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Luna and Kunox’s Tracking Journal 2019

outdoorstom

By outdoorstom,
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10/1/19   This morning I tracked a buck for a 12 year old hunter. He and his Dad were in a ground blind yesterday afternoon in an old apple orchard, and he shot his first deer. The deer was

outdoorstom
outdoorstom

11/8/19   I was called tonight by a hunter that shot an 11 pointer he’d been waiting for.  He and three buddies looked for over an hour, but all they could find was a little brown hair. Ther

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outdoorstom

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

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4 hours ago, bhunterED said:

outdoorstom I'm just curious as to how far past last blood a hunter should pursue before calling a dog in. 

I’m sure you understand why this becomes a problem, but some people may not.  As you’re tracking, you pick up scent from the deer, plus often unknowingly actually step in blood. When you search beyond last blood you’re laying a false scent trail that makes it tougher than necessary on the dog.  They usually get beyond that point, but it can take some time......especially if you have friends out searching with you. Following the game trail for a while that the deer was using is fine, try to walk to the side of it. It’s when you start grid searching that the problems start. 

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First-light Grand Master

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2 hours ago, outdoorstom said:

I’m sure you understand why this becomes a problem, but some people may not.  As you’re tracking, you pick up scent from the deer, plus often unknowingly actually step in blood. When you search beyond last blood you’re laying a false scent trail that makes it tougher than necessary on the dog.  They usually get beyond that point, but it can take some time......especially if you have friends out searching with you. Following the game trail for a while that the deer was using is fine, try to walk to the side of it. It’s when you start grid searching that the problems start. 

I get all this. Love your posts and your dogs! So I have been hunting for almost 40 years. I was taught that when you lose blood start a grid search. I have found many deer this way. My question to you is don't you find the majority of hunters start a grid search before calling you? Wouldn't you want them to exhaust all possibilities first then call you? I have never called deer search. I would think if I did the guy would be pissed if the deer was found 50 yards from last blood. There is a great deal of hunters out there and not many that provide your service. Again what you and Luna do is amazing and I thank you for it. Just want to get it straight what not to do if you are going to call in the tracking dog.

Thanks,

FL

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6 hours ago, outdoorstom said:

I’m sure you understand why this becomes a problem, but some people may not.  As you’re tracking, you pick up scent from the deer, plus often unknowingly actually step in blood. When you search beyond last blood you’re laying a false scent trail that makes it tougher than necessary on the dog.  They usually get beyond that point, but it can take some time......especially if you have friends out searching with you. Following the game trail for a while that the deer was using is fine, try to walk to the side of it. It’s when you start grid searching that the problems start. 

This is why I asked. I have used a dog on a previous trip to Wisconsin. My partner and I thought we were doing the right thing by exhausting all our efforts looking. We should have just backed out the dog handler told us. The dog worked hard but just couldn't get on the deer. The next spring the land owner found that buck 150 yards away from the last spot we got to out in a thick clear cut. 

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wolc123 Grand Master

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1 hour ago, Red said:

I love following this thread every year.  I'm watching a deer search guy video on you tube right now it's a decent video.

20190928_113645.jpg

I just watched that video on youtube.  It brought me back about 30 years to my first archery kill.   I had made a scent trail to my stand with doe in heat scent and a young buck came in on it, nose to the ground.   My shot was low, resulting a a high front leg hit, much like the "clean track" dude in the video describes.    My old Bear polar LTD compound was a little light on the poundage, and the three-blade 125 gr. Wasp broadhead did not penetrate very far, lodging high in the muscle of the opposite side upper leg.   It broke a bone in the near side leg.   Fortunately, it was a dry fall day and tracking conditions were good with all the dry fallen leaves.   My buddy and I got on the trail, about a half hour after the hit.  One of us always stayed with the last blood, while the other advanced.   We "leap-frogged" the trail in this way for what seemed like a very long time.  It seemed that the broadhead was continuing to cut up the deer and we would find stretches with good blood flow, and others where it was tough to find a drop.   

This went on until the late afternoon, when we eventually lost the trail near a grassy meadow on the top of a hill.   My buddy walked the brushy area on one side of that meadow and I started around the other side.  About half way around to where he was, I gave up and cut straight across the center, taking a short-cut to where he was.  It had been quite a while since we had found even a single drop of blood, and we were about 2 miles from where the shot was taken, early in the morning.   At that point, right there in the middle of that meadow, I almost tripped over the buck as it tried to lift itself up from it's second last bed.   My buddy did not see the deer, only me fumbling to get an arrow knocked.  I managed to get one thru its vitals.   It was very worn down from our 1/2 day pursuit, and must have been low on blood, such that it only stumbled off another 30 yards or so, to its deathbed.    

On that deer, waiting would probably have been a mistake, because no "vitals" were struck.  That would have allowed the wound to clot up and the deer probably would have recovered somewhat (other than the broken leg).   Similarly, The dude in the video might have been better off getting a friend to help with an immediate pursuit, rather than backing out and waiting for the guy with the dog.  That is especially true if he did not find his arrow.       

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