The next chapter deals with signs. Sign is the word assigned to the clues left by the chase. Obviously the most important signs are the ground signs, but David Diaz stresses the importance of not only looking up every once in awhile, but breaks down the areas to be scanned into three zones. The ground signs are the tracks left on the ground. The middle signs are from, roughly, the ankle to the head and include any vegetation or animal habitat, such as spider webs, that might be disturbed. Finally there are the top signs which are above head level. The author stresses that the top area must be scanned for not only might the chase go vertical, but many dangers come from that direction. Now would be a good time to stress another feature the author wants and that is it should be a tracking team. At the very minimum there should be at least one more person skilled in the art of tracking with the tracker. There are two very pragmatic reasons for this. The first is that the assistant or co-tracker can help spots signs the lead tracker might miss. Secondly, the other tracker can provide over-watch security for the tracker. This is very important for the military tracker or the law enforcement tracker. Now that you have discovered the signs in a general area the next step is to interpret the signs.

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Interpreting signs is more science than art. The book gives you details on how to determine speed, direction, a solid guestimate on the number of people in the party, and how to determine generalized health of and equipment in the chase. This chapter was full of surprisingly helpful hints and tips to tracking. How to measure a footprint and stride without a measuring tape. How to tell if the chase is walking backwards or forwards. If the chase is bleeding, what type of wound he or she has by the blood left. How imprints on the ground from sitting gear down might help explore what the chase has, or bits of refuse from equipment preparation would also help explain what equipment the chase has. This is extremely important if you think the chase is armed. Knowing the type of weapons the chase has can save your life. For example you know the chase has access to a range of weapons from your intelligence gathering, but you come across a rifle butt stock imprint of the ground. Now you can narrow the range of weapons down and importantly, you’ll know the limitations the weapon places on the chase in regards to taking hostile action against you. Also the author reemphasizes the importance of documenting your evidence. Each bit of evidence gathered is intelligence that can be used in the feature, but it also can help in learning the mistakes made in the current chase and how to avoid them in the feature.

Lastly the author talks about building a team for tracking. As previously mentioned the author feels that a team should have no less than two members, but as the book is geared for the military and law enforcement communities a larger team is usually created. The author talks about the size of teams and formations of march in the chase and the need for security of the party in the chase. Finally the book closes with sample forms, examples of evidence collected from the hypothetical chase, glossary and a recommended reading list.

Technically the book is flawless and free of grammatical and typographical errors. The illustrations add to the text and also serve as a teaching aid. As the book serves as an introduction to tracking; the writing is generalized. However the book would gain the most potency as a training manual for novice trackers in a class setting. If used with hands on experience, the book can improve the novice or experienced tracker alike. If you are interested in military style tracking or are a tracker and want to learn from an expert than this book is highly recommended. With a list price of $22.95 (US) for a hard cover book, Tracking – Signs of Man, Signs of Hope is well within the budget of most people and represents a top dollar investment for every tracker.

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