Best dog for tracking deer

gratz71

Member
I was wanting to get a redbone hound to train for tracking deer. I'm not sure if this is the best dog for the job or not so thought I would ask for yalls input.
Thanks in advance
 

watermedic

Senior Member
I like a smaller dog for tracking deer. If you ever find yourself in a head-high briar thicket with him leashed to your wrist you will know why.
 

rvick

Senior Member
if you're gonna track on lead, you will want a dog about 40#. Big enough to get around & maybe survive snake bites, but not so big that he pulls your arm out of joint (you can train a big dog not to pull, but it ain't easy). Beagle/Walker or a Beagle/Coonhound cross is hard to beat. My best on & off-lead dogs are 40# Kemmer Stock Mountain Curs...nose,smarts & grit. Very important that the dog doesn't run healthy deer. How to get a good tracking dog? Go thru 40 bad ones!
 
Last edited:

Jeff Phillips

Senior Member
Best I have ever seen was a Redbone.

Have seen labs to dachshund get the job done.
 

watermedic

Senior Member
if you're gonna track on lead, you will want a dog about 40#. Big enough to get around & maybe survive snake bites, but not so big that he pulls your arm out of joint (you can train a big dog not to pull, but it ain't easy). Beagle/Walker or a Beagle/Coonhound cross is hard to beat. My best on & off-lead dogs are 40# Kemmer Stock Mountain Curs...nose,smarts & grit. Very important that the dog doesn't run healthy deer. How to get a good tracking dog? Go thru 40 bad ones!

I have a Mountain Fiest that is awesome!

IMG_2432_zpsae811972.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

80820FAC-FD47-44EE-AAE6-05DC0A727E4D_zps8y1gprk6.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
 

NastyBruises11B

Senior Member
Anybody ever hunt with a Weimaraner? From what I understand, they were bread to run deer in Germany. I only ask because I've always owned Weimaraners, and would like to maybe get into running deer with a dog. We used dogs for bear and hog in SC, but now that I'm in GA.......
 

MossyOak92

Senior Member
I love my beagle for it. Small enough he doesn't drag me around and when we come up on deer that are still alive I can stop him quick so he doesn't get hurt.
 
I got my Lacy dog after reading Tracking Dogs for finding Wounded Deer by John Jeanneney. Having been around herding dogs my entire life, you get used to the smarter breeds who sometimes end up training you! Lacy's are pretty quiet with super short hair and no hound smell to their skin. She's wicked smart and easy to house train. The stories in the book are great.

The author owns wired-hair Dachshunds. Love the look but too dirty (hard to house-break) and there's that "hound" smell and digging. To each their own as we all love the mutts we own, right! The book has some great stories about the better breeds and how their character might fit with your lifestyle. I have trained with police dogs in the past and Lacy's really use their nose differently. My 8 wk old puppy would sniff the wind and puff air through her nose to get a better scent and even raise up on her back legs to get a better angle on a scent. The breed uses air, brush and ground to track. Amazing. Breed is used quite a bit as Bayers for hog hunting.
 

Tomboy Boots

Turkey Killer
I've said it before and you know I'm going to say it again... I have had awesome results with 2 totally different unrelated never met each other before female beagles. My first beagle was named Bossi. She died when she was about 7 years old. I didn't really have to train her. I just started taking her to the woods every time I shot a deer when she was about 6 months old. She never ran live deer, she only trailed blood. It got to the point if I went to the woods hunting and she heard the gun shot, she would be all hyped up and ready to go when I walked in the door because she knew what came next. I took her to the woods whether I needed her to trail the deer or not, because it gave her practice for when she would be needed. Two years after she died I got another beagle puppy and I named her Bossi too. She has lived up to the name in every sense. I didn't have to teach her either and she also does not run deer. She trails blood or a wounded deer and she is very good at it. Last year we trailed a buck a friend shot. She jumped him once bedded in palmetto's. Then we crossed the Withlacoochee river twice trailing him. The third time he crossed I made her quit because we were both exhausted and I didn't think the deer was fatally wounded at that point. One thing about both of my beagles... Each time I had only one dog, one beagle, and I got them when they were about 8 weeks old. I don't know that I would have the same results if there were other dogs for them to run off in the woods with and chase things. Both of my beagles were not locked in kennels and they still did not go in the woods and run deer. They only go to the woods when I go to the woods, and I live in these same woods that border my yard. That says a lot to me because they could have gone in the woods anytime they wanted to if they were going to run live deer that had not been shot.
 

Attachments

  • bossi1.jpg
    bossi1.jpg
    80 KB · Views: 1,795
  • tj.jpg
    tj.jpg
    66.5 KB · Views: 1,764
  • user7706_pic919_1227904671.jpg
    user7706_pic919_1227904671.jpg
    43.5 KB · Views: 1,758
  • user7706_pic43440_1409610309.jpg
    user7706_pic43440_1409610309.jpg
    244 KB · Views: 1,771
  • Tami3hb.jpg
    Tami3hb.jpg
    197.6 KB · Views: 1,748
  • Buck1xx.jpg
    Buck1xx.jpg
    191.6 KB · Views: 1,801
  • bossi.jpg
    bossi.jpg
    87.6 KB · Views: 1,860
  • IMG_2450a.JPG
    IMG_2450a.JPG
    398.7 KB · Views: 1,801

erhunter

Senior Member
Not sure about the price, but I have been amazed with the Texas Blue Lacy.

Mike Lopez out of perry GA runs them.

They found our deer after 1 day old trail, despite truck fumes, me traipsing all over the place, and another dead doe in the back of our truck.

Found the deer in under 10 minutes on neighbors property. Just amazing dogs.

Anyone else heard or used em?
 

riverbank

Senior Member
The best deer running dog I ever had was a high dollar Walker hound off of Craigslist that was a guaranteed coon treeing machine.
 

BowanaLee

Senior Member
I got an old beagle now. 14 and we just take short walks.
I never had to train her, just put her on the trail.


I second that. No training required. :cheers:
 

james243

Member
I had a mutt that was part corgi and probably cocker spaniel that did real well tracking for me. I would mostly walk him off the leash and I would usually hide from him when he would fall too far behind or get too far ahead, so he was used to being in trailing mode. Never had a problem locating me. He could also find arrows for me when out stump shooting. He liked to use his nose. I think any dog that likes to sniff can be useful for finding a deer. Sadly I had to put mine down in February at age five due to a spinal injury/defect. So I'm on my own tracking this year.
 
Top