Message: 3, 4 and 5 Date: Sun, 1 Apr 2007 14:04:41 -0600 From: Una Smith Subject: [MSAR] Scent aware training To: Mounted search and rescue Message-ID: <20070401140441.A10854@att.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Karen Nesbitt wrote: >Question: How far on the wind can an oder carry? In otherwords, in any practice search, what is the greatest distance you have smelled oder that would give you an indication of a possible victim who has passed?
Hi Karen,
All these questions are in the realm of "scent aware" training. And, in general, "it depends". I've personally scented a dead cow over 1/4 mile away. The cow was in an erosion gulley, near a spring at the top of the gully. The scent flowed down the gulley to me. But I have also helped to recover a body that a cadaver dog found under snow: in that case I scented
nothing.
As a rule, you need to be in the right place (downwind but not too far downwind), at the right time, in the right envronmental conditions.
As a biologist I am most familiar with animal behavior research on scenting, but it has relatively little application. To learn hands-on, SAR-applicable stuff I suggest working with a SAR dog team. Volunteer to be a training search subject.
> What other things in nature do you rely on in any search to help you track?
When I track I look for visual cues. No way do I scent well enough for scent tracking. There are good books, trainers, and conferences on visual tracking.
When riding my SAR horse, I pay close attention to her. She has learned to alert on people regardless of how she detects them (sight, scent, or sound).
Folks, what materials do you recommend for scent aware training?
Una Smith New Mexico
with 2 and 5 scrubbed for
space!
--?Message: 3 Date: Sun, 1 Apr 2007 14:04:41 -0600 From: Una Smith <una.smith@att.net> Subject: [MSAR] Scent aware training To: Mounted search and rescue <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org> Message-ID: <20070401140441.A10854@att.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Karen Nesbitt wrote: >Question: How far on the wind can an oder carry? In otherwords, in any practice search, what is the greatest distance you have smelled oder that would give you an indication of a possible victim who has passed?
Hi Karen,
All these questions are in the realm of "scent aware" training. And, in general, "it depends". I've personally scented a dead cow over 1/4 mile away. The cow was in an erosion gulley, near a spring at the top of the gully.
The scent flowed down the gulley to me. But I have also helped to recover a body that a cadaver dog found under snow: in that case I scented nothing.
As a rule, you need to be in the right place (downwind but not too far downwind), at the right time, in the right envronmental conditions.
As a biologist I am most familiar with animal behavior research on scenting, but it has relatively little application. To learn hands-on, SAR-applicable stuff I suggest working with a SAR dog team. Volunteer to be a training search subject.
> What other things in nature do you rely on in any search to help you track?
When I track I look for visual cues. No way do I scent well enough for scent tracking. There are good books, trainers, and conferences on visual tracking.
When riding my SAR horse, I pay close attention to her. She has learned to alert on people
regardless of how she detects them (sight, scent, or sound).
Folks, what materials do you recommend for scent aware training?
Una Smith New Mexico
with 4 and 5 scrubbed for space!
----->>>>
All very interesting! I have the pleasure of buzzards nesting in our area so it makes for very interesting bird watching as well as other wildlife and of course the animals in our pasture.
We have had instances of scent actually been detected up to 5 miles away and can zero in on a target of decomp by watching these magnificent birds. Scent will travel in the thermals that the birds also fly in. It will carry and also hang in low spots that wind cannot get into and deceive in locating the actual carcass and can
hang for days.
I personally do a lot of tracking of the local wildlife and since we have predators such as coyotes and other birds we rely on these animals not for the scent but the sight of them.
We have learned to read our horses reactions as well and soem of our equnes will alert to a half mile away.
I am fascinated by metods of tracking and would love to learn resources of others.
It has also facinated me in that you can tell a lot from the type of bugs that are in a given area.
Thanks,
Karen Nesbitt
Vmsar - Iroquois County
Illinois
PS - and yes, like Una has mentioned, the oder will disipate and you can literally be on top of a carcass and not smell a thing. However in the search animals, this is not the case. The gas that is emited are from the fresher dying flesh has the foulest oder. We have noticed that within 3-5 days depending on the size of the road kill or livestock carcass will be the foulest point of aroma. Contrary to popular beleif, not all species of buzzards kill. In most species their beaks and feet are actually to weak to tear into flesh that is fresh and they do not circle dying animals. They will go after freshly killed meat and play with the food until it is tearable for them to consume. They are cleanup animals and actually a pretty passive bird. The indians infact called them PEACE EAGLES becasue they do not kill.