A disappeared art that of skilled markers, was used to fill game bags and read the whispers of the forest. To rediscover it, all you need is passion and a keen eye.
The forest has always been an open book, at least for all those who have been able to read. If until a few decades ago this was the art of hunters and nature lovers, who spent whole days between a bush and an holm oak, today the reading of the traces is almost forgotten art. Too bad, because it could prove particularly useful for lovers of hunting, and for anyone who intends to walk through the woods, listening to and retracing the passage of the animals that live there. In short, it would be a tool to live more completely and more consciously the nature that surrounds us.
Although it is a complex activity, to be assimilated with years of experience, anyone who wants to learn and knows how to sharpen the eye, will be able to glimpse signals that were previously ignored.
As already mentioned elsewhere, the traces do not materialize exclusively with the footprints of passing animals. To tell us about the presence of the wild we think, for example, the traces of the teeth, the remains of animals or eggs, and above all the facts. Let's find out a little more.
The traces of teeth can be read above all on the tender trunks, gnawed in search of nourishment, especially during the winter months. The wild rabbit, for example, prefers orchards and reforestation areas where the trees have soft bark. The traces left start from the bottom and rise even 60 cm from the ground following a straight line. The same could be said for the hare, which however reaches a maximum of 50 cm from the ground, leaving however clearer signs.
Water rats gnaw rings of young trunk about 20 cm wide, marking the tree with unmistakable footprints.
Even deer during the winter months enjoy nibbling the rind of numerous plants mainly due to food shortages. As a rule, they begin to tear the bark of the tree from a height of about 50 cm from the ground, grabbing and pulling upwards. The stripes can reach up to one and a half meters. We can even find out if the hungry deer was male or female. In the first case the cut will be oblique, bothered by the horns.
The modus operandi of the roe deer is similar to that of the deer only that it attacks the bark from about 30 centimeters from the ground.
Animal remains, on the other hand, indicate the presence of a bird of prey in the surroundings. The little birds in that case are plucked and what remains is only the beak or the legs. In the case of large birds, on the other hand, the entire skeleton could remain, perfectly cleaned of the flesh.
The beheading of the prey is most often done by corvids or small rodents, while when the hunter is a mammalian carnivore, the cat for example, or the stone marten, the birds are plucked and slaughtered. In any case, even foxes, dogs and skunks always tend to decapitate the unfortunate prey.
If, on the other hand, we find ourselves in front of a prey that seems intact, but which in itself no longer has a drop of blood, there is no doubt about the passage of a weasel or an ermine. In the event that the prey is missing one or two eyes, we are faced with the action of a skunk, while if the prey is partially eaten and buried, it is certainly a fox or dog predator.
Even the eggs can tell us more about the animal that launched the attack. For example, when they are broken through with a precise blow, we find ourselves in front of a crow or a crow, while the jay breaks the egg lengthwise. If, on the other hand, the nest has been found by a carnivorous mammal such as the fox, the beech marten or the dog, these will go away with the eggs in their mouth which they will manage not to break, exactly as mice are capable of doing. The eggs will then be hidden in their shelter and eaten calmly.
If the shell is completely crushed it is obvious the passage of a hedgehog or a badger, while the perfectionist squirrel breaks the egg into two equal parts. Also specify the stoat and the weasel that drink the egg through a small lateral hole.
Recognizing the signals left by the predator is useful for the hunter who can find out more about the hunting territory and its population. A careful reading of the tracks can also help the landowner defend himself against harmful animals that attack and destroy. In that case it is always better to know who you are dealing with right?