outdoorstom

No, I only take some gas money from people I track for. Thanks for asking!

10/21/19 Kunox and I tracked a buck this afternoon that was shot early this morning. Last week a hunter watched a coyote go into the woods behind his deer right after the shot. The same thing happened today. The hunter saw the coyote in the field after the shot and quickly tried to reload the muzzleloader, but it went into the woods before he could get a shot off. The hunter was worried about the coyote so he went into the woods shortly after and he ended up bumping the deer. He backed out immediately. We arrived 6 hours after the shot and began the track.This buck had been hit forward and the lungs had been nicked. Kunox took us 739 yards to the dead buck. I’m sure the coyote pushed him further than he wanted to go.The coyote had worked his rear end over pretty good.

10/20/19 #1 Kunox and I tracked a buck this morning that was shot yesterday afternoon. The hunter had a misfire, but the buck hung around long enough for him to put a new primer in and fire. After 15 minutes he started tracking and went 160 yards before losing the trail. Kunox took us to last blood and kept on going for a few hundred yards. We reached a property line and I took him back for a restart. This time he hung a hard left at last blood and we started seeing occasional drops. 100 yards later and we had a property line issue that took 20 minutes to resolve. Kunox did not take the delay very well, to say the least. After we got permission to continue, he took us 115 yards to the dead deer. He was going crazy because I’m sure he could smell the buck from where we stopped. The hunter had hit liver and did some minor damage to a lung as well. #2 Our second track today was for a group of hunters from Vermont that lease 1000 acres. Great guys....very friendly. The hunter shot a buck last night and they had tracked for 600 yards and bumped the buck once before backing out. We started at the hit site and Kunox took us up the trail 200 yards before veering off to the right. Last night the buck had continued straight for another 400 yards, but Kunox was insisting on going this way, so I humored him and was rewarded for it. The buck had circled all the way back to where we were and was 50 yards off the original trail. The 8 pointer had been gut shot.

10/19/19 #1 & #2 Two hunters sharing an elevated blind shot two bucks simultaneously this morning. Both bucks ran off together, intermingling the blood trails. One appeared to be gut shot, the other looked like lung. I arrived 2 hours after the shooting stopped, and put Kunox to work. I wanted to track the lung shot first and give the gut shot 12 hours. We ended up accidentally jumping the gut shot buck, marked the location and backed out. Kunox figured out where the other buck went and we recovered it at 844 yards. He had been hit in one lung and the liver. We’re going back on the second buck this evening....to be continued. #3 Luna and I tracked a buck shot this morning, and as is often the case with muzzleloader and rifle, the hunter didn’t know where he hit him. He had tracked sporadic light blood for 150 yards, done a small grid search and called me. Luna advanced the track significantly, but after 2.1 miles of walking, we never jumped it or saw it. #4 Another track with Luna. The hunter shot a buck this morning and had very light blood. He lost the track after approximately 200 yards in a very thick swampy area. Luna took us to last blood, then started working the grid searched area. She picked a trail and we went a couple hundred yards, but then it became obvious she wasn’t on it so we went back for a restart. As we were heading back, the hunter realized he had lost his phone. I started calling him as we backtracked and were able to find it. Luna picked a different trail this time and we found the nice 8 pointer 50 yards away. It was so thick you couldn’t see him from 5 feet away. Conclusion of #2 track: Kunox and I went back to pick up the track where we left off. I figured the buck probably went 100 yards or so after being bumped. Wrong answer....we went 285 yards with no blood to the buck laying dead in a swamp. His organs were still warm when field dressed. He had traveled a total of 660 yards.

10/18/19 #1 I was called this morning to track a doe that was shot last night. There had been 8 deer in the field and he chose the largest one.The doe had been quartering to, and the hunter felt he had hit a lung, but the arrow also showed a gut shot. The doe left the 100 yard wide field out of the hunters sight, Luna worked toward where he had lost sight of her and started checking trails. She chose one and I saw a little blood on a weed and we were off. 95 yards later and we were standing over a deer hide and bones. Coyotes had completely eaten this deer. #2 The second track today started 10 minutes after the first.....on the same farm. The first hunters brother had shot a doe this morning....unfortunately, a high back hit. Luna took us 3/4 of a mile but we never caught sight of it.

Yep, double lunger. Pretty impressive to stalk that close to this big guy!

That’’s very kind of you!

10/17/19 I was contacted last night by a bowhunter that had been out scouting and saw a big buck leave a cut cornfield and go into the woods. He had his bow with him so he parked and snuck in after him. He was able to get to under 30 yards due to a heavy downpour. This is where my lecture begins. I personally believe it’s unethical to bowhunt in heavy rain and I told him that. He agreed that hadn’t been a smart idea and he had let the size of the buck cloud his judgement. Ok, back to the story..... He felt that he had made a good shot and waited 20 minutes before going after him. He said that despite the downpour he still had a good bloodtrail and followed it 200 yards through hardwoods and backed out when it went into a tall weedy area. Kunox and I arrived at first light in the pouring rain, after getting in excess of an inch overnight. There was a deer in the field when we arrived and Kunox went hot almost immediately after starting the track, so we did a restart and got him going in the direction the hunter had marked. We got to the grassy area and Kunox took a trail out of it back into the hardwoods. I pulled him off when it became obvious he was pulling way too hard and the track was way too fresh to be our deer. We went back for a restart and he took a trail into the thick stuff. 20 yards away lay this beauty! I’m sure they would have found him on their own, but I’m glad we had the pleasure of doing that for them! The hunter was very smart to back out when he did, rather than risk pushing this big buck.

10/16/19 #1 I met a hunter at first light this morning to track an 8 pointer he shot yesterday evening. He felt the shot was back, and to make matters worse he had watched a coyote cut the deers track in the field and follow it into the woods. The hunter had waited a while and then snuck into the woods. He tracked blood for 60 yards before backing out. Luna got locked on and we took off. She showed us an occasional drop, then nothing for 100’s of yards, then a drop. She was working in circles and there were areas it was apparent a deer had been running, most likely being chased by coyotes. We left the woods, entered a field, and made a big loop heading back toward where the deer had entered the woods. This was after a few restarts. The hunter did an excellent job of spotting sign, even finding a small piece of meat hanging on a sapling. We found no hair indicating the coyotes had caught up to the buck. After checking a nearby pond, checking overgrown fields and bedding areas, we pulled the plug. #2 This track was a high shoulder hit that the hunter had tracked “good blood” for 250 yards. He had then done a small grid search before backing out. Kunox extended the track another 300 yards showing us an occasional drop. He ended up taking us to the edge of a deep swamp where he dove in and started swimming out into it. When I’d pull him back to shore he’s do it again. There is no doubt that is where the doe went. Kunox did his job. #3 Today’s last track was for a doe that was shot this morning with a crossbow. The hunter was on the ground and indicated he had a high back hit. He and a friend had tracked for 260 yards before losing blood. Luna had a little trouble locking on, but after she did, she was awesome. We traveled 300 yards without seeing blood, then I saw what I thought was a small smear on a sapling. A few squirts of hydrogen peroxide confirmed it was blood. We entered a thicket and a few minutes later Luna went hot. We started seeing good blood and caught up with the doe in a couple hundred yards. I was starting to doubt the high back hit report due us catching up to her again and thought the hunter may have actually hit lower than he thought. The doe was moving slower when she took off the second time so we continued. Plans with my wife this evening and heavy rain in the forecast were also factors. We were in an overgrown field when we caught up with her the third time, and were so close I almost stepped on her without seeing her and I wasn’t able to get a shot off. We saw her bed down about 50 yards away and I was able to dispatch her there. After the shot I screwed up by accidentally giving Luna too much leash and she got too close and got kicked in the leg before the deer expired. I checked her out and she seemed fine, but on the way out was stopping and lifting her left front leg, so she got a lift. She’s getting a few days off to recuperate. This track was 1003 yards long. The hunter was right about the high hit, so I was surprised we caught up with her.

10/14/19 I was called to track a doe for a youth hunter this morning. It was a 30 yard shot with a .243, and she and her Dad were confident it was a good one. They had tracked a few drops of blood for 30 or 40 yards until they hit a dense thicket and then backed out. Kunox got on the track and took us into the tangled mess, showing us an occasional drop of blood. About 200-300 yards into the track, Kunox went hot and I saw the doe slowly take off 40 yards ahead of us. I decided we would pursue and try to get another look at her before deciding if we should back out or not. This time she let us get to 15 yards and stayed bedded down, but it was still so thick that the hunter couldn’t get a shot. As she and her Dad tried to get in position for a shot, she took off again. We found her bedded down 100 yards away, and this time we were at 10 yards and the hunter was able to finish her. The initial shot was to the liver. The track was 580 yards.

No, it was 3 for 3 :-) I posted #1 earlier in the day.

10/13/19 #2 I was called by a friend that shot a buck this evening and couldn’t find any blood. He did a small grid search, then did the right thing and backed out and called me. He and the landowner had seen the direction the deer went, but didn’t know exactly where the deer had cut into the woods. After steering Luna in the right direction in the field, she put her nose to the ground and picked a trail. After 50 yards, she showed us some blood, 250 yards further and she showed us the 6 point buck. #3 I was still in the woods on track #2 when I received a call from a concerned Dad who’s 15 year old son had shot a buck this evening. They lost the track in a overgrown field after following it for about 60 yards. Luna quickly took us to the hunters point of loss, then showed us the arrow 30 yards later. She was leading us by decent blood until we hit a green field that was cut very short, then it was very difficult to see any at all,We didn’t need to see any though, as Luna was locked on. We left the field and entered a woodlot where the amount of blood increased and we started seeing bubbles in it. He didn’t go far from this point and Luna found him at the 334 yard mark. The hunter had made a good shoot , hitting the lower part of both lungs and nicking the heart. Amazing how far they can sometimes go with severe injuries like these. Congratulations on your first bow buck Alex!

10/13/19 I was called last night by a bowhunter that had shot a doe and needed some help. He had been sitting in a ground blind with his grandson when he took the 30 yard shot. He believed he had caught one lung, but also mentioned the blood being dark. I suggested we wait until this morning so we don’t push the deer. He agreed, and we met at first light this morning. We bumped a deer as we arrived at the apple trees where the doe had been shot, and Kunox opened up. The trails and beds in the area were unreal.....what a great spot. I decided to start Kunox at first blood which was about 50 yards away to get him away from the hot trail. He locked on after checking out a few trails and we were off. We only found a few drops of blood before finding the dead doe 200 yards away. She had been hit high in the lungs and the liver had been nicked.

Can’t say that I have.

Hahahahaha!

10/11/19 #1 Kunox and I tracked a doe this morning that was shot last evening. The hunter was on the ground and said the deer was perfectly broadside. He felt that he had made a good shot, but had lost the blood after about 150 yards. It appears that coyotes were pushing this deer. The hunter states they were howling close last night, plus Kunox immediately started marking everything in sight for the first 300 yards or so. He needed quite a few restarts on this track, but showed us sporadic blood for over a mile. After 2.52 miles we called the track. #2 Luna and I went to a second track at noon. The hunter had shot a doe from a ground blind and felt good about the shot. He had recovered his arrow after the pass through and the sign on it looked good. He and a friend had grid searched about a hundred yards, but had been unable to find any blood. Luna started at the hit site, and 30 yards in showed me some blood. She made short work of this 193 yard track. The doe had been quartering toward the hunter and was hit in 1 lung, liver, and intestines.

10/10/19 I took a track for a high back hit 4 pointer this evening. The buck went down immediately at the shot, but jumped up and ran away. The hunter tracked for 150 yards , then backed out and called me. The blood was extremely light, a drop here and there, then completely dried up. Luna took us to the hunters last blood, then a couple hundred yards beyond. At this point she began wandering so I took her back for a restart. She took us by the ribbons we had hung, then took for a long walk around the woods. I believe this to be a non lethal shot.

It helps tremendously!

10/7/19 I was called by a hunter I know and he was looking for some help finding a buck he shot this evening. He and his uncle had tracked about 50 yards before losing blood, and had only searched about 20 yards beyond last blood before calling me. They had also marked blood with ribbon, which is very beneficial to a tracking team. Long story short, they did everything right. Kunox and I arrived 2 hours after the shot and he made short work of this 140 yard track. 1 lung, liver, and intestines had been hit.

The pic is deceiving....he actually caught the top of both lungs and the deer only went 100 yards.

10/6/19 I went on a track tonight 2 hours after the shot. The hunter was sitting in a chair on the ground and reported a pass through shot right behind the shoulder. The deer had run off the field through a fence row, and then into a fallow field. The hunter and his brother went in search of it one hour after the shot, but were unable to find any blood so I was called. Luna started at the hit site and entered the fencerow where the deer had. We entered the field and she chose a trail, but came back after only a few yards and chose a different one. We took this trail 200 yards across the field and into a wood lot. We had not seen one drop of blood yet, so I took her back for a restart. We did this 4 or 5 times on different trails and still hadn’t seen any blood. I told the hunter if the shot was as he described it, the deer may not have gone as far as I had been going, so I wanted to bring Luna 50 yards out from the fencerow and walk perpendicular to it. If no sign or deer, we’d go another 50 yards out and do it again. We were walking to the end of the field where the wind would be in our face, with the hunter in front of me and he had just said “I’d love to trip over it”, when I saw that he had just walked by the deer and almost tripped over it!

Do you know who’s coming?

Wirehaired dachshunds are used a lot here in the States, plus in Europe where they come from. They have outstanding cold noses, and don’t let their little legs fool you....they are very athletic. Their prey drive is extremely high and there is absolutely no quit in them. And yes, they’re damn cute as a bonus!

He was unable to do any dragging due to health reasons so his son and a friend were coming in to take her out. I’ve dragged my fair share of my tracks, as most trackers do!