Disclaimer: I wrote this article and posted it without thinking I may be giving the wrong impression. I do not promote crime or criminals. Most who are being pursued by a dog tracking team would be criminals. I wrote this article in response to a conversation I had with a friend who is a Border Patrol agent. In the BP they do a lot of people tracking and we were talking about that. We got on the subject of tracking with a dog and my interest was born. If being chased by law enforcement just stop. Almost all who are running get caught. In many ways if you run you're wasting your time. However, if the world has fallen apart, you may want these skills.
Being chased by a dog may be a little scary mentally. But there are ways to be successful in getting away from a tracking dog.
There are many factors to your success. Most K9 tracking teams are not made for long distance. To be honest, all I know about being tracked is what I’ve read and the SERE training I’ve received. I think my info is accurate, but as with everything you read here (or really anywhere else!) do your own research. These are just some things I’ve learned.
Defeating a tracking dog is not easy, but it is possible. Forget everything you’ve seen in movies, they are almost all completely wrong. Dogs do not bark as they track. If you hear a barking dog, they’ve found you. These dogs walk and sniff.
One of the most important things you can do is to get distance between you and the trackers. I know that seems pretty obvious, but some think they can double back or hide and that is a good way to get caught. Travel through difficult terrain. The idea is to tire the dog and handler out. Most handlers aren’t young guys. They are seasoned officers with maybe a few more years (and pounds) than the average rookie. Dogs are not built for endurance. They are also not very good climbers. Taking rocky, up-hill or mountain routes can aid in getting distance between you and your trackers. Crossing water does not do any good. Unless you have found a way to cross a larger, unpassable water source, water won’t help you much. It’s not your odor the dog is tracking, it’s your dead skin. We are almost constantly shedding skin cells. That is what the dog smells.
One trick could be coating the body in petroleum jelly so as to not leave any skin cells for the dog to trace.
Another trick would be to get a small bucket of water that you have washed your skin with, create a small drip hole in the bottom and attach it to a moving vehicle or a small raft made with sticks to throw the scent off.
Remember that the dog has great senses, but it’s the handler that makes decisions. Make several sharp and large direction changes causing the handler to doubt his dog and call off the search. It’s easier to fool the human rather than the dog.
Move with the wind, as your scent will otherwise be carried downwind to the tracker dog.
And finally as a last resort, if you have some preparation, have a second set of clothes that have been worn by someone else. Re-coat your body in petroleum jelly and then get into these clothes.
if you've pre-planned an escape route, you can have rope and anchors ready to go and in place, that can allow you a way to climb up and over a small cliff or steep rock face -- just be sure you have enough head start time that you can make it up the cliff or rock face before anyone gets close enough to get eyes on you.
Be sure not to leave any rope trailing below you or litter on the ground below, signs that you've climbed up the rock face.
If the wind is blowing in the direction that you are fleeing from, and you are in an area of dry timber, consider setting several small fires next to each other, with the hope that a forest fire will erupt, blowing smoke and flames in the direction of your trackers. You of course better flee into the wind -- the flames will be blowing in the opposite direction behind you toward the trackers.
Being tracked by an experienced and successful team will be very hard to elude. Also, many man hunts involve aircraft and searchers with radios. It’s impossible to outrun a Motorola. Drones are becoming more numerous and a viable searching aid. Knowing how to elude aircraft is a whole other skill.
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
No comments:
Post a Comment