I live in Northwest Indiana. I have a a Deutsch-Drathaar, versatile hunting dog. If anyone is in with reasonable distance and needs assistance in locating a poor blood trail let me know. I Know most deer seasons are about closed, keep me in mind for next year. The dog is 2.5 years old and 100 percent on all tracks she has set on. Found my 10 year old sons first antlered buck after a poor hit 250 yards from where he shot it this year. It was a mixture of snow and rain, no blood trail, lost it after twenty yards. Two and a half hours later with the dog found the deer in five minutes.
Al
I have a Jack Russel I want to train.If you can send me some tips I would appreciate it.
Start the dog using it's nose as soon as possible. Put tracks on the ground with a mixture of the dogs food and water mixed into a gruel. This gets the dog learning how to use it's nose. leave a treat at the end of the track. Keep it short at first. Introduce the dog to a deer or deer hide. Have fun with it, but not a tug of war. A dog that tracks blood is not a deer chasing dog, it is a blood tracking dog.
Al
Great offer to the folks close, wish you were a little closer to me. I got a Jack Russel this fall as well. Gonna start her soon. Please post your training pointers here for us all.
For pups; when you take a package of deer meat out of the freezer to eat, use the blood that is in the package to lay a short trail in your yard. Leave the meat trimmings or other treat at the end.
Always use blood for the track. As above, you are training a blood tracking dog, not a deer chaser.
Tell all your friends that hunt that you have a dog in training and would like a call to run your dog on any available blood trail - even if they see it fall or are sure they can find it without a dog. Tell them you will help them drag out the deer.
Wish you were closer Al, my VDD is very old and is retired.
Gang if you are not close to my area. go to vdd.gan.org This is a website for the breed of dog I have and you may be able to find a member in your area that may assist you with the recovery of your trophy.
Al
Vdd North America voluntered to assist in the Kentucky elk hunts last year and proved to be a huge success.
Al
Al, Are you sure on that website? I had no luck with it. Greg
My daughter's wire-hair dachsund found a deer for me this year. She bought it out of a bred trailing line of dogs and it is fun to watch her trail. That stupid dog went in the "wrong" direction, made a "wrong" turn and found my deer in an absolute northern jungle! Great helpers to have.
I bought this book 3 years ago and started working with my Lab/Curr mix. She does a great job and has found several deer for my friends and me. Here's the link to the book for those of you who are thinking about working with a dog: http://www.born-to-track.com/book/order-info.htm
Sorry, try vdd.gna.org
Al
Al Natural, I'm curious as to what that breed looks or where to get one? I've been thinking about this quite a bit! might get me one! Jason
Covey if you go to the website there is alot of information. List of breeders, photos of dogs and much more.
Al
All Natural, you indicate you are 100% with your dog on tracking deer. I am not sure what you are stating??? You have found 100% of the deer your dog has been put on??? I am sorry but I find that hard to believe. My friend has a long haired dashound. Born and bred to track deer. She is 2 yrs old. She is an unbelieveable tracker. We have found deer with her that would not have been found. Sometimes no visable or very little blood trail. We have been on approx. 50 tracking situations the last two yrs. Most of the time we are used as last resort as the person cannot find the deer.. We recover 20%-25% of the deer. The other 75% are not mortally wounded. I think you if did research on deer dog tracking the average find of dead deer is 20%-25%. I don't want you to miss lead people that your dog will find every deer. They will only find dead deer, not ones that are not mortally wounded. They are a great aid in recovering deer if they are dead. I am just trying to clairify the deer dog tracking situation.
I love to watch a dog work. In Oregon we can no longer use dogs for bear or cougars, though they are still legal for bobcat and raccoons. I have some friends with dogs. Amazing to watch a dog do what it was born to do. Handled in the right way I see no reason why all states should not allow bloodtrailing dogs. Kept on a leash they are not hunting, but bloodtrailing only.
Fishone I guess it may have been a little misleading. I have only used her on three tracks and she has found all three. So I guess she is 100 percent. I have done some research on tracking with dogs and yes only between 20%-30% of the deer are found. No a dog can't find a deer if it's not dead. I am not an expert at training any type of dog, just a novice trainer. The VDD website has some useful information for those that may be interested. As many have posted there are different breeds of dogs that can and will blood track. I just happen to have a Deutsch-Drathaar so I am familiar with the VDD website. If I mislead someone in to thinking my dog or any dog will find your wounded deer 100% of the time my apologies.
Al
I bought my dog that book. We went over it and over it. But every night she just goes too bed and refuses to read it.
What's a guy too do.
I'll have a good tracker some day.
Mike
I agree on the 20 to 30 percent find ratio. Suzy and I have been tracking 3 years and this fall has been a bust. In '08 and '09 her find ratio was 34%. This year I was out of state quite a bit and was only able to take 9 calls to track. Although we were able to jump 4 of the deer from their beds we never found one dead deer. The others were given up on after long and difficult tracks. It has been a tough time for the dog as she is a very hard worker and will not give up until I do. I would have very much liked to have celebrated with her on a few dead deer but it hasn't happened in '09.
In reading this and other threads on the same subject I recall that you don't have to use deer blood to train the dogs to track. Any blood will do. Is that correct? It seems logical the way they are trained with a reward at the end of the trail. If so, then a 'deer' tracking dog should be able to track hogs as well. Can anyone clarify?
Thanks!
It matters not what kind of blood you use. I have even used raw liver on a drag to lay a trail. The dog learns right away and will track about any animal if you can show it some blood to start with.
Al...very nice offer for those around you...are you near the Merrilville area...I am sometimes in that area for work...maybe we can get together and shoot....the people at the holiday inn look at me kind of funny....terry
I have the American cousin.. a German Shorthair Pointer. GSP The added benefit is she is a wonderful bird dog. Very little training from me and she'll point/fetch Quail, Chucker, Phesant, Woodcock & rabits. Fetch Doves. Blood trail deer, coyotes and a lost duck with only one pellet in him.
Trained right (I got lucky with some good help) she doesn't run deer but follows a mixture of a blood and as best I can figure a trail scent. She'll only trail on command as she is primarly a bird dog looking for a hot dog at the end of a trailing job.
Good deal, Al..
We'll be doing the same thing next year with our smooth hair European dachshund pup - I'm located in Southwest Indiana, so we should have the western part of the state covered between us ;) .
Oskar is 5 months old now and has been on 12 lethal hits (with 12 recoveries), 1 non-lethal hit (arrow thru brisket, verified non-lethal and pulled him off of track at 200 yards) and one unknown ("perfect" gun hit - inexperienced hunter - with no visible blood). We've only went on tracks for family and close friends other than the gunshot, so this average is very high - because we wanted only good experiences for Oskar the first year.
Of the 12 lethal hits 2 would not have been found without the dog (500 yard and 800 yard tracks), 4 were moderate difficulty (would have likely been found without the dog - 200-300 yard tracks) and 6 were easy tracks (heart/lung shots, generally 100 yards or less).
This blood tracking is addictive!
R
I tracked in NYS with deer search awhile ago, and one of my daughters fondest memories is going to the salughter house to get a five gallon bucket of beef blood when she was around 7 years old. Anyone for show and tell? My dauschand trained very well with thi9s type of blood.
Wingnut,
Maybe the dog is like his Master...Just likes to look at the pics! :biglaugh:
I raise German Wirehaired pointers - which is how the American Kennel Club recognizes the breed called the 'Drathaar'. I have a litter of 10 that are giving me cabin fever :banghead:
I have used my dogs for blood trailing bears; and for bird hunting - I shoot more birds with my bow; than my shotgun.
I will say though; that they are big dogs; and they are powerful. If they are on the track; you best be ready to go under;over and through stuff that could be an Olympic sport. One that would no doubt be sponsored by a band-aid company.
I love my dogs - but unless you can let them run off lead ( can't do that here- too many wolves)- while blood trailing ... I would stick to the dachshunds. Not dissing my dogs- its just if your getting a dog for blood trailing only- then I would go for one you can control on lead better.
Drathaars by any name are really great hunting dogs; and naturally track; and tree lions and bobcats; as well as point birds. If your intentions though are strictly for blood trailing- then their is nothing wrong with dachshunds.
If I sound conflicted; my first dog was a dachshund - :)
There's something to be said for using big dogs, too. I've had experience with two, a lab and a golden retriever, that would literally hold a wounded deer until someone could get there to dispatch the animal. Using these animals, most deer hit were recovered. The golden retriever was a family pet that lived in the house when not called on to find a deer, and the lab was used by a pay-to-hunt place.
No wolves down here!
Al,
Thanks for the clarifiction. A good tracking dog will find mortally wounded deer that would not be found. That is a fact! Good luck with your dog. It sounds like you have a good one.
Craig