outdoorstom

12/6/18 I was called by a friend and ex co-worker this morning asking me to track a deer he shot yesterday afternoon, and I agreed to re-open my season :-) He and his Dad had tracked a few hundred yards, bumping it out of a bed twice. Luna locked on and quickly found this buck after a 700 yard track. Happy to close out the season on a high note.

Thanks CC! Some of the stuff I see and hear is appalling.

12/5/18 This morning Luna and I tracked a buck that was bowshot in the haunch yesterday morning. Luna took us past blood the hunter had marked, then showed me 6” of the fletching end of the arrow, a bloody bed, and a few more blood spots. This was all within a half mile. Luna continued on, taking us another half mile without seeing any more sign. At this point, she started her high pitched bark indicating a live deer. We were on running tracks that were the same size we had been tracking, but didn’t find a bed or any blood. We pursued for a couple hundred yards without seeing the deer, and I decided to restart at last blood. At the restart, Luna took exactly the same route back to where we had been and we continued further this time and called it at 1.12 miles.

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12/3/18 #1 I was called last night by a hunter that had shot a buck and tracked it 75 yards before losing blood. Luna and I arrived at first light this morning and she showed us blood in a couple spots beyond the hunters point of loss, then nothing for 800 yards. I decided to do a restart, and she didn’t hesitate and took us the same route again. We went further this time, but never saw any more blood and never found the deer. #2 The second track today was a continuation of a track from yesterday where we saw evidence we were pushing the buck and backed out. When we got there I started Luna about a hundred yards before the place we had stopped. She locked back onto the buck and showed us a small amount of blood beyond where we had stopped, then took us another 3/4 of a mile with no beds and no buck. #3 This was a track on a buck that was shot 2 days ago, pushed that night, then grid searched the next day. As Kunox and I rode into the property on a 4 wheeler, he opened up multiple times as he winded deer. We saw a couple of them as they crossed the trail in front of us. This property is HEAVILY populated and has standing corn on it. It took Kunox a little while to realize he was supposed to be tracking a wounded or dead deer, and 2 or 3 times he opened up on live deer while on the actual track, but I never saw any indication that it was the deer we were after. He finally settled down, taking us past the hunters flags indicating where blood had been. We’ve had heavy rain and most of the snow has melted since the shot, but we were able to see some blood in a couple spots. Kunox took us past last blood and through thick nasty stuff leading to a creek. He wanted to cross, so we found a narrow spot and then went back to where he had indicated he wanted to cross. He took us through a swampy area, then into a field which led to the corn field. Not seeing any sign, I decided to restart him at last blood and he took us exactly the same way back to the creek. Again we went toward the corn. After an hour and a half of searching I called the track. #4 As I was leaving track #3 I listened to a voicemail I had received a few minutes earlier. I called the hunter back to tell him I was tired and finished for the day when I learned he was only 5 minutes away, so I agreed to go over. The caller and his son had both shot does with their muzzleloaders as they were part of an organized drive. The problem with driving is it usually leads to running shots, which these were. I tracked the sons deer first as it appeared a front leg had been hit. The hunter and pushers had tracked the doe a few hundred yards, then jumped it in very heavy brush. Kunox got on the track and showed us blood along way as the deer had circled around in the brush before bee lining it out of there. We followed it 9/10 of a mile before calling the track. Leg hit deer should be pushed to hopefully weaken them through blood loss through the bone marrow, hopefully enough to get another shot at them. #5 The father thought he had shot his doe too far back. Normally we’ll back out and give these plenty of time, but he wasn’t available to track it tomorrow. I agreed to see what we could do. Kunox quickly got on the track and showed us a little blood along the way. The hunter said the deer turned to the left up here and cut through the field to the woods over there. Kunox on cue turned left and through the field and into the woods we went. He was locked on took us 3/4 of a mile, never finding a bed or the deer. It’s very possible this deer will go to waste. Not a good recovery day, but the dogs did their part.

This one was shot yesterday. We tracked it a week ago. You’re looking at the injury it had when we tracked it.

The majority are due to poor shots! I give a few lectures along the way.....in a nice way.

I don’t ask, but that’s a good idea.

The second hunter had every right to that deer and the first hunter was happy for him.

11/28/18 #1 I was called at noon today to see if I could track a 7 pointer that was shot yesterday afternoon. The hunter and a friend had tracked good blood for a couple hundred yards before marking it and backing out due to the friend having a health issue. I was told he had permission to hunt only 50 acres, so I asked him to get permission from the neighbors so we wouldn’t have to stop during the track. I grabbed Luna and we headed in his direction. Half an hour later, I was a quarter mile from our meeting place when I got a call and was told the neighbor had shot the buck this morning as he walked out to hunt. He saw fresh blood leading into a swamp and followed it a short distance when the buck stood up, 40 yards away. He dropped it right there. The original hunter had hit him in the front leg. We would have been on our way to track another live one if it hadn’t been for the neighbor. #2 I was called by a friend of mine that was just going out to his blind to retrieve his gloves this afternoon, but took his rifle “just in case”. Well, it was a good thing he did! He saw a nice buck at 125 yards and took the shot. Unfortunately, the shot was low. Immediately after the shot, coyotes started pushing the buck, so my buddy and his father in law took up the easy to follow blood trail. They came to an area where they thought the coyotes may have had him down, but the trail continued on from there. They tracked him close to 2 miles before they jumped him at 20 yards. The buck took off and got tangled up in a fence before running out of sight. They stopped and called me at that point. The fact that coyotes had been after him and that they had got to within 20 yards of him led to my decision to push this gutshot deer. Luna and I started where he had been bedded down, and easily followed the trail for 400 yards where we found him bedded down. He jumped up after the shot to dispatch him and ran out of sight. We followed and found him bedded down 100 yards away. His suffering was ended there. Both of this 7 pointers brow tines were broken off, as well as part of the main beam. What a scrapper!

11/18/18 Luna and I started this track last night, and finished it this morning. There was a very sporadic, light blood trail, that eventually disappeared. We searched for 2 hours last night, only advancing the track a short distance and decided to come back this morning. This morning we started at the hit site and instead of following the blood like last night, Luna wanted to go in the opposite direction. I let her go and she led us into the swamp where the deep snow forced me to carry her. We looked through this very thick area the best we could and didn’t see any sign. This area has a LOT of deer, there were tracks everywhere. I decided to take her a short distance away from the hit site and put her on blood. She followed it a short distance then shut right down...just stood there refusing to go further. I took her back to the hit site and she immediately started tracking again. We went a lot further this time, and found a little hair in 3 or 4 spots, but no blood. There was no doubt she was on the right deer. He had doubled back and Luna had been trying to tell me. When will I learn? We eventually ended up at a property line where the property is heavily hunted, and the hunter called off the track. The truck thermometer was reading 5 degrees as I drove there this morning.

11/15/18 #1 Luna and I tracked a buck this morning that was shot at 4:00 yesterday afternoon. The shot was with a .308, through brush, at 120 yards as the buck made a scrape. There was decent blood right inside the woods, then nothing, then another decent spot of blood, then nothing for about 3/4 of a mile. I was starting to wonder if Luna was on our deer when we spotted a drop on a stick and a couple drops on a tree. We had to stop for about 15 minutes to get permission to enter a neighboring property, then continued on this 1.82 mile track. We never found a bed, and very little blood. I called the track at another property line. Luna had gotten wet, and with the very cold temperature I needed to get her somewhere warm. I believe this deer is still alive. Luna had a very good morning. #2 Kunox and I tracked a buck this morning that was shot yesterday afternoon with a 7mm-08 at 200 yards. There was no blood or hair at the hit site, so we started walking some trails. Kunox immediately took me out onto the ice in a swamp where I promptly broke through and sank to my knees. Thanks buddy. We left the swamp and starting walking the edge of a field, hoping to pick up blood. The hunter was on a trail running parallel with the field, about 20 yards away. Simultaneously, Kunox put his head back and started air scenting and the hunter said “I’ve got blood”. Kunox got on it and off we went. Gps showed .52 miles when he walked up to the dead buck. Unfortunately, coyotes found him first.

11/14/18 Luna and I went on a track last night for a big buck that was shot with a 30.06 at 2:00, as he chased a doe in a meadow. The hunter had stayed in his blind for 40 minutes after the shot, and observed it going into the woods. There was very little blood on this track, and most was smeared on vegetation as the deer walked/ran. This track was a lot harder than it needed to be, due to grid searching. After multiple false starts, Luna got on it and took us 250 yards, mostly through a field, and found this hunter’s birthday buck. Due to the late hour and another track this morning, I didn’t stay for the field dressing. The shot was back and appeared to have hit the liver. To say he was happy is an understatement!

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It was gutshot for sure, also had a leg hit which I think was from the shot when it was bedded. A neckshot dropped it as it ran.

11/12/18 Today I watched the sunrise in Alexandria Bay, the sunset near Massena, with North Lawrence in between. #1 Kunox and I tracked a buck this morning that was shot 24 hours earlier. It was a straight on shot at 50 yards. The blood was never great and ran out after 400 yards. According to the GPS, we tracked 1.75 miles, but to no avail. Luna is back in action! She had her stitches out and was given the return to work order. Thank God, her workers comp claim was killing me. #2 Luna and I tracked a buck this afternoon that was shot yesterday afternoon. Luna took us to the hunters point of loss, then had to really work at getting past the grid searched area. She managed it and twice she took me to a neighboring property where we didn’t have permission to enter. Even though there was no visible blood, I believe she was on it for the .87 mile track. #3 Luna and I arrived for our third track at 4:00 this afternoon. We started at the hit site and Luna took us to the hunters point of loss 300 yards away. She weaved her way through the thick brush, but after letting her go a long distance with no sign and her not acting sure, I did a restart. We took a different trail through the brush this time, and 100 yards later I spotted 1 drop of blood. We continued on and spotted a couple more drops along the way, but that was all on this mile long track. 0 for 3 is not a good day, but I know we gave it our all.

11/11/18 Kunox I went on a track in a 20,000 acre tract of state land today. The hunter shot the buck from the ground at 60 yards with a 7mm - 08. The buck had hunched up at the shot, but the hunter got two more rounds off as the buck ran off. When hearing it hunched up, my first thought was gutshot, but I was hopeful another round had hit as well. He had tracked good blood for 80 yards, then sporadic for another 100 or so. He had ribbon with him (nice job) and had started marking when it got sporadic. He had not done any grid searching, which was good news. I told the hunter I’d come out, but if we jumped the deer we’d back out and give it more time. I arrived 2 hours after the shooting started. Kunox got on it and took us to last blood and we continued on. A few hundred yards further he began showing signs of uncertainty, so we did a restart. Finally, after a third restart he was sure and off we went. The hunter spotted some blood, which is always nice for confirmation. About 300 yards further I saw fresh, light, sporadic blood and Kunox was really pulling and I told the hunter it appeared we we tracking a live deer. I could see a swamp up ahead of us and told him we’ll see what trail the buck took into the swamp, mark it, and back out. When we got to the swamp, there was blood everywhere and I made the decision to push on. It was rough going through the swamp, so I carried Kunox since it was easy for us to see the blood trail. Once we got out of the swamp and back into hardwoods I let him lead the way, which he did in a hurry, barking as he went. We ended up going through another swamp, up and down a ridge, through pines, and back into hardwoods. Kunox was telling me we were close, and I passed that on to the hunter. A few minutes later I spotted the buck bedded down 50 yards in front of us and told the hunter to take a shot. He said it looks dead, but I told him to shoot again to make sure. At his shot, the buck jumped up and sprinted off, but the hunter racked another one in and made a great shot and dropped him as he ran. They’re was a lot of hollering and high fives happening after that! We’ve been on some 2 mile tracks lately, and today was no exception. Unfortunately, the pause button on my tracking app must have got hit when the phone was in my pocket so I don’t have an exact distance, but it was definitely 2 miles minimum.

I use the muzzle to the eye too. Foolproof.

Thanks for asking! Luna gets her stitches out Monday, and Kunox has been working...two tracks today.

11/9/18 #1 I had a call from a hunter with quite a tale to tell. He was still hunting at 9:30 this morning and neck shot a big 8 pointer with his 30.06 at 30 yards. The buck dropped in it’s tracks at the shot. In just a few minutes the grandfather and cousin were on scene, and they all stood there for 10 minutes waiting for the buck to die. The grandfather had told the hunter not to shoot it again so as not to ruin meat. Finally the hunter decided to finish him with his knife, but when he made a move toward the buck, they were shocked to see it get up and run off. They waited an hour, then tracked it for a mile until it crossed a road and went into some pines where they lost the bloodtrail. They hunter and his cousin read my posts and heeded my advice about not grid searching, and called me at this point. I normally start tracks at the hit site, but due to the distance the deer had already traveled, the fact it was still bleeding, and heavy rain moving in, I started where it crossed the road. Kunox immediately got on it and quickly took us through the pines and into some hardwoods. We were seeing sporadic blood along the way. We were a mile and a half into the track when Kunox got vocal and I told the hunter the deer was close. A minute later and we could both smell the rutting buck, and the hunter saw him get up out of a bed 50 yards in front of us. I never allow a hunter to have a round in the chamber as we track, for obvious safety reasons. When the buck jumped up, I reeled Kunox in and called the hunter up and told him to chamber a round. It was too thick for a shot and the buck took off. 200 yards later and we found ourselves at a property line where we were unable to get permission to enter. This track was 1.72 miles and Kunox was all over it. I discussed with the hunter the wisdom of a shot to the vitals as opposed to a neck shot. I think that will be his aiming point next time. The picture shows the buck as they stood there. The second picture shows the blood we started on at the road. #2 Kunox and I got called at 5:00 this evening to track a buck shot at 50 yards with a 30.06. The buck was shot in the shoulder and flipped over backwards when it was hit. It ran off as the hunter’s second shot missed its mark. The hunter, his father, and his brother took up the track 30 minutes later. They tracked 300 yards before losing blood, unsuccessfully grid searched, then called me. Kunox took us to last blood, then took about 10 minutes to get us past the point of loss. He finally chose a trail and off we went, occasionally seeing blood. We were a couple hundred yards beyond last blood when I saw the buck bedded 40 yards ahead. I pulled Kunox back and got my revolver out of the holster as I called the hunter up to take the leash and hold Kunox there. By the time that happened the deer had taken off. Kunox was frantic and quickly took us down the trail after it. I kept his lead short in case we had a close encounter with the buck, but we never caught up with it again during this 2.02 mile track. It was pouring rain the whole track and I called it out of concern for Kunox, who was exhausted and shivering.

11/5/18 I received a text from a high school student today that had shot a buck yesterday afternoon. He said it was big and was at 200-250 yards. He said it dropped it’s shoulder at the shot, and ran a long distance before going into the woods. 5 people grid searched the field last night but could find no sign. He went back this morning with his Dad and Grandfather and they found one drop of blood on a trail just off the field. They only went in a short distance before having to leave for school and work. Kunox and I met with the grandfather at 10:00 this morning and immediately had property line issues. 15 minutes later we received permission and started working the trail. We never found even 1 more drop of blood despite working the many trails through the woods and trails through swampy areas. We did observe a large set of tracks the same size as our buck, coming out of the woods and going across the large corn field. I don’t believe this deer was hit hard.

That’s very cool!!

11/1/18 I received a call from a hunter’s son last night, telling me his Dad had shot a buck with his .308. The deer had gone down, then got up and ran away when he was approached. No blood was observed in the bed. A wound in the high back area had been observed by one of the guys in the hunting party as the buck ran away. I declined the call, having chased enough back whack’s to know they are rarely recoverable as this is a non lethal wound. This morning I was called again, by the hunter this time. They had gone back out last night and found he had bedded again, only a hundred yards or so from the first bed. They looked around a little, then backed out. This all of a sudden didn’t sound like a high back hit anymore, and I agreed to bring Kunox out. The buck lay dead, 30 yards from his second bed! He had been liver and gut shot.

That is very kind of you, but trust me....they both have more than they need! Thank you though!