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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,887
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,887 |
I think blood trailing dogs, not pack running, is a great conservation and ethical step: fewer deer lost, more wounded deer found and finished mercifully.
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,474
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,474 |
Shoot them square in the shoulders. Dead right there. No trailing through cactus or dodging diamondbacks. the ONLY thing that kills em DRT EVERY last time is CNS... shoulders I"ve seen make it a ways now and then. Enough of that wives tale. But then again most "shoulder" shooters are actually breaking the spine at the top of the should blade itself. And never realize they are doing that in the process.
We can keep Larry Root and all his idiotic blabber and user names on here, but we can't get Ralph back..... Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over....
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,474
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,474 |
110 degree highs during late July to early August are not unusual here. Sucks to be anything with fur.
I might think a sweet little beagle would be a great deer tracker, if you could keep him quiet until time to go to work.
Personally, I have never needed help trailing a wounded animal. It helps if you wait to shoot until you are 100% sure of the shot. Prone and a steady rest are my friends.
I admit to breaking that rule a couple times, but got lucky and was able to pull it off. You haven't shot many if you've never had an impossible trail. Glad to hear that you've done well so far. We use a black mouth cur that has almost 50 under his belt at 3 years old this fall. He lost one that another dog jumped and he just could not sort out that mess that night.
We can keep Larry Root and all his idiotic blabber and user names on here, but we can't get Ralph back..... Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over....
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,474
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,474 |
I fooled with Blackmouth Curs for quite a few years and never messed with one that wouldn't trail up wounded deer naturally.
Through observation, I've come to believe that wounded animals give off a trauma scent and it is that, rather than blood, that dogs trail.
Now they CAN and will zero in on a bloodied deer when brought up from downwind, but as far as trailing one up that is wounded, it is the trauma scent they are following. That's why they will pay no attention to trails left by other, unwounded, deer.
I expect any breed of dog can smell it, but some are not inclined to follow it. Thanks to Gene, I tried the cur on a deer.... if not may have never even tried... According to a great poster here, they are following something like adrenalin... I watch ours run past over, around, visible blood, and even past the dead deer, but I never correct, I let him work it out and as noted, he has only lost one so far...
We can keep Larry Root and all his idiotic blabber and user names on here, but we can't get Ralph back..... Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over....
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 4,213
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 4,213 |
I fooled with Blackmouth Curs for quite a few years and never messed with one that wouldn't trail up wounded deer naturally.
Through observation, I've come to believe that wounded animals give off a trauma scent and it is that, rather than blood, that dogs trail.
Now they CAN and will zero in on a bloodied deer when brought up from downwind, but as far as trailing one up that is wounded, it is the trauma scent they are following. That's why they will pay no attention to trails left by other, unwounded, deer.
I expect any breed of dog can smell it, but some are not inclined to follow it. My dogs would trail elk that were not wounded or bloodied. I do believe deer would be a little more difficult.
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 19,106
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 19,106 |
My dogs would trail elk that were not wounded or bloodied. That is why I put the dogs on every blood trail that I can, when young. They need to learn that is the one I want. Following a fresh trail is not difficult, but following the right trail is, sometimes. I have followed a lot of them with the dog on a leash (required by law here), and they don't always follow the trail but sometimes off to the side. Don't think that you know more than their nose (and you will at times), just let them sort it out. Like I said, it gets to be a sport of it own, and lots of fun if you are able to do it. I am too old with a bad back or I would still have a Great Pyrenees to track deer with. I liked it, but it is lots of work, and if you are in an area with lots of deer and deer hunters, the word gets around and you will be called on for some hard trailing. My longest was near 3 miles as the crow flies from where I put the dog on the trail until I caught it and cut its throat. I crossed one good sized creek, the shallow end of a minnow pond and lots of brier patches. I was bleeding almost as bad as the deer by the time I caught up, and all of the people that started out with me were left behind. I had shed my coat and was in a tee shirt at around 30f. Deer was gut shot. miles
Look out for number 1, don't step in number 2.
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