My Mountain Lion Adventures - with Matt Nelson
Friday evening at 6pm in the Lodge dining room
With decades of immersive field experience, Matt has dedicated years to living outdoors while researching mountain lions in the Rocky Mountains.
He has spent extended periods tracking these elusive predators, locating their sign, documenting kills, analyzing predation patterns, studying their diets, and observing family dynamics—including how adults interact with and raise their young. Collaborating with experts like Mark Elbroch on mountain lion projects, Matt has honed an encyclopedic knowledge of their habits: from stealthy hunting strategies and territorial behaviors to subtle track and sign interpretation that reveals daily life and ecology.
At the Tracker Gathering, Matt's presentation promises to be a highlight, sharing profound insights from a lifetime dedicated to understanding these magnificent animals.
About Matt Nelson
From the Arctic to the Antarctic, our instructor, Matt Nelson, has left footprints in search of authenticity in his life. Matt holds a Senior Tracker certificate from Tracker Certification North America (TCNA) (clicking this link will take viewer to https://trackercertification.com/storymap/) and is now a senior track and sign evaluator with TCNA.
Matt is a highly respected tracker and trailing specialist with more than 20 years of experience in the woods. He has spent months in the Rocky Mountain researching mountain lions and has worked on numerous wildlife and research projects including the Gualala River Watershed council, the Garfield/Mesa Mountain Lion project and the East Bay Puma Project.
Matt is also a wolf expert and can be found in the winter in northern Wisconsin teaching the art of tracking and trailing wolves. A lifetime hunter and woodsman, Matt is passionate about sharing his passion for nature and love for all things wild and true. He is at once an intuitive tracker and a humble and gifted teacher – you can’t help but learn and be inspired after spending time with Matt.
