Anyone do it? What kind of dog? Do you just take them to the end of the blood trail or what?

 

Good Question[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

We've always thought about using a dog for this[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] But, could only get the dogs to take the legs and chew on them in camp after "we" tracked the deer ourselves[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img] Guess we haven't tried hard enough[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img]

 

Wouldn't have a need for firearm season, but I've only bowhunted for one season and I would already very much appreciate a dog that could track a poorly-shot deer.

 

Best advice is, take only a high percentage shot[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] Never shoot farther then you can shoot a tight group of arrows consistently. When you do shoot a deer, give it at least 2 hours to settle down, before you try to track. I've been on my hands and knees following tracks after myself or someone in camp has shot their game. If you had a dog and sent it after a deer or anything else, before it is ready to expire, the dog could send it on a "death run" and you might never find the game. Unlike a bear, deer won't climb a tree when being chased.

 

Good advice RD. My opinion is that tracking a wounded animal is part of the whole hunting expierence and a hunter should skill himself in this aspect just as much as his shooting abilities. I have tracked many of wounded animals in my days, and have found most, but have lost some to. One of my buddies is dam good at it and I always get him to help when I have an animal that needs tracked. We had to track my sons first deer for a mile, across a river, and up a huge *** bluff. The blood trail had ended after the deer got out of the river, but we picked up on his hoof prints and water spots. Not to far from there, he was bedded down and we jumped him. He made it to the top of the bluff and down the other side before falling down for good. Dogs may work in some instances, but I would suggest reading up on how to track wounded game. There is just hardly no better thing to do then to have expierence. Its going to happen no matter what. I shot a deer with my bow last year, perfect heart shot, and he ran about 100 yards, with almost no blood trail. If it had run farther (out of sound range) I might have had a hard time finding him. I heard it fall so I knew where to walk to.

 

MD, You are correct in learning how to track[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] It's all part of becoming a well rounded hunter[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

We used to deer hunt with one or two dogs in California when hunting brush so thick that sometimes you had to crawl on your hands and knees. The shots offered were fast and often in very small clearings. Anyway, we used dogs that had begal and terrier in them. My dog's mother was begal and terrier and his father was german shorthair. He looked like a german shorthair but was black and white. He was a great hunting dog. Unfortunately for me he only ran a few bucks past me but he ran a lot of bucks past other hunters. He even held a few wounded bucks at bay for other hunters. One evening I shot a real nice buck with my bow. I shot him at 40yds. The buck took off and after giving him 20 minutes I started after him. After a couple of hours tracking with a flashlight I returned to camp. Luckily my hunting dog was there. I took him to the spot where I had shot the buck and he took off. He came back an hour or so later with blood around his muzzle so I knew the deer was down. At first light I went back to the spot I had shot the buck with my dog on a leash. He lead me to the buck who had traveled a long way. Without the dog I wouldn't have found that buck. By the end of his first huting year he knew not to chase does. Of course if we were doe killers that would have been different. Bucks he would chase for a long, long time. Also, this dog was quite a boozer. He would drink wine, beer, rum, vodka whisheky, etc. Although he would drink the hard stuff without a mixer he did prefer it with a mixer. He lived to be almost 15 years old. Again, he was a great dog!

 

Wayback-

That was a good story LOL. Your GSP/Beagle fit right in at Deer camp with his drinking habits!!! Bet others got pissed he did not BYOB!!!

I have seen a couple dogs follow wounded deer- both were German Wirehairs I believe. They did a good job- but I would imagine it took quite a few hours in the field to allow them to follow blood and not the deer scent. But the two I saw- found the deer pretty quickly too. I seem to remember a few years back a guy here in Michigan was advertising that he would assist with recover of an animal with his dogs trained to do so..... I wonder how that worked out- could be my kind of job.

Marsh

 

Yeah that would be a great side job, but it would be during hunting season. That is something I would not want to sacrifice. Hmmm, maybe it would push me to make my kills early in the season, and use the rest of the season as a tracker. I think that would be an excellent job, sharing in the recovery of a game with another hunter is something to charish.

 

I've seen dogs used for hunting in Mississippi. It seems that all the shots are at deer that are hauling *** through the brush and woods. Also, when a deer is scared like that, it's muscles fill up with adrenelin and this gives the meat a slightly bitter taste.
i don't knock any type of hunting as long as it's leagle. I personally prefer the one on one hunting, me against the deer in his yard. That's why i prefer bow hunting, but still enjoy rifle hunting.

Oh, to the original question. Some dogs will instinctively track blood, but most dogs are just happy to be out in the woods and blood is just one of a million different smells they are checking out. I would say that 9 out of 10 "pet" dogs won't follow a blood trail. At least one that is so sparce that you would need a dog for.