There are a number of tactics employed in land SAR. It depends on the management of the search which are used. Hopefully Incident Command (IC) brings in air scent dogs and mantrackers first. <br><br>Air scent dogs track primarily by scent. They can follow a trail at a jog or running pace so can make up time if the lost subject is walking. Mantrackers look for sign left behind by the subject. Footprints are the most obvious but broken limbs, crushed ground vegetation, scuff marks, etc are also good indicators. <br><br>At the same time, hopefully IC has dispatched Hasty Teams. Hasty teams go to obvious landmarks: buildings, road crossings, train tracks, bridges, water and look for signs the lost subject has reached that area. Typically lost subjects will head towards something prominent if they can. They will tend to stay there. Hasty teams sprint to these areas and determine if the subject has passed that way. If the subject passed, then IC should send a dog team or mantracker team to follow the new lead. If they haven't passed, then IC can narrow the search between the point last seen (PLS) and the landmark. Periodically during the search, Hasty teams should re-check these points to see if the subject has arrived.<br><br>People tend to head towards water. Any size water. Lakes, streams, creeks, ponds, puddles, drainage ditch. If there is any water near the PLS, send hasty teams to check for signs. Every search I have been on, the subject was found where they could literally reach out and touch water without moving. <br><br>Adults tend to head down hill. Children tend to head up hill.<br><br>The age old method of line searching where you line up hordes of people and trample everything in sight as they move through an area looking for a subject is the least effective. Usually the "searchers" are untrained and are ignoring clues like dropped cigarette butts, candy wrappers, clothing, footprints, and other signs left behind by a subject. It uses lots of manpower and has the lowest probablity of finding a subject. The line search also destroys any clues that dog teams or mantrackers might have used.<br><br>Searchers should be looking for any distrubance to the area. Rocks, sticks, pebbles overturned. Crushed vegetation, dropped wrappers, cigarettes butts, used matches, bits of torn clothing, broken bush and tree limbs, dew and dust wiped off leaves as the subject brushes by, color and pattern differences caused by subject bruising and brushing against stuff.<br><br>If you are lost, make it easy for people to find you. Drag a stick behind you leaving a line in the soil pointing to you. Stack rocks or sticks into obvious manmade piles. Make the piles in the shape of arrows pointing in the direction you are heading. Drag your feet when you walk making a line of scuff marks leading up to you. Break tree and bush branches at waist to shoulder level leaving a trail. Make the most mess and obvioius disturbances in the terrain you can so any untrained person could track you. <br><br>Carry a whistle so you can signal. Carry a mirror so you can signal. Carry a compass and map so you know where you are headed. Leave a note on the dashboard of your car giving an estimated time of return as well as intended route. Leave a brief description of clothing and gear. A polariod of the group left behind before you head out would be perfect.<br><br>Fold the paper over to reduce the information showing to potential thiefs. On the outside, mark it plainly and in large letters something like EMERGENCY INFORMATION. Law enforcement could open the vehicle and use the clues to help find you. <br><br>Before you leave, take a folded towel or blanket and put a piece of foil about 12" long on top of the towel. Step straight down on the foil. Press firmly in all directions. Lift foot straight up. You just made a perfect impression of the sole of your shoes. Write your name and date on the foil. Now the mantrackers have a definitive print to compare against so it is easier to track you. Think about cutting an extra notch in your soil with a knife to differenate your lug boot sole from all the other lug boot soles on the trail.<br><br>Stay in one place. Noone ever stays still when they are lost. They keep moving hoping they will find their way out. I would have a hard time sitting and waiting for someone to find me. I would want to move towards anywhere. Likely this is because most people did not tell anyone where they were going or when they would be back so they realize that noone will come looking for them.<br><br>Be prepared. Take water and some snacks with you. As you travel, periodically turn around and look back down the trail so you could recognize what it will look like. Leave yourself markers by piling small pebbles, sticks or other natural material to the side of the trail so you can confirm your path. Carry a map of the area and periodically locate landmarks and check against the map so you know your general location. <br><br>