Fall 2023 Trailing Programs
Cable, WI
November 2-12
**UPDATE: We have one spot open in the November 8-10 workshop.**
**Please Contact Us for more details or to register.**
Experience the full expression of tracking: the identification and interpretation of animal spoor and sign, applied to follow fresh trails and find the animal.
Join Preston Taylor, Cybertracker Evaluator and Senior Tracker, to learn this process or deepen your current practice. We will be following the elk and the deer near Clam Lake, in the North Woods of Wisconsin, as the land is on the cusp of turning from leaves to snow.
Workshops are run by Original Wisdom, and Evaluations are hosted by Original Wisdom for Tracker Certification North America. Certifications are based on the system developed by Louis Liebenberg in Southern Africa (CyberTracker.org).
2023 Trailing Program Dates
Workshop #1: Nov 2-4
Evaluation #1: Nov 5-6
Workshop #2: Nov 8-10
Evaluation #2: Nov 11-12
Workshop (up to 5 participants): Learn the basics or deepen your understanding of trailing under the guidance of an expert tracker and renowned teacher. Preston will teach the process for trailing any animal, and help you apply this to the deer, elk, and wolves who inhabit the woods around Cable, WI.
Evaluation (up to 4 participants): Preston will evaluate your trailing skills against the Cybertracker criteria. Feedback is not given on the trail, but after the evaluation concludes. White-tailed deer or elk are our most likely trailing candidates in this area.
Lodging
We will stay in the Forest Lodge Gatehouse, outside of Cable, WI (Map)
This northwoods retreat space is managed by Northland College, and offers a fully equipped kitchen, common space, and fireplace for gathering and debriefing our days of trailing with Preston.
You can read more about the Gatehouse here.
Meals:
Meal costs are not included in program costs. However, one participant has proposed a standard menu for breakfasts and dinners (click here to view). We anticipate the cost of this standard menu to be $20/day per person. You will bring your own food for lunches and snacks.
If you'd like to join the recommended menu option, please include this cost in your final payment. Groceries will be purchased & you'll be asked to help prepare food one night or morning of your program.
If you require a different diet, there is ample fridge and cabinet space to bring your own preferred foods. There is also a grocery in Cable, WI, just 20 minutes drive away from the Gatehouse.
Costs & Payment
Workshop: $450
Evaluation: $300
Lodging: $30/night ($60 for two nights in workshop or evaluation)
Please make checks out to: Minnesota Wildlife Tracking Project
Memo line: “OW Trailing WI 2023”
Mail to: MWTP ℅ Kirsten Welge
1927 Princeton Ave
St Paul, MN 55105
Registration Process
To confirm your participation in these events:
1) Email Kirsten with your requested event(s) AND all date options that you are available for participation.
2) Return a check to Kirsten with a deposit of $100 per event (or full payment).
3) Review this letter.
4) Complete all forms and return to Kirsten.
Contact Us to begin the registration process.
About Preston Taylor
Preston strives to immerse in and interact with our wild world through a variety of outlets including digging clams, picking mussels, collecting edible mushrooms, fishing, hunting, surfing, backpacking, and sitting around a campfire. He is a crafter of wooden longbows, a passionate traditional bowhunter, and participates in a variety of earth-based natural skills. He attended his first CyberTracker Evaluation in 2006, and earned his Senior Tracker certificate in 2015. He completed a B.S. in Wildlife Management & Conservation from Humboldt State University. He is the author of Tracking the American Black Bear. Preston served as the Ungulate Specialist Biologist for the Yurok Tribe where he was involved in the North Coast California Condor Reintroduction Program, the Feral Cattle Removal Program, and prairie and watershed restoration activities.