Tips for finding places to track

jesusica · 08-29-2008, 12:38 PM

I am probably the last person to figure this out but I finally put 2 and 2 together. Last night I used the satellite feature of google maps to zoom in and pan around our area to find potential plowed dirt areas. I found plenty within a 30 minute drive. The crops and plowed fields are very easy to see on the screen. Now I just need to get to driving and see if they are still good areas, if they are currently growing crops, and do some door knocking for permission.

On a forum for our area, I asked if anyone knew of some places that would meet our needs and one person suggested going to places that had been cleared to build houses but were not being built on yet.

If you have any tips for finding good tracking places, dirt or grass or whatever, post them here!

BlackGSD · 08-29-2008, 01:39 PM

It will be interesting to hear what you find when you do your driving around. I don't know how long ago the sattelite photo of where I am was taken, but it has been a while. (I can tell because it shows my areas where the crops are grown as being green. But in reality the fields have been plowed under for at least a month and the fiesld are dirt. (And dirt is NOT green here.)

I would guess it has been several months or longer.

BlackPuppy · 08-29-2008, 01:46 PM

I'm in a suburban area. I go to office complexes with large lawns, soccer fields, elementary schools on the weekends, and large parks. Not all of these places are mowed, some have areas of high weeds. Sometimes park personnel will pull out a flag, but when they find out you are training for tracking, their minds think Search and Rescue and they are pretty cool about it.

The only people I know that look for farmers fields for tracking are Schutzhund style trackers. Is that what you are training?

(Sometimes, instead of flags, I'll squirt some powdered chalk for my markers.)

jesusica · 08-29-2008, 02:59 PM

Yes, schh tracking.

I know the photos were not taken yesterday.

But I figure they at least give me a good set of options so that maybe one field is trackable year round.

Kayos and Havoc · 08-30-2008, 05:15 PM

I use a lot of Corp of Engineers land to track. I can get park like settings, office buildings for VST, short fields for TD and a lot of heavy undergrowth and obstacles for TDX.

Actually you can track anywhere.

08-29-2008, 12:38 PM	#1 (permalink)
jesusica Knighted Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 2,700	Tips for finding places to track I am probably the last person to figure this out but I finally put 2 and 2 together. Last night I used the satellite feature of google maps to zoom in and pan around our area to find potential plowed dirt areas. I found plenty within a 30 minute drive. The crops and plowed fields are very easy to see on the screen. Now I just need to get to driving and see if they are still good areas, if they are currently growing crops, and do some door knocking for permission. On a forum for our area, I asked if anyone knew of some places that would meet our needs and one person suggested going to places that had been cleared to build houses but were not being built on yet. If you have any tips for finding good tracking places, dirt or grass or whatever, post them here! __________________ The German Shepherd's faults are faults of education not nature, for if someone worked with him he would be blissfully happy and most obedient of all dogs. - Max von Stephanitz

08-29-2008, 01:39 PM	#2 (permalink)
BlackGSD Crowned Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Eastern Washington Posts: 7,795	Re: Tips for finding places to track It will be interesting to hear what you find when you do your driving around. I don't know how long ago the sattelite photo of where I am was taken, but it has been a while. (I can tell because it shows my areas where the crops are grown as being green. But in reality the fields have been plowed under for at least a month and the fiesld are dirt. (And dirt is NOT green here.) I would guess it has been several months or longer. __________________ Tracy Siren vom Banach { Sable female GSD 3-20-08} R.I.P. Wrangler male ACD/Aussie mix. 9-29-99 to8-29-11.

08-29-2008, 01:46 PM	#3 (permalink)
BlackPuppy Crowned Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 4,420	Re: Tips for finding places to track I'm in a suburban area. I go to office complexes with large lawns, soccer fields, elementary schools on the weekends, and large parks. Not all of these places are mowed, some have areas of high weeds. Sometimes park personnel will pull out a flag, but when they find out you are training for tracking, their minds think Search and Rescue and they are pretty cool about it. The only people I know that look for farmers fields for tracking are Schutzhund style trackers. Is that what you are training? (Sometimes, instead of flags, I'll squirt some powdered chalk for my markers.)

08-29-2008, 02:59 PM	#4 (permalink)
jesusica Knighted Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 2,700	Re: Tips for finding places to track Yes, schh tracking. I know the photos were not taken yesterday. But I figure they at least give me a good set of options so that maybe one field is trackable year round. __________________ The German Shepherd's faults are faults of education not nature, for if someone worked with him he would be blissfully happy and most obedient of all dogs. - Max von Stephanitz

08-30-2008, 05:15 PM	#5 (permalink)
Kayos and Havoc Crowned Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: McAlester, OK Posts: 16,921	Re: Tips for finding places to track I use a lot of Corp of Engineers land to track. I can get park like settings, office buildings for VST, short fields for TD and a lot of heavy undergrowth and obstacles for TDX. Actually you can track anywhere. __________________ Kathy The Wrecking Crew URO3, UCD "Kayos" CD,TDX,RE,CGC,HIC,TC URO1, UCD "Havoc" CDX,GN,RE,CGC,HIC,TC,BH At the Bridge: Lucky, Wolf, Max Gone but never forgotten

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