Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire I had to apoligize to my dog Kate this morning.

I failed to trust her. I shot a doe deer with my muzzle loader and as usual, I took Kate to find it. I always do this even if I see the deer fall. Anyway, we went to the place where the deer was standing and She started to pull me along.
By law She has to be on a leash and so She pulled my 6'4", 285 pound through the brambles and vines for about 60 yards and I have not seen one drop of blood. I decide that She is on the trail of the wrong deer, so I stop her and we go back to where I shot the deer. I tie her to my ATV and look around where the deer was standing when I shot, and I see no blood, no hair, no nothing. This is not good. I take Kate down wind of that place a little and make a circle, and She pulls me down the same trail that She did the first time and I am still seeing no blood, but I keep going. About thirty yards past where I stop her the first time, lays a dead deer. I can't figure how a deer that is double lunged with a .50 caliber Barnes sabot does not leave lots of blood, but that was the case. Big holes on both sides of the ribs and blood coming out the nose and mouth where she laid, but none on the trail. Kate knew but I did not trust Her and I should have because She has never let me down. Sorry Kate. miles

Miles I wish we could use dogs to track deer.

The nose knows.

I wish it was legal everywhere. I can't see a problem as long as they are on a leash. I have been doing it for lots of years and have found deer for people that would have been lost otherwise. I only do for myself and my hunting partner now, as it takes too much of a toll on me, but I enjoyed it when I was younger and better able to follow. I never turned anybody down if they asked me to help find a deer. miles

I am thinking you owe her a big box of bacon wrapped milk bone.

Don't worry too much about Kate, she'll forgive you. Dogs are remarkable that way....

have to look but i think we can do it now....couple years ago i wanted to use my GSP also for tracking wounded game since they are used as an all around dog in other places and not just a bird dog. talked to Fish and Game and they said law says absolutely no dogs for hunting big game other than lions.....i asked if they really wanted me to loose an wounded animal cause i couldnt use a tracking dog and after a pause was told if the dog is on a leesh im just walking it and not hunting with it

"Let That Dog Hunt"

Give her a big ol leg bone to chew on and she'll forget all it.

I gave her a piece of the lower leg and a piece of backbone. Both had lots of meat and she promptly buried them. I do feed her well, and all she will eat. She works it off and is not fat, like me. miles

Odd you post this. For all my scent work students I have a hat that says " Trust the Dog"

I double lunged a deer last season. It was high in the lungs, and the deer traveled a little ways, not leaving a bit of blood until the last 10 or so yards, but that blood was on the foliage it had brushed up against.

I knew the shot was good, and was surprised at the lack of blood trail.

The old coot that I ran around with before he up and left us had a beagle, Max. Max was the best-behaved critter imaginable. One day John thought that Max had committed some infraction of decency (I don't even remember what it was) and upbraided him quite loudly about it. Some time later, John had incontrovertible evidence that he had been wrong and Max had been completely innocent of any transgression. He went out to apologize and was met with all of his pot-started tomato plants torn from their pots, with plants, pots, and dirt strewn all over the patio. He had to admit that this was a just response. He managed to get everything repotted, and all three of us had some beer when I showed up.

Yup, what's that old saying about "you'll do well to be half the man your dog thinks you are?"

Ha. Great story.

I flung a load of #8's at a timberdoodle last Saturday. I wasn't sure I hit it, but knew whereabouts it went down or landed. Searching the area with Remmie, our labradoodle, turned up nothing. Nothing that is until I paid attention to her. she'd sniffed out the darned thing right away, but because she was 15+ feet from where I thought it went down, I didn't think she was on it.

Tough to fool a pooches' sniffer.

I know better, I just did not do better for some reason. miles

It is now legal in Montana.
I tried it last year on an elk that a friend shot without success. Anyone have a good training tips for teaching a couch hound to track a wounded animal? The husky is even less interested than the boxer.

Ya know she still loves ya, Miles!

Lots of tips...but they begin with:
a) Don't use a Husky
b) Don't use a Boxer





Actually any dog that shows an interest will work, even the poorest amongst them has a nose so far superior to ours its impossible to quantify. I used my AussiexBorder collie for years, she was a natural at it.

One of the best trackers in our county was the game wardens old rat terrier! Deer finding pooch! That dog!!