Here are 42 Anti-Tracking Facts & Tactics Used By Green Berets.  This next segment is especially written for you subscribers in the military.  The military (speaking for the US Army) overall is very weak when it comes to tracking and anti-tracking tactics.  As a matter of fact, the only schools that even touch the subject are Army Special Forces SERE School and Army Ranger School.

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To cover this topic as best I can for the small amount of space I have I’ll cover this segment with Q/As followed by anti-tracking combat actions.  These combat actions have been done in combat by Army Special Forces (Green Berets) and in training against civilian hunters that were out to do harm to an unarmed A-Team (keep reading).

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Anti-Tracking Tips Q/As!

01) What does a tracking team consist of?

Three men: One center and two at the right and left flanks.

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02) What are the fundamentals of tracking?

• Displacement
• Staining
• Weathering
• Littering
• Camouflage
• Interpretation of immediate use of intelligence.

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03) What are obvious signs of tracking?

• Footprints
• Cuts & bruises of vegetation
• Color change on stones
• Logs & stones impacted.

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04) What information is derived from footprints?

• Rapid Movement: Deep prints and long strides.
• Running: Extremely long strides, deep prints with toe deeper than heel.
• Heavy Load: Short strides, deep prints, indications of shuffling & scuffing.
• Sex: Angle of footprint is different.

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05) How are evaders counted using their tracks?

It’s called the “box method” and this s how it works.  A square box (imaginary) of 36-inches by 36-inches is placed over a set of tracks.  Count the number of total whole footprints within this box and divide by 02.  If an odd number round up.

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06) A trained tracker can obtain what needed information from tracking?

• Direction of travel
• Number in party
• Age of track
• Speed of travel
• Load being carried

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07) Define tracking signs?

• Ground signs
• Signs below knee
• Signs above knee
• Permanent signs
• Temporary signs

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08) What is a tracking stick?

A tracking stick determines the stride and helps detects the next footprints.

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09) What is shining?

A trail left by the evader(s) where the sun reflects off the bent grass, vegetation,…

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10) How many ways can trackers with dogs track an evader?

They can track by scent and by the tracks themselves.

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11) How does the evader beat the dog’s handler?

Out-do the handler.  Go where he doesn’t want to go.  Go as fast and as far as possible.

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12) How does the evader beat the dogs?

Stay downwind and as silent as possible.  If the evader has a long-range weapon, KILL the dog(s).

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13) How long is the working day of a tracking dog?

02 hours.

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14) When planning an evasion, what should the evader(s) consider?

• An alternate plan
• Consider food
• Water
• Medical status.

However, here’s my answer and you already know what I’m going to say.  Consider and use:

• PRSC (Planning, Recon, Security & Control)
• WET (Weather, Enemy and Terrain)
• 8 Elements of Survival (Fire, Water, Shelter, First-Aid, Signal, Food, Weapons and Navigation)
• Priorities of Work
• Task Organize
• Go To Sh!+ Azimuth
• Go To Sh!+ Plan!

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15) What route should an evader or evasion team take?

A route nobody else would take.

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16) What should the evader(s) stay away from when possible?

Stay away from:

• Lines of drift
• Roads
• Trails
• Lakes
• Rivers,…

See Item 24 – Food Source.

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17) How does an evader slow down the dogs?

By slapping a tree now and then.  The dog will pick-up the scent, follow it up the tree.  Handlers may stop and look up the tree for a possible climbing evader.

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18) What ingredient is favorable to the evader and unfavorable to tracking dogs?

Water.  Evade while it’s raining (masks your noise).  Evade in streams, rivers, swamps, marshes, bogs,…  Cayenne pepper is also another deterrent.  Grocery store cayenne pepper is absolutely worthless.  You need a cayenne pepper that are high in Scoville Heat Units (SHU) which is a hot spice rating given to cayenne pepper.  A SHU of 150,000 will no doubt disable a sniffing tracking dog in its “tracks” but SHU’s go as high as 300,000 – 350,000 SHUs!

Note: I (author) support US soldiers using cayenne pepper for anti-tracking tactics to disable enemy tracking dogs in hostile combat environments.  Those critters are soldiers too – enemy soldiers.  However, this is not for anyone breaking local, state, and federal laws in the US or any ally country.

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19) Does each human have their own scent?

Each evader has their own scent.  Contributing factors are:

• Race
• Diet
• Habits
• Clothes
• Personal care products use (after-shave, hair products, perfume, soap, toothpaste,…).

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20) What are the disadvantages of visual trackers?

Visual trackers must always use powers of observation, even when not tracking, which creates fatigue.

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21) What are some factors unfavorable to tracking?

• Sun
• Wind
• Ground surfaces
• Dew
• Frost
• Snow
• Rain,…

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22) When is the best time to evade, to travel?

At night when the temperature is cool.  Avoid danger areas (open areas, walking down roads, trails,…).  Avoid ridge walking.  Travel at night is not advisable in jungle and mountainous terrain.  Jungle environments under double – triple canopy, the jungle environment is absolutely pitch black dark.  In mountainous environments, the terrain is dangerously steep to killer cliff free-falls.

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23) Best number of evaders in a team?

03 – 04 evaders, however 01 lone evader is harder to track.

Note: Evaders could do an Apache anti-tracking trick to confuse and slow down trackers.  Evaders repeatedly split-up and rendezvous later.

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24) Where is a good place for water and food procurement?

At the edge of clearings along river banks and streams

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25) Where is the best place to cross river or road?

At a bend.  Fields of observation to and from are limited.

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26) How does an evading team cross a road without leaving tracks?

The evaders lay down lengthwise on the nearside of the road.  Each evader hook-in and grabs the evader legs above him making a human chain.  Once all evaders are hooked-in, they ROLL ACROSS THE ROAD TOGETHER to the farside leaving no footprint tracks.

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27) What is a listening halt?

A listening halt is nothing more than Stop Look & Listen.

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28) Why conduct Listening Halts while evading?

Listen, Listening Halts are very important.  Use them big ears of yours to detect potential trouble and anything to aid your evasion.  Critters across the globe (predators and prey) use their ears to survive their environment.  Listening Halts are used to:

• Detect trackers
• Detect enemy patrols
• Detect indigenous personnel
• Detect small & big game (food)
• Detect water sources,…
• Get accustomed to natural sounds.

WAIT!!!  Listening Halts are very important during evasion and on the offensive, so let me give you this additional information.  Let’s start with a survival trick from them bad ass Mountain Men – Hearing Ground Noises.

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Hearing Ground Noises:  Mountain men probably got this next survival trick from Indians.  The Walker Expedition, comprised of mountain men, heading west to California, heard strange rumblings.  Putting their ears to the ground, they all heard a continuous sound like thunder and identified the sounds as ocean waves from the Pacific Ocean.  The members of the Walker Expedition shouted victory yells knowing they were close to the “…extreme end of the great west.”  They were within a short distance to the California coast.

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Cold Clear Sound:  Let me pause again, it’s been my experience that sound travels more clearly and a lot farther in lower colder temperatures.  I live about 09-miles (straight line distance) from Scott AFB.  I can NEVER here the planes land and reverse their engines in the warmer months but can hear them in the colder months.  You want more proof?  Natural evolutionary proof?

Check out the critters in cold weather environments like polar bears.  They got some small ears don’t they?  They don’t need big ears to capture sound.  Now look at critters in desert environments.  A lot of them desert critters in hot desert environments have BIG EARS (oversized for their head size) don’t they?  They have to have BIG EARS because the sound doesn’t travel that good in higher temperature environments so they need them BIG EARS to capture as much sound as possible (to capture prey & avoid being prey).

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Distant Sounds:  Distant sounds that are loud and hollow, sounds are echoing off low cloud ceilings and warn of an advancing storm.  OK let’s carry-on with the next Q &A.

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29) What is a hide site?

A hide site is a below surface, on surface, above surface, and even underwater shelter (open shelter – hiding in thick vegetation) undetected by deliberate searching or accidental discovery.  A hide site is located and built to hide the evader during its occupation and even after the evader has left it so not to give evidence of the evader’s intentions.

Note: A hide site does not have to be a fabricated shelter.  Evader(s) could simply hunker down under some thick vegetation that is hard to get to by a group of searchers.

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30) What should an evader not use as a hide site?

Never use an existing shelter.

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31) What is a good hide site?

First of all, consider having the proposed hide site area (wide area) under surveillance for 24-hours prior to entering the area.  This way you get a better idea of any activities (natural and hostile) in the area.

A good hide site blends into the environment with minimal indicators that the hide site is there so even “experienced eyes” (jungle eyes) can’t detect it.  Here’s an excellent hide site I found already made ready-to-go.

While attending the Army Special Forces SERE School, the tail-end of the course after the evasion phase, the surviving candidates were isolated in their own survival site.  Each candidate had 03-days to complete assigned field-craft which included a hide site and I found the perfect hide already ready-to-go.  I was located on a small piece of high ground.  On one side was a good drop-off.  On the edge of it was a good size tree.  Investigating the tree on the cliff side I found that it had a cavity within its huge roots.

It was big enough for 03 – 05 evaders, plenty of room.  And there’s no way anyone could find it and it was underground!  It provided protection from detection, the weather elements and since it was underground a tad cooler than OAT (outside air temperature)!  And not even the most modern detection equipment could detect my hide site.  Now you have an example for a good hide site.

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32) What is a good hide site formation?

Remember I said a hide site doesn’t have to be a real fabricated shelter.  The evader(s) could just hunker down in some thick vegetation.  However, when a team of evaders are evading security must be established.  And here are a few ways to conduct 360-degree security while static at a hide site with minimal movement, noise, and communication.

a) Picket Fence:  A picket fence formation has all members staggered and alongside each other in the prone position on their belly looking outward in their sectors. Their heads are facing each other towards the center for easy whispering communication.  For guard duty, only a tap on the shoulder is required.  The problem with this formation is it’s easy to fall asleep while performing guard in this position.  Night security requires only 01 evader (rotating guard watch) to stay awake and listen for approaching noise.  Upon possible discovery, the evasion team should already have a night evasion plan whether together or separate evasions with possible link-ups at a later time and predesignated location.  See sketch: COMING

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b) Back To Back: Probably a more comfortable position is a back to back position. All evaders are sitting back to

back facing out with gear in the center.  Communication is easy.  Night security requires only 1 evader (rotating guard watch) to stay awake and listen for approaching noise.  Upon possible discovery, the evasion team should already have a night evasion plan whether together or separate evasions with possible link-ups at a later time and predesignated location.  See sketch:  COMING

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c) Wagon Wheel: The wagon wheel has all evaders in the prone position (on their bellies) with heads in the center. This affords easy whispering communication.  Each body position is angled so each evader covers a sector of security which overlaps and covers 360-degree security.  Night security requires only 01 evader (rotating guard watch) to stay awake and listen for approaching noise.  Upon possible discovery, the evasion team should already have a night evasion plan whether together or separate evasions with possible link-ups at a later time and predesignated location.  See sketch: COMING

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 d) Reverse Wagon Wheel: The reverse wagon wheel has all evaders in the prone position (on their bellies) with feet in the center and all evaders forming a circle facing watching their sectors. Night security requires only 01 evader (rotating guard watch) to stay awake and listen for approaching noise. Upon possible discovery, the evasion team should already have a night evasion plan whether together or separate evasions with possible link-ups at a later time and predesignated location.  See sketch: COMING

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33) Once in a hide site, what should never be done?

Evader(s) should never leave the hide site.  Everything is done within the hide site.  Movement in & out of the hide site increases the chances of discovery.

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34) What should be done in a hide site?

• Plan for the next day
• Rest
• Recuperation
• First-aid
• Water.

NO fires, NO hunting.

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35) When leaving the hide site what must be done?

Sterilize the hide site.  Remove all evidence you were there.

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36) What is a hole-up site?

Team evaders separate to separate hole-up sites miles apart and link-up days later at a predesignated location.  At hole-up site, a lone evader takes the multiple risks to provide for the 8 Elements of Survival (fire, water, shelter, first-aid, signal, food, weapons, and navigation.)  A hide is built; traps & snares constructed and employed; water gathered, clandestine fire constructed;…  Hole-up sites give lone evaders opportunities they can’t do together as a team during evasion.  The hole-up sites are also used so if the site is compromised, only one evader is captured and not the entire team.  Days later, evaders will link-up and share their food, water,…

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37) What is the most dangerous part of an evasion?

The link-up.

Now that you have the very basics of anti-tracking, let me tell you about anti-tracking combat actions.

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Anti-Tracking Combat Actions!

Small recon & combat patrols may conduct anti-tracking tactics whether they suspect they’re being tracked or not.  One tactic is called a Dog Leg.

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38) Dog Leg:  A dog leg is where the patrol leaves their primary magnetic azimuth and turns hard left or right.  When they do this a 02-man patrol is detached and goes off the trail and hides for surveillance.  Their job is to watch the trail for trackers.  They have the option to ambush the trackers or call to the main body where they have the option to set-up a hasty ambush or evade and marry-up with the 02-man patrol at a rendezvous point.

If a small patrol determines they are being tracked they can do a Button-Hook to execute a hit & run tactic.

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39) Button-Hook:  A button-hook is where the small patrol chooses a spot (terrain, vegetation,…) and reverses its original azimuth and layes in for a deliberate ambush (on-line ambush for maximum enfilade fire which small arms fire penetrates deep into the long axis of the target).

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40) Long Button-Hook:  A long button-hook is like a button-hook except the patrol reverses its magnetic azimuth reversing their direction and goes wide to their flank and quietly travels on a parallel reverse course to their trackers so to get behind their trackers or at least get on their flank for a standard flanking ambush.

I’m aware of one A-Team who were out doing some training in Uhwarre National Forest in North Carolina.  They got in an argument with hunters on a road as they were leaving their vehicles.  The A-Team went into the woods and were soon followed by the hunters.  They were being tracked by some pissed-off hunters.

The A-Team pulled them deep into the woods where they did a long button-hook.  Reversing their direction and going wide to their flank.  They came back onto the road where they slashed all the tires of the hunter’s vehicles and left the area.  The A-Team as far as I know were unarmed (no ammunition) or they weren’t supposed to be armed while the hunters were definitely armed.

The A-Team had no intention of getting in a fire-fight with the hunters (if they were armed).  The unorganized, big mouth-talking hunters would have easily been killed no doubt if it were a combat action.  The A-Team avoided a confrontation and did the long button-hook and slashed their tires only to stop an escalation of violence.

Another anti-tracking combat action is the Baited Ambush.

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41) Baited Ambush:  Before you read the Baited Ambush, first read and understand the Ambush Basics at the end of this posts.

The Baited Ambush actually suckers the enemy into a Near Ambush.  They know the enemy soldiers will assault into the ambush so this is how the Baited Ambush is set up and executed.

The friendly patrol (A-Team) uses a few of the patrols own men to sucker-in the trackers.  Using a dog leg the main patrol may learn who and how many trackers are tracking them.  They could immediately set up the Baited Ambush.

The Baited Ambush has a few of the patrol members hunkered down real good.  These few patrol members will deliberately ambush the trackers in a near ambush (within hand grenade range) who outnumber and outgun them.  Tactics dictate that when in a near ambush, all trackers will assault directly into the near ambush.  When this happens, the main body waits till they turn into the near ambush, then the main body of the patrol opens fire and shoots all the trackers in the back.  When and if any enemy survivors turn around, they may take fire from the few patrols members at the same time are now open to even deadlier “sandwiched” small arms fire.  This is a unconventional tactic.

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42) Reverse Banana Peel:  Yes, if there’s a reverse banana peel, there has to be a banana peel.  A banana peel is where the point man (lead man on patrol) of a patrol unexpectedly has a chance contact (friendly and enemy patrols run into each other unexpectedly).  The point man initiates a banana peel where he fires full automatic to his front.  This is the que telling the remaining patrol “banana peel” and the remaining patrol members form a corridor where the point man runs backward through while reloading and takes up a new position at the rear of the corridor to recontinue the banana peel.  Without a split second of hesitation, the next patrol member fires on automatic to his front and withdraws to the rear running through the corridor while reloading,…  This continues till the last man who has already set-up a claymore.  A claymore mine is a devastating anti-personnel mine that has and can literally sever both legs of an enemy.  The claymore mine propels 750 BBs at Mach 06 towards the enemy in a 60-degree horizontal arc causing catastrophic casualties of any enemy that are within 150-meters of the mine.  Behind the claymore, the patrol is already set-up for another banana peel or can set-up for a linear near ambush or evade all together depending on the situation.

Now as for anti-tracking, this same maneuver can be done when the rear security takes action and initiates this same action called the Reverse Banana Peel!

For you military folks associated with combat arms, you just learned 05 anti-tracking combat actions that really work to include 37 tracking facts.  Are there more?  Heck yeah, I can talk all day long about unconventional tactics designed to whoop on an opponent that has you outnumbered and outgunned cause A-Teams are prone to being outnumbered and outgunned cause there are only 12-men on an A-Team and only 06 or less on a split A-team.

See ‘Dominate The Area’ in the blog post “I Told The FBI Where To Go!”

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Ambush Basics!

The Principles of Ambush are:

• Surprise
• Coordinated Fires
• Control

There are actually 03 Types of Ambush:

• Near Ambush (within 30-meters)
• Far Ambush (beyond 30-meters)
• Area Ambush (large area – hit & run tactics against a larger enemy unit)

A Near Ambush is when friendly soldiers patrol into the KILL ZONE and are attacked by enemy soldiers from concealed positions.  The enemy soldiers are within 30-meters from the KILL ZONE.  The enemy soldiers are within hand grenade throwing range (30-meters).

The enemy soldiers are so close – the small arms fire is so close there is ONLY ONE WAY TO SURVIVE THE NEAR AMBUSH.  The friendly soldiers must immediately turn into the ambush and assault at a full sprint into the enemy soldiers while firing full automatic or quick semi-automatic fire.

This is the Conventional Military Tactic way to execute a Near Ambush and counter a Near Ambush.  Most or all conventional units throughout the world practice and use this same exact method.

Sketches – COMING

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Paperback Book—————Kindle E-Book

Thank you for taking interest in my Survival Work.  I just re-published “169+ Mountain Man Survival Tricks!”  I’ve added more mountain man survival tricks from one of the baddest men to ever walk this Earth – mountain man James ‘Jim’ Clyman.

Here’s a list of the survival subjects you can learn from so You’re Ready Anytime Anywhere!

• Mountain Man – James ‘Jim’ Clyman
• Clyman’s Catching Beavers
• Lewis & Clark Beaver Attractant
• Clyman’s Campfire Learnin’
• Clyman’s Evasion
• Clyman’s Water Finding
• Clyman’s On The Job Doctoring
• Jedediah’s Emergency Surgery
• Crow Indian ‘Art Of Suffering’
• Clyman’s Buffalo Hunt
• Clyman’s Fire-Starting
• Clyman’s Fighting Hypothermia
• Clyman’s Buffalo Hunt, Again
• Clyman’s Water Finding, Again
• Clyman’s 600-Mile Evasion
• Clyman’s Evasion, Again
• Mountain Men Best Guides & Best Advice
• Mountain Man Tasty Canine Vittles
• Invisible Mountain Men
• Clyman’s Weather Forecasting
• Clyman’s Catfish Fishing
• Clyman’s Bear Hunting

And don’t forget about all the other “169+ Mountain Man Survival Tricks!” from all the other bad ass mountain men.

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Paperback Book—————Kindle E-Book

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