I’ve always wanted to try plaster casting animal tracks. I don’t know why, it just seems like an interesting thing to do. I suppose it would be a useful skill if I ever come across a really rare track of say, a bigfoot or puma. Neither is very likely in Bedfordshire, but you never know. Anyway, today I gave it a go.
There isn’t much information on the internet on how to make plaster casts, so here’s a guide if you want to try it yourself.
Firstly, be prepared. I used plaster of paris (available from the Hobbycraft chain of stores) but I’ve heard of people using decorating filler instead. You’ll need plaster, water, a bowl to mix it in, and something to stir it with. You’ll also need some way of making a dam around the track to contain the plaster. For this I used strips of cardboard and rings cut from a plastic bottle.
Plaster casting kit
A lot of these things could be improvised in the field, but I wanted to be sure that I had everything I needed, and I wanted it to be clean, so I took it with me.
The next step is to mix the plaster. I feel that this is a bit of an art and may take some practice. Put the plaster in the bowl first. It is best to add a little bit more than you think you’ll need.
Plaster first...
Now add the water and stir slowly.
...then add water
The aim is to get a smooth and even consistency. Add enough water to make it slightly runny. You’ll need to stir it to get all the lumps out, but don’t stir it too vigorously or you’ll introduce air bubbles that may spoil the cast.
Stir carefully
Next, put a dam around your track. Here’s one made from a strip of cardboard clipped together around a deer track. Push it into the ground slightly, but be careful not to distort your track.
Cardboard dam ready for plaster
Then add the plaster. This dam is made from a section of plastic bottle and is around a badger track.
Plastic dam
Pour the plaster in carefully so it runs into all the little nooks and crannies of the track, and don’t pour it in from a height in case you damage the track.
Leave for 30 minutes or so until the plaster is hard, and then it should be ready to carefully lift out. It’ll bring some soil with it. Leave this soil in place for the moment.
Lifting off the cast
Wrap the cast carefully and bring it home. You’ll need to remember to bring a lot of plastic bags, as you’ll need to wrap up your messy bowl too. If you’ve used a plastic bowl you can easily clean this when the plaster has dried by flexing it to break off the plaster.
After a couple of hours you can clean the track. Brush it softly under the tap to get the loose soil off it. Don’t scrub, or you risk damaging the detail. The cardboard dam was easy to remove, but the plaster stuck to the plastic one. Unless you can grease the plastic dam somehow it may be best to use cardboard.
Finished casts - fallow deer on left, badger on right
And there you have it – a permanent record of the track to study at your leisure.
Tales from the Wood - The Diary of a Badger Watching Man 
That’s a great tutorial thanks. I know a lot of people paint the casts to bring out the detail.
Cheers, Pablo.
Thanks. Good tip on the painting. Actually, I don’t what I’m going to do with the casts. I need a bigger house so I can keep all the interesting things I find or make!
Have you ever thought about using them in the garden as artistic focal points?
I love the idea of making plaster casts of animal tracks. Thank you for the suggestion of putting a collar around the track.
Have you ever thought about using them as garden stones?
Hi Evelyn – thanks for the comments. Sorry they took so long to appear, I think they got caught up in a spam filter.
I’m afraid I still don’t know what to do with the plaster casts. I think I’ll wait until I get some really good tracks, so I only have a few ‘special’ casts, and that way I’ll take up less space around the house.
Great page of tracking resources, by the way. Even though I’m fast approaching 40 I’m still tempted to try out some of the activities!
hello all i`m new to the site so this is my first comment.
i`d never thought about taking plaster casts of animal tracks,even though some of the wildlife books for children suggest this,sometimes not everything you want will be to hand,for example the dams or rings to put round the track,instead if you forget to one,try heaping the surrounding soil round the out side like a mini bank,i`ve never tried it,but i theres no reason why it shouldn`t work.
I have seen Otter tracks on a site that my place of work owns,and i occasionally see their prints in the sand,now i`m going to take casts of them,i`m glad i found this site,as i doubt i would have remembered about doing this simple little keep sake.