|
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 6,878 Likes: 3
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 6,878 Likes: 3 |
My English lab. Smoke, does a good job of finding wounded or dead deer, but I have to watch her, as she won't bark just stands there wagging her tail, if I don't get there quick enough she will come get me and take back to the deer, we kill over 350 deer a year and end up tracking about 10 per year. Rio7
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 29,892 Likes: 7
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 29,892 Likes: 7 |
Put our lapdog Keeshond on a deer trial once when we encounter a hunter looking for his wounded quarry. Nose to the ground she took off like a shot going straight line for about 400+ yds. When we finally caught up, she had a porcupine treed.
1Minute
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 5,735
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 5,735 |
My English Setter understands find the bird. This year, Minnesota said we can put 'em on a leash and track deer. I told her "find the deer" twice and we went to the deer without any detours both times. Both deer bled a lot and it would have been hard to lose them. If I took away his shoes, Stevie Wonder could have found the first one, it only went 30 some yards. The second one had a almost a continuous stream of blood, but went 300 yards+. Very simple trails with all the blood I could ask for. Ideal training trails.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,129 Likes: 2
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,129 Likes: 2 |
I stared training my English Shepherd at 12 weeks on blood trails of squirrels I'd shoot for her (dragged them on a string from a pole and let her find them). She tracked her first deer at 9 months and has since tracked moose, deer, bear, caribou, coyotes and other stuff I can't even remember. I let her find anything I shoot. If I let her track off lead she'll run ahead but comes back and finds me until we get there...kind of like hunting with Lassie.
I think any dog with some level of prey drive and biddability can be trained to blood trail. But too much prey drive might even be a detriment in some ways as the dog might be harder to handle and live with when you're not hunting. My dog is always ready to hunt when I am, but isn't totally crazy about it when we're not hunting and will leave stuff alone when I tell her ("No, we're not squirrel hunting right now").
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 9,831
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 9,831 |
I put a deposit on a Redline Airedale pup a month ago, with the idea of training it for this purpose. In Az, we can use dogs, on a leash "until it is determined the animal is still alive", at which point the dog must be taken off the trail.
It is quite common to see people on FB post looking for blood trailing dogs. Figure it might be a decent way to make a little side cash, and get more time in the woods.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 11,295 Likes: 3
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 11,295 Likes: 3 |
Catahoulas don’t fit the cold weather requirement, but they are superb trackers of wounded game.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 988
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 988 |
A guy here in MI uses his Border Collies to VG effect in finding wounded/dead dear. I understand there is some training involved. Also have heard that various "weiner dog" breeds are VG at this job too.
NRA Life Member "Use Enough Gun"- Robert Ruark
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 5,236
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 5,236 |
I'm in the middle of training my nine month old GWP female pup to scent track. Right now it's beef liver drug on a string once a week. Later it will be a pheasant wing. And in my wildest dreams, Sheds.
I could wish a lot of things on my worst enemy but neuropathy ain't one of them.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 990
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 990 |
Yes...I agree with the poster who mentioned a Blood Hound or one of the other hounds. That's the first thing I thought of, just coat them up if they are cold. I mean, you're cold right? And you are coated and mittened up. The dog will usually be on a long leash if you are trailing, so you don't have to worry about them getting stuck from briars and stuff. But, as mentioned above...versatile dogs like the ones tested in Navdha...have a dead track requirement. They have lots of different dogs in styles and size. The only thing wrong with versatile dogs from my experience (I'm an SM owner) is the drama of various breed clubs and some people worried more about paper than their dogs. For the most part, the owners and breeders are very nice and stable...but there are some out there that really need to add another hobby, or go outside or take some lithium
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 78,300 Likes: 1
Campfire Oracle
|
Campfire Oracle
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 78,300 Likes: 1 |
My English lab. Smoke, does a good job of finding wounded or dead deer, but I have to watch her, as she won't bark just stands there wagging her tail, if I don't get there quick enough she will come get me and take back to the deer, Rio7 Be thankful for the fact she comes back to get you, its a good response and you didn't have to train it. Barking on site usually also takes some training ( we do it for SAR dogs on live finds) but yours sounds like a natural and an ace at the job. I have found training a dog to track wounded game is like training a fish to swim...most have a natural propensity to do it, because they evolved that way. Someone mentioned Border collies...they are great at it and I used my Border Collie X Aussie for a lot of years...she was great..but wouldn't bark on a find either....
"...the left considers you vermin, and they'll kill you given the chance..." Bristoe
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 6,878 Likes: 3
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 6,878 Likes: 3 |
Years ago I had 2 Border Collies that were from the same litter, they were the best tracking dogs i have ever seen, when they found a critter they sounded like a pack of Coyotes, raising hell, will never forget them Mike and Tyke. Rio7
|
|
|
|
666 members (160user, 10gaugemag, 06hunter59, 1beaver_shooter, 204guy, 1badf350, 68 invisible),
2,706
guests, and
1,452
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
Forums81
Topics1,192,609
Posts18,492,430
Members73,972
|
Most Online11,491 Jul 7th, 2023
|
|
|
|