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Housekeeping:
- I still have room in my FREE WEBINAR: Creative first Aid Kit Components
a. 45 Min Webinar
b. All the things you can learn:
i.Up to 20 Common Items you probably already have
ii. How to use what you have
iii. Awesome survival techniques using these items
c. http://theprepperpodcast.com/creativefirstaid
News in Two Minutes Segment
By J.Bradbury of PreparePDX.com

- Ultra early stroke care
- http://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2015/02/04/ultra-early-stroke-care-can-start-with-paramedics-study
- long lived northeast storm
Product Review:
Ozark Trail Men’s Low Profile Hiking Boot

I bought these shoes because I had soaked through some other shoes I was wearing in the rough. I tested these shoes out in the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina.

Unboxing the Item:
- I felt that it was typical with a Walmart boot.
- It seemed heavy and rigid.
- I thought it would stink as a shoe, but needed something dry.
- I liked the rugged sole, it looked like it would work well in outdoor terrain.
Reviews:
- Most People thought it was a good shoe.
- Many 4 star reviews, some five and 1 1-star
- Good Comfort
- Stylish
- Many people said they would buy another pair.
My Review:
- I actually do like the Ozark trail brand for cheap wear.
- This shoe wasn’t any different.
- Tried shoe in Appalachians
- Only bought it because I needed something cheap and dry
- My Normalcy Bias: over 50 hours a week I wear steel toe boots
- The shoes fit well, but just a bit loose. Not a big deal for me.
- My feet did not get extremely tired in them.
- A little stiff on the sole, so it make it more difficult to “feel the trail”
- I like to be one with nature when in nature, so this detracts from that a little
- The insole is also a little thin and too firm, but you can buy a good insole.
- So for $20, can get these shoes and upgrade with a $20 insole: totaling $40
- Other people made a few comments on these shoes about being round shoelaces.
- I don’t care, because I ALWAYS double tie my laces, and I generally swap them out with paracord.
- I also wear another Ozark trail hiking shoe and my edc, and keep another pair in my vehicle. I use these shoes daily.
Final Thought:
This is a great shoe for a great price, even if it is from a store I don’t generally frequent. If you get this shoe, get some hiking insoles.
Call-In Question
- No Call-in Question Today
Topic: Tracking Animals (Continued from Last Week)

- Last Week I explained the Most basic question in tracking:
- What Animal is it?
- To successfully trap, you must learn to observe.
- Next, you must make the correct deduction from observation.
- Then I discussed the actual tracks:
- Bird Tracks
- How they walk
- What their digits or toes indicate about the bird
- Discussed mammal Tracks
- Discussed the different evolutions of
- feet
- Digits or Fingers and toes
- hoofs
- Then I talked about Compression tracking
- for when you cant find actual prints, but you know something is there
- If you missed last weeks episode, you may want to go back to http://theprepperpodcast.com/063
- Now Let’s Continue to:
Tracking Animals Using Signs Beyond Prints
Poop:

- Learn what the different scat looks like
- Learn where they leave it
- Pellets? Large Clumps?
- Tubular scat:
- Dog Family, raccoon,
- skunks, oppossum, wolverines, bears
- Tear Dropped Poop:
- Cat Family
- Foxes have Tubular scat that is tapered at both ends
- Flattened Threads:
- Pellets:
- Rabbits, Hares
- Deer, but may be oblong shaped
- Pencil Lead Shaped:
- Larger pellets: not true scat
- Raptors (eagles, hawks, owls)
- Regurgitation
- Undigested bones, hair, feathers
Diet:
- Know what they eat
- Vegetation and carcasses are signs
- How high leaves are clipped can tell size of animal
- How they mark location:
- Animals hide, so you can’t find them
- They also WANT you to know that they are near
- And this is their territory.
- They want their species to know it is theirs, or that they are there
- Shelters, Dens, Rest Areas:
- Dens, perches, nests, or laying areas are usually positioned in reference to their other activities.
- Based on the animal and their habits, will determine how far away their placement
- Trails and Paths:
- Paths are used over and over
- If it is a commonly used path, I will likely encounter the animal again
- Paths under brush are usually straight, and there will be little vegetation
- Size and location paths and the feces along the path will tell you the type and size
- Trails are almost ALWAYS available because animals are habitual.
Habits

- Humans are creatures of Habit
- So are animals
- Animals will take same path to water every day
- They hunt in same area continually
- Must be driven out:
- Fire
- Flood
- Drought
- The move will only be temporary though
- These “habits” make it easier to predict animal movements
- The sites and sizes of snares and traps can be selected with low margin of error
Trails

- There is usually lots of trails in the bush
- They are the “roads of the bush”
- Animals travel them continually
- Between bedding, feeding ground, and waterholes
- The newness and number of tracks and droppings can tell you a lot about how much and time of traffic
- If you put an obstacle in my way, I move
- Animals do too, coming back to the road
- There is a such thing as “tree trails” that are used for animals like opossums or koalas.
- Look in the tree, you can tell what it is for
- Feeding
- Living-quarters: dead limbs that are hollow and comfortable
- Runs
- Runs are generally used to get on and off the main trails.
- Their use is varied, so there is less of a cut path
- Pushdowns
- Pushdowns are rarely used
- Maybe only once
- Running to escape
- If a pushdown is used repetitively it often leads to a hiding spot