Tracking Dog Recoveries (2016-2017)

watermedic

Senior Member
Thanks Cliff!

No doubt that if he didn't back out we would have had a lot tougher time finding his deer.

He called as soon as he could after seeing the arrow and we discussed what we both thought would be best.

I am glad that it worked out like it did.

Congrats Cliff!
 

Idahomike

Senior Member
Idaho Mike post

This year's season as been the slowest I can remember! My numbers are down from previous seasons,Been spending to much time in front of the TV!The high temps this year have been the culprit,im guessing,been talking to other trackers they have been saying the same thing.
Opening day started out busy got six calls,i took four and referred the rest to some of my go to trackers,
Of the four I took we put 3 on the tailgate,all of them were still alive but fatal wounded, I'll tell you it's easier to pack a crossbow in to dispatch a mortally wounded deer than a regular bow!
The one deer we didn't get was a heart breaker! We were on a wma i always call the game warden on a wma and have to track on lead without special permission. We tracked the deer for 45 minutes a long ways. Finally we found him in his bed a little six point,
I don't care what kind of deer we track doe,fawn,little buck,monster,brown,black,white,blue,we just love tracking deer,
The buck jumped up and took off,i could tell he was hurt pretty bad and easily catchable,if I could have turned Lucy loose on him she would have stopped him quickly for the dispatch.
There's been a couple we weren't able to get because they just weren't hit hard enough and will probably live, in this heat I call the dogs off pretty quick,90 plus temps is just dangerous to run a dog, no matter how if the buck is,. I would rather track all night and sleep all day during the heat of the day.plus I just feel it's safer to track at night,and we save more meat,
Got an appointment so I'll stop here,will post again later,with pictures and stories,so far our biggest bow kill this year scored 147.5 ,. Had a very exciting and scary one last week,that almost got me,i mean a very very close call,
Thanks for reading
 

BornToHuntAndFish

Senior Member
Congrats on all the many successes.
 

Idahomike

Senior Member
Last week hunter shot a nice 8 pt,a little back,LOL,. Always wait minimum of 6 hours with a dog that can catch and bay up a deer and at least 8 hours to over night without one for this type of hit,gut shot deer that has been completely left alone for 6 hours is an easy routine for the right kind of dog,
By the time I got there it had been 8 hours,hunters said they usually track their own deer but this time there wasn't even a drop of blood.
Lucy doesn't need blood,some how she knows if a deer has been hit blood or no blood,she has put 338 deer on the tail gate,she is 6yrs 4 mths old. That could have something to do with it,but I personally think it's MAGIC..
Since it had been only 8 hrs ,she took to the track like it had just been made,even though the temps had been very high,which tends to evaporate the scent,w e stood there and watched her progress on the GPS hand held unit screen,
They told me they hadn't gone out and looked for the deer, so I was surprised when she got the 600 yard distance,we had been slowly following her staying around 100 yrds behind her so as not to cramp her style,lol,,when we saw a turkey vulture circling just ahead of Lucy,we figured we were getting close!!
She left the overgrown clear cut and dropped down into a creek bottom. About 100 yrds down the creek bottom she exploded. I turned to the wide eyed hunters and said,"She's got your deer". What's routine for us,was exciting and unique for them!! We got into stealth mode and snuck within 15 yrds,and stuck the mortally wounded deer again,
The buck turned,looked me straight in the eye,put his head down and put a full non hesitant charge at me,i was part way into flinging myself sideways when he just dropped right at my feet!!!whew!! Few more feet and he might have got me.
I was very shaken up!! I'm usually very calm and collected in these situations,been running one kind of dog or another for over 50 yrs,andhave had many critters bayed up,bears,mt lions,hogs,etc..
But that ole buck had fire in his eyes and had intentions of shish kabobing me!!!
Side note: at no time were my hunters in danger.and from now on im not going to be so cavalier going into a bay up.
 

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rvick

Senior Member
Couple of our three finds from last weekend. One of Reba's finds is not shown. Looked a little rough. Both Annie and Reba lost the trail of one deer that we didn't find. They both lost it's trail at the same spot near a dirt road. Makes me wonder if someone didn't load it up or maybe it sprouted wings and flew away. Maybe someone will see it alive later.
 

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rvick

Senior Member
Reba did a great job on a 1/4 mile, 4 hour old track tonight on a gut shot doe that we thought might still be alive but it had just died. She was laying with the deer in a ditch when we got to her. She and I are learning to trust each other.
 

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Idahomike

Senior Member
Had a kind of funny one opening day. Got a call from a school teacher I tracked for last year. He had gut shot a nice buck and started tracking it way to soon. He jumped it and just stood there and watched as his trophy buck ran away. Through the grape vine he found me. To make a long story short,we tracked that deer what seemed like all day,before finally finding him. I'm sure some luck was involved. As we walked along following Lucy. I gave him the what to do spiel when you shoot a deer a little back as we say. He shook his head in acknowledgement and said thanks for the info.
Back to this year ,he was my second call of the day,he was kind of excited and explained to me tat is friend had shot a good buck a ways little back and wanted him to come help track it! He said no way get the heck out of their and do it quietly. Don't even walk ten yrds into the woods,just leave!!Lol!! We need to call Mike and Lucy and wait at least 6 hours. The hunter said OK,but I'm going to go look just a little ways. He said no way you will jump him and Mike will be mad at us,especially after what I did last year!Lol!! It was 7 hours before I got there and it was a routine little ways back shot deer recovery. The buck had crawled into a hidy hole at around 250 yrds and Lucy was barking up a storm she only barks at live deer rest of the time she is completely silent. Because we were patient and waited he was to weak to get on his feet and the hunter was able to dispatch him with another arrow. Had they tracked the deer without waiting,well you guys know what would have happened..
 

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Flaustin1

Senior Member
This is mine and my dogs first year tracking. Practice is beginning to pay off. A first for the both of us. Deer was shot at 9, we were on the track at around 12(due to high temps). Recovery was pushing 700yds. The deer did a 180 and backtracked parallel to its original path. When I say parallel, I mean ten yards off the original track for 300ish yards. I thought my dog had lost her mind. Lesson learned. Always trust your dog!
 

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rvick

Senior Member
Congrats on the find. You have to trust your dog for sure on a backtrack or when the hunter is insisting that the deer went the other way. One reason to mark the trail closely and pay attention to the blood splatter. We once tracked 800 yards out and the trail ended. On the way back we were about 200 yards from the truck when the dog pulled me 20 yards to the side and found blood. We tracked on several hours and found the deer. It had back tracked over 600 yards. Where was your find hit?
 

Flaustin1

Senior Member
Congrats on the find. You have to trust your dog for sure on a backtrack or when the hunter is insisting that the deer went the other way. One reason to mark the trail closely and pay attention to the blood splatter. We once tracked 800 yards out and the trail ended. On the way back we were about 200 yards from the truck when the dog pulled me 20 yards to the side and found blood. We tracked on several hours and found the deer. It had back tracked over 600 yards. Where was your find hit?

You can see the entry in the pic I posted above. Arrow came out an inch from the ham and low on the opposite site.
 

Idahomike

Senior Member
Had a close call last night,was tracking on leash in macon neighborhood,s mall wood lots around sub divisions,pastor rusty said if deer went over rr tracks he didn't have permission to tresspass,lucy located the nice ten pt, 38 yrds from the rr track,whew!!! That was close!!
 

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rvick

Senior Member
Annie found this unintentionally neck shot deer at less than two hundred yards tonight. The arrow had no blood on it but there was blood at the hit site. She tracked it off lead and stayed with the deer until we got to her. We were on a cool plantation that uses old Pullman cars to house the hunters.
 

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Slasher

Senior Member
Sierra's first call of 2016

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Congratulations Curt!
I know that the shot wasn't what you wish you had made, but all is well that ends well!!!
I wish I had been a little more prepared for your call as well.. oh yeah thanks for the socks!!!

Hunter made a shot a little farther back and backed out...
Came back later in the afternoon and realized that it was going to take a dog...

We found no blood, and the conditions were not that conducive (weather said 12mph winds)

Sierra could smell deer, but in the area I am sure we're A LOT of Deer smells... but nothing that she really would dig into...

After trying to cut a trail we began to work on letting wind a deer.. so at just before 9.00 with nothing we called it and I was hoping to come back in the am... and hoped for less wind... so as we were walking back out...

Sierra lifted her nose and turned her head about 60 degrees and we all knew that he wasn't very far...

A Great deer for a great guy!!!

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