NORTH WISCONSIN WOLF COUNTRY
Wildlife Tracking Workshop and Certification
Wed/Thurs: August 13-14, 2025
Sat/Sun: August 16-17, 2025
LEARN THE TRACK & SIGN OF ALL TYPES OF WILDLIFE
You’re invited to participate in one of two Wildlife Track and Sign workshops being conducted in Wisconsin’s Wolf Country in the Eagle River and Three Lakes area. These two-day field experiences are fun, participative workshops with an emphasis on learning to identify all wild animal track and sign by looking at real tracks we find across the landscape and discussing exactly how to identify them.
LIMITED TO ONLY 11 PARTICIPANTS
Limited to only eleven participants, we’re bringing in one of the top tracking instructors and evaluators in the United States, Matt Nelson, a highly experienced Track and Sign Specialist and a gentle, wonderful teacher and mentor.
This two-full-day field experience in the beautiful Eagle River Area of Northern Wisconsin will immerse you in the art and skill of reading the hidden stories of animals by examining the clues they leave across the landscape. You’ll discover how to see and interpret animal behavior that was previously “invisible” to you.
NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED
The training emphasizes the development of reliable field skills to recognize tracks and identify the animal’s behavior. No prior tracking is required to participate but preparation and prior experience is extremely helpful for those for whom obtaining a certificate is important. The underlying impetus, however, lies in the rich educational benefit for all participants.
LEARN HOW TO INTERPRET ANIMAL SIGN “INVISIBLE” TO OTHERS
When is the last time you’ve had the experience of seeing animal tracks and wondered what animal was there? Was it a dog or a mountain lion? A bobcat or a fox? Where was it going? What was it doing…. and… where is it now? If you would like to have the skill to be able to see and interpret wild animal sign that is invisible to “normal people”, we invite you to participate in this one-of-a-kind immersive field training
TUITION FOR THE FULL 2 DAYS INCLUDING OPTIONAL FREE ZOOM TRAININGS AND A FREE "PREP DAY" THE DAY BEFORE THE TRAINING IS $395
EARLY BIRD SPECIAL! Register by February 28, 2024 for $345.
4 STEPS TO REGISTER:
STEP ONE: First, make sure there is a spot available by emailing Terry Hunefeld at thunefeld at Gmail dot com.Leave your name, phone and the date of the event you wish to attend and I will respond – usually within an hour or two, but certainly within 18 hours.
STEP TWO: When you receive my reply clearing you to register, you will register by paying the applicable tuition via Venmo or PayPal.
Pay by Venmo: William-Hunefeld Last 4 phone digits: 3453. Pay by PayPal: thunefeld at Gmail dot com. Please code the payment as a “friend” or add 5% to cover the fee that will be deducted on my side.
STEP THREE: After paying by Venmo or PayPal, please email our workshop coordinator and include a copy of your Venmo or PayPal receipt as proof of payment.
STEP FOUR: Stand by for confirmation that you are registered, paid and enrolled – usually within an hour or two. I will then follow up with more information as the event draws nearer.
QUESTIONS? Email me. To learn more about me, my email address and why I host these events, see the YOUR HOST section below.
SCHOLARSHIPS: If you’re involved (work or school) in any aspect wildlife conservation and cannot afford the full amount of tuition, TCNA offers a Financial Access Scholarship Program.
Refund & Cancel Policy
Finding replacements for cancellations is difficult and a lot of admin work. If there is any possibility that you may need to cancel, we highly recommend trip insurance, available for as little as $25 (see below). Our cancel policy is:
- 60+ days before = 100% less $75 cancel fee if you or we can find a replacement. We will maintain a waiting list.
- 59-30 days before = 50% refund if we can find a replacement. 100% refund less $75 charge if YOU find a replacement.
- Less than 30 days before = 25% refund if we can find a replacement. 100% refund less $75 charge if YOU find a replacement.
- Less than 10 days before = no refunds.
Refunds are given only if you or we (we will maintain a waiting list) find someone to take your place. In the unlikely event of program cancelation, 100% of deposits will be refunded.
Trip Insurance
Please consider trip insurance to avoid the sting of losing your deposit in the event you must cancel. Finding trip insurance is simple on the internet – there are many – a good site recommended by Forbes offers you multiple options: Travelinsurance.com. A search in September 2024 resulted in $500 of coverage for as little as $23.04.
FREE “PREP DAY”
Terry and other experienced trackers will conduct a free “prep day” the day preceding each of the event to get your “eyes” accustomed to tracks and sign here in San Diego. Time and location to be determined (probably 8am to 2pm).
FREE ZOOM TRAININGS
Terry and other experienced trackers will hold twice-monthly one-hour Zoom Trainings to familiarize you with animal tracks and signs of San Diego County. Sessions will begin in January and are available to all registrants.
Our Classroom: The Outdoors
The entire weekend consists of field training. Our classroom is the outdoors. Our teachers are the animals themselves. Our instructor finds animal track and sign, then a dialogue ensues between the instructor and participants to provide the opportunity for everyone involved to internalize field marks and interpret wildlife behavior. The learning retention is unparalleled.
The training emphasizes the development of reliable field skills. No prior training is required to participate. The less you know, the more you will learn.
ACCOMODATIONS & CAMPING
There are plenty of campgrounds south and east of Eagle River. We recommend camping as close to Three Lakes as possible. For example, Laurel Lake Campground and Three Lakes Campground are nearby and have good reviews with photos on Google Maps.
When I travel to other areas of North American to participate in these trainings, I often share a VRBO or AirBnB with my tracker friends because we have a blast.
During one of these trainings, the real fun and camaraderie occurs when trackers are together to share stories and experiences. That’s why for programs that I host I rent a house in the country with 3 bathrooms, 4 bedrooms and space for camping. We always have a ton of fun because we are like-minded people interested in wildlife conservation.
YOUR HOST: TERRY HUNEFELD
EMAIL CONTACT INFORMATION:
Write me at: thunefeld at Gmail dot com
Find me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thunefeld
and on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/terryhunefeld/
and on iNaturalist https://www.inaturalist.org/people/thunefeld
Image to the left: That’s me with my friend Bob Etzweiler. I’m the one holding my second ice cream cone after tracking all morning with Bob in Vermont.
I hold both Professional and Specialist Track & Sign Certificates from Tracker Certification North America (TCNA). My wife, Ann, and I live in a tiny desert village – Borrego Springs, California – surrounded by a thousand square miles of Sonoran Desert wilderness known as the Anza Borrego Desert State Park. I am a board member of the San Diego Tracking Team, certified Naturalist for California State Parks, an outings leader for the Anza Borrego Desert State Park, the Anza Borrego Foundation, and the Anza Borrego Desert Natural History Association. As an avid advocate for the TCNA Cybertracker learning process, I participate annually in 10-16 Track & Sign certifications around North America.
