in animal behaviour, fieldcraft, wildlife observation, or tracking as a hobby or skill.
- Bushcraft practitioners who want to complement their fire, shelter, and tool skills with nature-awareness and tracking.
- Wildlife photographers, conservationists, or anyone wanting a deeper connection with the natural world.
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Friday's Itinerary
- 7:00pm Safety Brief
- 7:30pm Make Camp
- 8:00pm Sit Spots, Zoning and Awareness
- 9:00pm Tracking History and Terminology
Saturday's Itinerary
- 8:30am Tracking Sticks and Tracking Kits
- 9:30am Camouflage
- 11:00am Human and Animal Senses
- 1:30pm Visualisation and Stalking
- 3:00pm Gaits, Gait patterns, Compression shapes, Action indicators
- 4:00pm Use of Light
- 4:15pm Animal Track ID
- 5:00pm Feeding and Feeding signs
- 6:00pm Tracks, trails and runs
- 8:00pm Night Tracking
Sunday's Itinerary
- 8:00am Man Tracking
- 9:00am Animal Behaviour
- 10:00am Step by Step tracking and track analysis
- 12:00pm All good things must come to an end. Course departs.
The itinerary may change depending on the weather, but all subjects will be covered.
