Tracking wounded deer with dogs
 

Just wondering if anyone out there has used a tracking dog to find a wounded animal or not and what was your experience with them and or disappointments? I have been tracing for 8 years in VT and have had some good experiences and bad ones but havent really heard too much fed back from anyone. Just wondering!

RE: Tracking wounded deer with dogs
 

I think using a dog for tracking is a good idea. They can find animals that we would lose and speed up finding the others. It should be limited to one dog to avoid dogs being used to drive outside of dog season. I know I made some jokes on the dog hunting thread, but I do think they have a place in deer hunting.

RE: Tracking wounded deer with dogs
 

We have used a dog in the past trailing up wounded deer. I feel it should be a must situation. I agree just one dog.

RE: Tracking wounded deer with dogs
 

My little shih tzu can track turkeys and deer both,since started using
a crossbow havent needed his services in awhile,it gets r done!:)

RE: Tracking wounded deer with dogs
 

I never imagined the amount of deer that got wounded each year and lost until I became licensed to track. Unfortunatly I wounded a big 8 pt and couldnt find anyone licensed to track for me so thats why I did it myself. I have 2 dogs I run but only one at a time. They have to be on a harnass at all times and under controll.This will be my 8th year tracking and its just as fun now as it was then. To see a hunters face when the dog finds the deer 2 miles the OPPOSITE direction the hunter INSISTED it went so something else, or the smile on a young kids face......priceless.....altho some hunters think that when a god doesnt find their "MORTALY" hit deer that the dog is no good and should stay home on the couch. There is one little fact he doesnt understand.......we are out there because of him....and in this state <VT>........we can not charge for our services. 50 - 60 tracks a year takes alot of time away from our hunting and families. ANywyas...would like to here about your encounters with a "dog tracker" if anyones got 1.

RE: Tracking wounded deer with dogs
 

I have a few fellows who know about spencer,and will come and ask for
help to track an animal,he is good on deer but is wicked on turkeys and
seems to enjoy finding the birds more then the deer.where ever we hunt
he is always the center of attention,never heard of his breed doing any
tracking,etc.but he does it good!:D

RE: Tracking wounded deer with dogs
 

Do you guys know of anyone that has a trcking dog in MA We have a lot of scrub oak on the cape.. i ahvent lost on yet but im sure there will be a time....

RE: Tracking wounded deer with dogs
 

email me @[email protected] and I can get some names for you

RE: Tracking wounded deer with dogs
 

Ever wonder why there are so many wounded deer in VT? Maybe people spent too much time listening to the Benoit brothers and thier unethical hunting tactics and tips. Watch one of their vidoes and you will be sick to your stomach. Encouraging shots at running deer, taking low percentage shots because "if you don't shoot at em you can't kill em", or the greatest was then one of them shot at a deer four times after he bent his sight and said he tried compensating on the shot.

Sorry to jack the thread, but it sounds like most people out there try to hunt like them. [:'(]

RE: Tracking wounded deer with dogs
 

dont EVER compare me to them!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot stand the way they hunt and if you ask me they shouldnt even be on tv....they are the most over-rated people I know!!!!!!!!!!!!! And their ethics are HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!

RE: Tracking wounded deer with dogs
 

LOL I wasn't comparing you to them. I was making the suggestion that maybe you are tracking so many wounded deerbecause other people are trying to be like them.

I'm glad someone from out there agrees with me. They are disturbing and giving hunters a bad name.

RE: Tracking wounded deer with dogs
 

I wouldnt say vt has more wounded animals then the rest because I know alot of people in diff states that have just as many or more

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I realise that. I was just using that as an example to show how unethical the Benoit's are.

RE: Tracking wounded deer with dogs
 

I have been dealing with tracking dogs for about 6 years now. Having my own for the last 4. This past Feb. I passed the JGHV 20 hr blood tracking test and I also became the first American to be excepted into the German dog club for my breed. I said all that to show I have The knowledge and understanding to talk about this. By no means an expert but I have a very deep love and understanding for this type of hunting and it is hunting.Two good resources for tracking dogs are Deer Search and United Blood Trackers. I am a co-founder and board member UBT. You can go to http://www.unitedbloodtrackers.org/state-reg.php and look at what I put together for our web site for tracking laws in each state. Bigbuck28 as of 2005 tracking dogs were not allowed in MA. This might have changed and we are allways wanting to hear from people if the law changes in there state so we can keep this page current.This is not to saythat tracking dogsare not used in MA. Many GW's see there benifit and allow their use even though it is against the law. I do not understand why anyone would deny a hunter another option to recover their game. If we are going to shoot an animal, then that animaldeserves our respect by using all means possible to recover it.

vtdeertracker, there are many good trackers up in that area. Keep up the good work.

Dan, it does not matter what state, there are plenty of animals to track. You would be supprised to know how many deer a small number of trackers track each hunting season. Most hunters will only call for bucks so the numbers are really higher in our ares. Now expand that out across the country.

So much goes into tracking like scenting conditions. Some states allow you to cross property lines. Others like here in GA I have to stop at the property line. That means if the hunter can not get permission for us to cross the line then that is were we stop. I do not like this as many deerwe track I felt could be found but thats the law.Some states allow dogs to be worked off leash like Texas, but most require the dogs to be on leash. I prefer the leash as you are able to see the signs left along the trail to help determine the type of hit. Some states require you and/or the dog to pass a test before you are allowed to track. Those are mostly in the NE. Here in Ga anyone with a dog can call themselves a tracker and charge for it. There have been many a hunter ruined on the thought of useing a tracking dog because they have call out someones yard dog that might have found a deer or two.

For the hunters out there. Please if tracking dogs are available in your area use them. They are great resource. Don't be afraid to ask what typeof training is done in the off season. If someone is not dedicated to train year round then more than likely there dog is not the one for you.Not to say there are not some really good natural dogs out there. But just like us, if you do not use it then you loose it.

Here is a list of mistakes hunters make before calling in a tracking dog and some misconceptions about tracking dogs from my web site.

"These are things that I have run into over the last few years. This is not an all inclusive list of mistakes as I am sure I will continue to see new things the more I track.The most common mistake is that hunters walk down the middle of the blood trail. Then when they get to were the blood runs out they start walking all over the place. This transfers blood from their boots to places the deer did not go. When the dog gets there to track and gets to this point on the trail they have to spend a lot of time unraveling this false blood trail that is now laid out.  There is not a good solution other than to try to be careful and walk to the side of the trail were possibly.Mistake number 2 is that the hunter does not visually mark were the deer was standing when they shot. This point can be very important to a tracker in that a lot of information can be gained by looking at the color of hair at the hit site along with any bone that might be there.Mistake 3 is that they do not know who their neighbors are or how to get in contact with them in case the deer travels across property lines. In many states it is illegal to cross property lines without permission even to track a wounded deer. A solution is to go ahead and make arrangements with your neighbors ahead of time just in case. This will help when late at night you come to a property line and you are trying to find out who owns the property. You will be very disappointed when the tracker and his dog call it quits, so get permission ahead of time.Mistake 4 Is not being prepared for tracking at night. A pen light works fine for walking into the woods but when you need to see the most minute sign you need a very good bright light. Bring several good lights just in case your batteries die or a bulb blows.Mistake 5 not marking their progress along the track to the point of loss. Marking the trail helps the tracker to see that their dog is following the right blood trail to the point of loss. If the blood trail is very light the handler may not see any blood as they will be watching their dogs reaction. By marking the last spot of blood the handler will know that at that point there might be a lot of false trails, see mistake #1Mistake 6 pushing the deer. If the deer travels out of site after the shot give it 30 to 45 minutes. As soon as you start tracking and see that the animal may travel a great distance or that it is a poor shot back out and give it at least 4 hrs if the temperature will allow and you are not worried about coyotes.  If there is signs of a gut shot wait 6 to 8 hrs before begging to track again. Most mortally wounded deer will try to lay down within 200-300 yards. But if pushed out of the bed can travel great distance before expiring.A few misconceptions"It has been raining so a dog will not be useful." Actually a light rain helps to hold the scent. Some dogs are even able to track after heavy rains.It is always better to call as soon as possible but if you can not get a tracking dog until it has been over 12 hrs then do not worry. A lot of people think that a dog is only good if the track is under a few hours old. Actually a well trained dog will be able to follow a scent trail 20 even 40 hrs old. The meat may not be any good if the weather is hot and the yotes might have got to it, but if you want to recover your trophy do not be afraid to call in a quality tracking dog.Another misconception is that "a tracking dog will always find your animal".  A tracking dog greatly increases your chances of finding a wounded animal but it is by no means a guarantee. Dogs have bad days just like people do."

Ken

RE: Tracking wounded deer with dogs
 

I wouldnt frown on it.You shot the deer now you have to use any and all methods available to recover it.I dont see how a good dog could do any worse than a human in the woods, even on a bad day! LOL.

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I have a German Wire Hair/ Aus. Cattle Dog mix that I startedleash training to trail when she was 10 weeks old.She has amazed many people and found a few deer nearly a mile away. I do hate to get a phone call at 9:00 PM asking if I can bring her to some briar choked, snake infested swamp to get torn apart looking for a bad hit deer half the night.That seems to be most of my calls. Nobody ever seems to need her during the day.

RE: Tracking wounded deer with dogs
 

Start charging double at night after 8:00 pm!

RE: Tracking wounded deer with dogs
 

What is an approximate price range that trackers charge?

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Im not a tracker, but id start at 100.00 per hour. I dont know how bad the deer is hit so its up tothe clienthow much work is involved.I dont think Id charge for drive time unless its after my rack time.

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Illegal to use dogs in Wi for tracking deer.

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Wis bow hunter The law was changed a few years ago in Wis. You are allowed to use dogs now. Check out UBT's web site for find a tracker. You will find a couple of people listed for Wis.

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Great reply Ken and you hit it on the nose. Sorry about the benoit comments, itsjust they make my blood boil.!!! Here in Vermont we are not allowed to carge at all!!! We can except donations if offered but when someone asks " What do I owe you?" All we can say is...."we dont charged anything buit donations are excepted"! Most of the time people are more than happy to donate but we also get the ones tyhat say we will mail it to you and never see anything! Dont get me wrong...I dont do it for the money but damn.....midnight in a swamp somewhere is no fun!!
Its also funny to see how many hunters say they shot a "monster" and turns out to be a lil"dink"...lol Been there a few times.

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I also know alot about deer search and deceided I didnt want to get involved. Cant see he point of keeping track of all your donations and mileage and sending it all in at the end of the year just too get some back later on........But if you are real familiar with deer search...the guy who got me into tracking is a member and has won the trophy for "most tracks taken" the last few years....He is from Granville NY! Good buddy of mine!

That was another thing...I didnt see tracking as a compition for a measly trophy.....alot of deer went unfound because of that!

RE: Tracking wounded deer with dogs
 

tracking dogs are cool

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As a deer-dog hunter, I can attest to you it is fairly easy to take a cold-nosed trail dog and make him into a tracking dog. I have one dog myself that will track, but the problem you run into with these type of dogs (walker/beagle mix) is they were originally taught to hunt by the normal deer scent, and not the smell of a wounded animal (blood). i have seen two dogs that weretaughtto betracking dogs,( both chocolate labs) one of which has found 10-15 deer a year for 4 years now.

Now that is a relieving sight to see the dog track the deer for hundreds of yards without anybloodtrail and walk uptothe deer and start whimpering. That dog is worth his weight in gold!!

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no.....not all dogs can track deer.......some its easier than others but you still have to train them to follow the injured deer.! Its not all about the blood either...what happens when they run out of blood? They have to be taught to track the smell of the wounded deer not the blood from that deer but his oder he omits from his feet. every deer has their own smell so the dog has to put the smell of that deer and blood together and when the blood runs out....its the odor he goes by!

RE: Tracking wounded deer with dogs
 

That is what I meant, the dog doesn't trail a deer
like a normal deer-running dog. He tracks thewounded deer scent, or hewould trail the freshestscent, usually.