In my line of work, if you are tracking someone, you are always behind them. The only way to catch them is to run and that creates it’s own set of dangers.
Sign-cutting is finding a track or “sign”, using human nature, the terrain and the environment to get ahead of the people you are tracking and waiting for them. It is about being students of terrain, the environment you are in, and human nature.
Let me break this down for you:
Human Nature – Most people will not walk a strenuous path. They will follow fence-lines, gulleys, ditches, game trails and possibly even snowmobile or quad trails (I think the latter would be rare but they would make great escape routes). They will not walk over hills or hummocks. They will not walk against a furrowed field for very long. Generally, people will follow the easiest path available in the general direction they wish to travel. Of course there are exceptions to every rule. Professionals will take the harder road because again, human nature, will lull you into thinking nobody will climb over that hill to get you! One last type of person, the sheeple, will obviously follow the roads.
The Environment – When traveling at night, humans will likely key in on an environmental feature, antenna light, airport strobe, city lights, lampposts, anything that is visible to be their guide, while still following human nature. During the daytime the above features plus sounds can be added. Don’t forget smoke from chimneys or fires will also be used by people as a visual guide during the day. Weather will also play a role here, mainly in aging your sign but it may also slow down the group you are after.
The Terrain – This is one of the most important aspects of this craft. You must know the surrounding terrain, at least 1 mile beyond your retreat property. Topo maps are a great second choice for this. I like the DeLorme Atlas and Gazetteer
The Sign – Yes, this is just a footprint, but it can tell you so much. It can tell you if the subject was running, walking, limping, tired, type of footwear, direction of travel and how many people are in the group. To become proficient you must practice. The easiest way is to find an area of bare earth. Use an area that has the same type of soil as the majority of your property. Clear it and rake it smooth. Walk a straight line everyday for a week using the same footwear. Make these trails side by side about a foot or two apart (pun intended). Keep track of the weather for that week also, dew, rain, wind, etc. Hopefully, you will have had dry weather for the week. If not, it just got a little tougher. Compare the edges of the prints. Look to see how defined the new ones are and how the print edges degrade over time and weather. Refer to your weather notes when looking at the sign. Look at the indentation of the heels and toe. The heel is usually sharp and deep. The foot then rolls flat and up onto the toe as the step progresses. At the finish of the step, there is usually a little dirt “kickup” just behind the toe print as the footwear leaves the ground for the next step.
Once you think you are good at judging tracks. Have a friend lay these same tracks but mix up where he walks them in the area. Make sure he keeps a good drawing of when and where he walked. You keep track of the weather for the time period. Now go out at the end of the week and judge the age of the tracks. Tell your friend when you think he laid(walked) what track and see if you are right. Don’t get discouraged. This takes awhile to learn. Once you have this down fairly well, add rain, grass, etc. Remember; don’t set yourself up for failure. Add one element at a time, use soft soils until you get the technique.
There are two types of running prints, the toe runner, this usually indicates sprinting meaning the subject heard you coming, saw you or got nervous about something. These types of track usually only have toe prints. They are deep and have a lot of kickup. They usually progress into the next type of track due to fatigue. I call the next type of runner the loper. He is in for the long haul. You will usually see a deep heel impression which may be partially filled in by the large kickup as his toe pushes off for the next step. A tired person will usually drag their feet and these drag lines will be visible. They usually are made by the toe and may come and go depending upon the age and level of fatigue of the individual. You may see one at either foot or on both feet. It can also look like a scuff mark made by sliding the whole shoe. A limp will have two different types of tracks with the same footwear. Usually the injured leg has a flat track with no heel depression or toe kick and it may have significant drag marks.
Type of footwear comes with knowing what tread patterns look like. I try to concentrate on remembering military style soles so I know who I am following.
There are the crafty individuals who will attempt to “brush out” their tracks. They will use a piece of cloth or brush to “sweep” the area in an attempt to cover their tracks. This is obvious once you know what to look for (prep for this by “brushing out” your own tracks). You can also avoid falling for these by not looking at just intersections for tracks. Check up and down both lines of the intersection at least 20-30 feet.
Sign-cutting is a craft. I cannot stress highly enough that you must know the terrain you are in to be effective. Knowing the age of the sign alone is not enough. How people move is important. Take a walk in the woods with friends. Watch how people move through the terrain. Which routes do they pick? How do they move through dense brush? A park is perfect for watching people move through various types of terrain. Where I live I have parks with steep ravines, rivers and large boulders. You can see how people avoid hard trails and pick the path of least resistance.
So, how does this play into operational security (OPSEC)? First, having learned how people usually move, do the opposite. The professionals do so must you. Another point is knowing how people move, you know which routes to expect visitors from and you will be able to tell how many people went by, how long ago and what was their direction of travel and even more so, whether they stopped and watched or not. Always watch for tripwires and ambushes. the professionals know all this stuff and will be prepared to cover their back trail. Stay safe, Stay alive.