Black Labs For Deer Tracking

[Swamprat]

Anybody have experience using a black lab for tracking wounded deer. Fixing to get two puppies in about 4 weeks, they are 4 weeks old now...birthday gift from wife but she asked if we needed to get another from same litter to keep each other occupied when we are at work. I said why not....both are males.

Said to her would like to train one or both to trail a deer, would never use both at once if both had a skill for it.

I am not a duck hunter so would like to use them in another capacity so they feel like they are doing a task. See where folks use them for pheasants and also know just about any dog whether pure bred or mutt has the ability to track/trail.

Have read up on how to train them to track/trail and have a BIL with property and non scent from me to lay down a track for training.

So anybody use a black lab or know of someone who does for this purpose. If possible would like to pick their brain if possible. Thanks

 

[TJay]

They do a great job. A few years back I hunted Tara Wildlife over in Mississippi and that's what they used. I don't know much on training them but the breed is certainly up to the task.

 

[Blackston]

Lab do anything ya teach it to WELL !!!

 

[j_seph]

You gonna keep them in the house?

 

[Jimmypop]

Every dog I ever owned would trail deer with no training at all. That includes pointers, setters, Brittanys,beagles , collies, and a few mutts. My problem was training them to not track deer. I don't think Labs would be different. Good luck.

 

[GA Carpkiller]

My lab mix picked it up all on her own. I put her on 6 trails this year and she found everyone. I got her a GPS collar for Christmas and she did well without being on a lead.

 

[stonecreek]

I have used several different breeds to blood trail with to include 2 labs back in the 80s. Both were easy to train and turned out to be fine trackers. Richard

 

[Swamprat]

Thanks for the replies folks.

J_seph, they will be more than likely a combo of both.

 

[kmckinnie]

This one can.

 

[Swamprat]

Thanks Kmac......since it will be several months before deer season was wanting to get them started with deer blood you can purchase and start them around 4 months on easy tracks and work up from there.

By deer rifle season down here they will be around nine months old. Not going to do both at once but each separate just to see if one or both takes to it pretty good. If both do then great. Will either rotate them out or get somebody else to handle if the other is out tracking.

Basically my deer season is the first 2-3 weeks of the season in Georgia during the rut where we hunt and then have a place close to the house where I try to fill a few doe tags for the landowner. Lots of weekends I am just doing chores but the thought of helping another hunter find a deer is appealing to me.

 

[kmckinnie]

When we go to the woods. She knows what she’s there for.

If she worked DNR road checks. No one would get by.

 

[Swamprat]

That is what I hope for....loads up and either one know they have a job ahead and are excited about it.

 

[saltysenior]

my yellow tracked deer, retrieved ducks and quail, busted coveys,and even pointed a little , all w/ very little training... But , put him on a leash when required and he did nothing.

 

[drahthaar]

swamprat, check out John Jeanneney's book and the United Blood Trackers for info on training the pup. UBT national meeting is about a month away in NC - lots of good info, workshops, etc will be there.

http://www.born-to-track.com/book/order-info.htm

https://www.unitedbloodtrackers.org/

 

[GLS]

Just be careful when you let them track deer. A buddy figured to earn a little money tracking deer with his bloodhound. It worked fine until Cooter was hit by a rattler on a warm, early season night. Cooter lived but suffered massive damage to nerves in one leg and hasn't been the same since. Gil

 

[flatsmaster]

Like others have stated they can do it ... she is a trained duck dog but first time out she went right to one with little blood until at deer ... my son shot this 7pt with his bow in Fl a few yrs ago from a ground blind so exit hole was higher then if a treestand ... i got to where he shot it and walk her to last little blood and gave her a hunt it up and she went right to it ... she was surprised at what she found but has found 3 more since then ...

 

[kingfish]

I agree with all on the post. Hunted a dog club up in Yemasse SC back in the 80's and we had a black and a yellow that did an incredible job tracking. The black also ran with the beagles and walkers which I thought was pretty cool. Never made a sound, but it was like he kept the pack together.

 

[marshallknight]

Almost any dog can track, I've seen a yorkshire find a deer. I think the key is spending as much time as possible with them the first year of their life. I had a bulldog that spent almost everyday with me the first 1.5 years of his life. He would do anything I wanted him too, trail deer, bay a hog, or even watch my boys.

 

[mlandrum]

I'm training a 5 year old English Cocker he's getting it good. He retrieves birds and bullfrogs and flushes Woodcock, quite a dog?

 

[Meriwether Mike]

Labs are awesome. The Strickland's dog located this buck for me. I would have never retrieved this deer without the labs help.