wildlands
Senior Member
This is an article that I wrote and was published in GON this month. Due to the size a littel had to be left out. I thought I would post it here for those that do not get GON. The info in red was left off.
Types of Tracking Dogs Used
During the 2007 hunting season, GON’s list of tracking dogs was about 50. I was able to contact 36 of these people during the off season to see what type of dog they were using and get some information on how their season went. There were many different breeds of dogs being used. The number 1 breed was the Bloodhound, followed by mixed breeds, labs, Bavarian Mountain hounds, Beagles, Mt. Cur, and Basset hounds. Then, at least one each of Rat Terrier, Boykin Spaniel, Pit bull, Black and Tan, Blue Tick, German short-hair pointer, and one German Shepherd.
Number of calls taken
Tracking dogs are used to differing extents across the state. Just by the figures that I collected, it is obvious that the QDMA counties are putting the tracking dogs to work more often looking for the big bucks. Bucks made up over 90% of the calls taken by trackers. We had one tracker take over 100 calls this year and 5 that got 1 or no calls. The top 6 trackers across the state tracked 380 of the 716 deer tracked for an average of 53 deer apiece. The overall average for all trackers was just over 21 deer per tracker.
Deer Recovery
Of those 716 deer tracked for hunters across our state, 357 were recovered. That comes out to just under a 50% recovery rate.
There are many reasons why deer are never recovered, even with a tracking dog - anything from non-fatal hits, such as flesh wounds, complete misses, to hits that will not put the animal down within a period of time that would allow the deer to be recovered. However, I am still hearing from many of the trackers that the Number 1 reason many deer were not recovered remains property line issues. I personally ran into this 13 times this year and had to stop at the property line because the hunter did not know who owned the land or how to get a hold of them. I remind every hunter to make contact with the property owners surrounding your hunting property before hunting season even begins. Having contact numbers for the land owners, or preferably an agreement ahead of time, will allow you access legally to recover your animal.
Misconceptions About Tracking
"It’s been raining, so a dog won’t be useful." Actually, a light rain helps to hold the scent. Some dogs are even able to track after heavy rains.
“I’ve waited too long.” It is always better to call as soon as possible, but, if you can not get a tracking dog for 12 hours or more, don’t worry. A lot of people think that a dog is only good if the track is under a few hours old. However, a well-trained dog will be able to follow a scent trail 20 to even 40 hours old, even if other deer or wildlife has traveled the same trail. The meat may not be any good, if the weather is hot or the coyotes might have gotten 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” the animal. A tracking dog greatly increases your chances of finding a wounded animal, but it is by no means a guarantee. Many deer survive what hunters think to be a kill shot. But, let’s not forget … dogs can have bad days too, just like people do.
The art of working a tracking dog has come a long way from just turning out the best tracking deer dog to the highly specialized tracking dogs of today. Do not be afraid to contact a person from the GON tracking dog list ahead of time to ask questions. It might save you some time when you are need of a tracker the most. Happy hunting to all and good luck to all the trackers during the next season.
Types of Tracking Dogs Used
During the 2007 hunting season, GON’s list of tracking dogs was about 50. I was able to contact 36 of these people during the off season to see what type of dog they were using and get some information on how their season went. There were many different breeds of dogs being used. The number 1 breed was the Bloodhound, followed by mixed breeds, labs, Bavarian Mountain hounds, Beagles, Mt. Cur, and Basset hounds. Then, at least one each of Rat Terrier, Boykin Spaniel, Pit bull, Black and Tan, Blue Tick, German short-hair pointer, and one German Shepherd.
Number of calls taken
Tracking dogs are used to differing extents across the state. Just by the figures that I collected, it is obvious that the QDMA counties are putting the tracking dogs to work more often looking for the big bucks. Bucks made up over 90% of the calls taken by trackers. We had one tracker take over 100 calls this year and 5 that got 1 or no calls. The top 6 trackers across the state tracked 380 of the 716 deer tracked for an average of 53 deer apiece. The overall average for all trackers was just over 21 deer per tracker.
Deer Recovery
Of those 716 deer tracked for hunters across our state, 357 were recovered. That comes out to just under a 50% recovery rate.
There are many reasons why deer are never recovered, even with a tracking dog - anything from non-fatal hits, such as flesh wounds, complete misses, to hits that will not put the animal down within a period of time that would allow the deer to be recovered. However, I am still hearing from many of the trackers that the Number 1 reason many deer were not recovered remains property line issues. I personally ran into this 13 times this year and had to stop at the property line because the hunter did not know who owned the land or how to get a hold of them. I remind every hunter to make contact with the property owners surrounding your hunting property before hunting season even begins. Having contact numbers for the land owners, or preferably an agreement ahead of time, will allow you access legally to recover your animal.
Misconceptions About Tracking
"It’s been raining, so a dog won’t be useful." Actually, a light rain helps to hold the scent. Some dogs are even able to track after heavy rains.
“I’ve waited too long.” It is always better to call as soon as possible, but, if you can not get a tracking dog for 12 hours or more, don’t worry. A lot of people think that a dog is only good if the track is under a few hours old. However, a well-trained dog will be able to follow a scent trail 20 to even 40 hours old, even if other deer or wildlife has traveled the same trail. The meat may not be any good, if the weather is hot or the coyotes might have gotten 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” the animal. A tracking dog greatly increases your chances of finding a wounded animal, but it is by no means a guarantee. Many deer survive what hunters think to be a kill shot. But, let’s not forget … dogs can have bad days too, just like people do.
The art of working a tracking dog has come a long way from just turning out the best tracking deer dog to the highly specialized tracking dogs of today. Do not be afraid to contact a person from the GON tracking dog list ahead of time to ask questions. It might save you some time when you are need of a tracker the most. Happy hunting to all and good luck to all the trackers during the next season.
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