Tracking Series 08 – Brian McConnell: Hunting and Trailing Wildlife and CyberTracker Trailing Evaluations

In this eighth episode of my tracking series I had the fortune to catch up with avid hunter, tracker, and CyberTracker evaluator Brian McConnell. In our discussion we cover a lot of ground (pun intended). Brian fills us in on his background as a young man being taught by his dad how to hunt in the Arkansas woods, then learning intuitively to trail deer, and finally, later in life, connecting with a class offering formal training in tracking techniques which helped him refine his craft to the point of earning a specialist level on his second ever trailing evaluation, then becoming an evaluator shortly after. Brian shares his knowledge on:

· How a trailing evaluation unfolds and what the evaluator is scoring the tracker on

· How he uses tracking to inform and support his hunting activities, especially for deer and elk

· Tells us some hunting stories, showcasing how 90% of the elk he takes are done so by trailing right to the animal

· Gives us some practical tips on how to begin learning the art of trailing, especially for hunting purposes

Connect with Brian

https://trackercertification.com/evaluators/

Book Recommendations

Dersu the Trapper, by: V.K. Arseniev

The Jim Corbett Omnibus, by: Jim Corbett (Includes “Man-eaters of Kumaon”, “The Temple Tiger and More Man-eaters of Kumaon”, and “The Man-eating Leopard of Rudraprayag”)