Hey all,
I've got a beagle/brittany spaniel mix. He will turn one opening day of archery season, it must be fate!!! I'm not going to use him to run deer, but would like for him to help me track my deer. What is the best way to go about training him to do this? I wish all I would have to do is get him to the blood trail, but realize it will probably take more than this...

Thanks for any info...
R

Just putting him on a blood trail may be all it takes. It is a hunting instict of those dog breeds to hunt. Get a piece of hide from a fresh killed deer, processing plant, car hit, etc ASAP and just lay out a trail and work with the dog on a lease. Don't pressure him, just take time.

As timber said. that may be all it takes. As far as teaching it to track deer, once you teach a dog to track it will track what ever scent you start it in that day. example, i had a bloodhound that was trained to track she tracked deer and flushed pheasants. she would take any scent given to her.

Don't worry about training him, he's a dog and he'll do his dog thing. I have seen family pets in Maine track down a wounded deer for fun.

here in mississippi we can use dogs to hunt deer certain seasons i have 9 2 redbone/catahoula's 1 redbone 3 walkers 2 blueticks 1 long legged beagle. all of wich just picked it right upfrom my redbone.
my buddy has a blood hound and it will Not run a deer, but it will track a blood trail.... he said as a pup he would take a deer hide and drag it around with blood on it and then take his pup and let him find it.... stempy is now 3 years old and is the best track dog i know

Use some deer blood, or any blood you can get and make blood trails in your yard or woods. As your dog gets better, let the trails sit longer and dry up. At the end of each blood trail, use some sort of treat. I use to hide a piece of liver for my dog at the end of each trail and it was serious motivation for the dog. Eventually, she was a tracking machine. A tracking dog can be an awesome tool for finding deer. We have found deer with my dog that there is no way we would have found on our own. good luck.

What state do you live in?

if you can get some fresh blood that would be the ticket. if you train him on deer and a fresher deer walked across your wounded deers track it can lead to you chasing a deer alnight. tony

I used to keep bottled blood in the freezer, actually i still have 2 bottles, lol.....anyway, i'd defrost them throughout the year andI'd have mybloodhound trail that throughout the yard and the woods across the street, whenever possibleI take my kill and I drag it throughout the yard,deer, hogs, turkeys,heck even a roadkill buck worked...it's in them all.....
one of the hardest things for me to do was trusting her while on the trail...I may think she's off of the trail when she's on it, but you'll learn to trust them and you'll know how they act ,the more time you two spend together.

Go to http://www.unitedbloodtrackers.org/ you will be able to find several articles and other information about training a tracking dog. I would also look at the state regulations page to make sure that it is legal in your state. As many have stated training is not that hard. Many dogs out there can get out there and find a fresh hit deer meaning 2-4 hrs. But to get a dog that can be trusted all the time and one that will work the old cold lines it takes time and dedication to training.
Good luck and if you ever have any questions shot me a P.M. or an email.

Ken