Government Tracker - Scout Tracking Operations School

10/10/2026

Transcendent Synergy of the Manifest Adaptive Traits

More on Human Behavior for Tracking Purposes

All psychomotor behavior are rooted in some intersect of time and place on the substrate of earth through the gait-footfall sequences of the spoor-chain signature. The psychomotor behavioral programming registered in any spoor-chain signature is a course-of-action of the trackmaker based on the science of the Behavior Gait Spoor (BGS) paradigm through linearity and laws of motion.

Through Observation, Classification, Interpretation of Spoor Evidence (OCISE), the tracker is able to see and understand the historical record left encrypted in a crime scene.

The manifest adaptive traits are universally constant within all humans. The practicality of manifest adaptive traits, regarding the experience of a trackmaker and the behavioral aspect of performance allows the tracker to analyze the component traits manifest during locomotor and psychomotor behavioral programming within the spoor-chain signature, and to evaluate their implications, both individually and holistically to a crime scene.

Each tracker can appraise and place value on their own performance, thereby reading the performance of others in the spoor-chain signature context to the psychomotor behavior. A tracker does this experientially, from an introspective (output), looking inward from the spoor-chain signature back to the mind of the trackmaker, while the tracker in the midst of analyzing a spoor-chain signature, or behavior, looking reflectively (input) outward,observing the performance of the trackmaker laying the spoor-chain signature from the mind of the tracker as the baseline is solidified.

-Forensic Spoorology

10/09/2026

This is what we like to see after we leave a class. Students returning home to their agency to create their own spoor pit for training use. Most excellent!!

10/08/2026

Quick shoutout to GT4J John Norris of PaWSAR Pennsylvania Wilderness Search and Rescue for traveling down to Georgia next week to assist with a larger class with Stephens County Search and Rescue Team, and also saving me some cargo space on my motorcycle trip to get there. Looking forward to completing the mission and then it’s off to Texas!! Thank you sir. See you there!!

10/07/2026

New batch of window/coffee cup etc decals hot off the presses today for all upcoming students to have at class time. If anyone knows of a good patch maker please message us. Just remember one thing, keep training after we are gone!!! See you all soon

10/06/2026

So let’s talk about this dirt from yesterday, 24 hours since beginning this little environmental field test. No rain for the previous 72 hours after .09” fell which equates to approximately .5 gallons per square foot. Humidity swings since beginning have been around 25% change from night to day.

Example 1 under leaf litter and example 2 in bare dirt. Both partially exposed to sun/wind etc.

Both examples lost 1% of their moisture which registered at 3 hours. There was no measurable change for the following 15 hours. Temperature fluctuations day/night were also approximately a 25 degrees difference. From hours 18-21 (12p-3p) as the temperatures climbed with steady humidity there was an additional 2% loss by example 1 and a 3% loss on example 2 measured at 24 hours since the beginning.

We will continue watching this out to 72 hours or until both have ceased losing moisture at which time we will know the overall moisture content of each sample at the start.

What does this mean? So far it means that example 2 from harder “looking” bare dirt appears to have lost 1% MORE moisture than example 1’s looser “looking” soils from under leaf litter which would seem to be counter of what would be expected and therein lies the rub. It can only reveal how these particular soils lose their moisture at each particular location under these fairly controlled examination conditions and only at the exact time,exact location,exact slope/grade,exact exposure,overall beginning moisture content,collection date/time,weather conditions,rainfall,wind speeds,wildlife urinating on it, etc etc etc that can never be exactly repeated. Impossible to do so. These soils are just 10’ apart and only with different crust/surfaces by appearance. If we change one single thing about any of this the result could differ. These exact conditions on the face of the earth can never truly be replicated again, only be “similar”.

Nature doesn’t always do what we think it does or what we feel we could expect. There’s multiple reasons why wet or dry dirt could be important in what we do but we can only make semi-educated assumptions. Soils will trick you. This is not even discussing soils left in a natural environment and how the dozens and dozens of unknown variables may come into play. More to come!!

10/06/2026

While out setting up my own early fall nature studies a little earlier I thought what better way to show you all the type of easy things you can do for training and to start knowing your environment more thoroughly and build a quick mental recall base to pull from in a missing persons search etc. Enjoy and go play with nature!!

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

10/05/2026

6pm. Two soil samples from 10 feet apart. One from underneath leaf litter and the other from bare ground. Samples pulled from the top 2 inches. Covered but not sealed and kept in a shaded area. 100grams of soil each. These samples will be weighed hourly until 12am to test the moisture reduction rate of each sample. If the results are insignificant weighing will be conducted at 3am and 6am with hourly weighing beyond that time if necessary. Our earlier video revealed a surprising result with absorption so now let’s go the other way. Moisture reduction. We shall see what happens.

10/05/2026

Today is science and experiment day. Soil moisture reduction rate. Digital scale on standby for use!!

10/05/2026

A look at how soils just a few feet apart have a completely different water absorption rate. The end result seems to run counter to what would be expected. Interesting.

A look at how the soils absorb water differently in one location.

10/05/2026

Today some infiltration tests around various substrates perhaps. Into the topsoils and also below.

DIY and Field Tests for Soil Degradation

• Slake Test: Submerge a dry clump of soil in a container of water. Healthy soil with strong structural aggregates stays intact; heavily degraded, tilled, or low-organic soil quickly dissolves and disintegrates into muddy water.

• Infiltration Test: Drive a small metal or plastic tube into the ground, pour a measured amount of water (such as 450 ml) inside, and time how fast it drains. Water taking longer than usual to absorb signals severe compaction and surface crusting.

• Earthworm Count: Dig a small 20x20x20 cm pit and count the earthworms. Finding fewer than 10 worms indicates low biological life and poor soil structure.

• Smell and Touch Test: Healthy soil crumbles easily under your fingers and smells sweet or earthy from active microbes (geosmin). A metallic, sour, or absent smell combined with rock-hard texture points to severe degradation or anaerobic conditions.

You can test your soil's contents at home using simple DIY methods like the jar texture test and vinegar pH test, or by sending a sample to a professional lab.

Soil Tests

• Soil Texture Jar Test: Fill a straight-sided glass jar one-third full with soil from 6 inches deep. Fill the rest with water and a drop of dish soap. Shake it hard for 3 minutes. Measure sand at 1 minute, silt at 5 minutes, and clay after 24 hours to find your soil balance.
• Vinegar pH Test: Place 2 tablespoons of soil in a bowl and add ½ cup of vinegar. Fizzing means your soil is alkaline (pH over 7.5).
• Baking Soda pH Test: Place 2 tablespoons of soil in a bowl, moisten with distilled water, and add ½ cup of baking soda. Fizzing means your soil is acidic (pH under 5).
• Store-Bought Test Kit: Use a commercial chemical kit (such as those found at Lowe's) to mix soil with water and capsule powders, then compare the liquid color to a chart for exact pH and nutrient levels.

Soil Drainage Test

• Dig a hole: Use a shovel to dig a hole 12 inches deep and 6 to 12 inches wide in your garden bed.
• Saturate the soil: Fill the hole completely with water and let it drain completely once to wet the surrounding earth.
• Refill and measure: Fill the hole with water a second time. Place a straight stick or board across the top of the opening as a baseline.
• Check the rate: Measure the water level drop with a ruler every hour or check how long it takes to empty completely.

• Under 30 minutes (Fast/Sandy): Water escapes too quickly. The soil is mostly sand and may dry out fast
• 1 to 3 inches per hour / 30 minutes to 2 hours (Ideal)
• Slowing past 3 to 4 hours (Poor/Clay): Water stays trapped like a bathtub.