Luna and Kunox’s Tracking Journal 2019

[doebuck1234]

Congrats on 100 and thank's to you and the pups for what you do!

[outdoorstom]

7 hours ago, Swamp_bucks said:

Congrats on number 100!!!!!  How many years has it taken?  

This is our 5th season. The first 2 were pretty lean as we learned what we were doing.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Congrats on hitting 100. You training and love of your dogs really shows

[Fletch]

Well done!!

[grampy]

Congratulations on a great milestone Tom!!!  You and your dogs have certainly earned it. You are the 'Dream Team' in tracking circles.

This milestone will give way to many more in the future. Way to go!!

[cdbing]

Congrats on the 100th! That's an impressive milestone even for your remarkable team. Thanks so much for the service you and your pooches provide.

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[outdoorstom]

Thanks everyone......we’re having a blast doing it!

[BowmanMike]

Thank you for this thread and your service. I think reading your posts helped me with my does this year. Both were not great shots,but i stayed calm after the fact,watched what they were doing and then got out of there and gave them time. It worked out in both instances,when in doubt back out. Neither of them went far,the 1st went maybe 120 yds from the hit site,the 2nd only 60 yds or so. I think i caught a lung on that one,i thought it was all guts by the looks of the arrow.

So thank you for all the good info you put out here.

[outdoorstom]

4 hours ago, BowmanMike said:

Thank you for this thread and your service. I think reading your posts helped me with my does this year. Both were not great shots,but i stayed calm after the fact,watched what they were doing and then got out of there and gave them time. It worked out in both instances,when in doubt back out. Neither of them went far,the 1st went maybe 120 yds from the hit site,the 2nd only 60 yds or so. I think i caught a lung on that one,i thought it was all guts by the looks of the arrow.

So thank you for all the good info you put out here.

You’re welcome, Mike...the pleasure is all mine!

[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. There was no blood, and they couldn’t find his tracks from after the shot. Kunox started at the hair and went into tall thick nasty swamp grass and downed trees,  but could only walk about 10 yards in before being unable to get through it. I looked around a short distance and didn’t see any sign so I took him back to the hair. He did the same thing, then turned around and went the opposite way into a thicket. I let him look around in there awhile, and at one point he went hot. Investigation showed tracks too small for our buck. I took him back to the hair and one of the guys said he thought he had smelled the buck in the area Kunox had first gone to. I put Kunox down and he went back to the swamp grass, so this time I carried him around to see if he could smell anything. Sure enough, back goes his head and the sniffer went into overdrive. I watched him as I walked and he took me right to the dead buck. He was only 50 yards away, but you couldn’t see him until you were literally right on top of him. Great bunch of guys....I’d track for them anytime.

[Moho81]

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. There was no blood, and they couldn’t find his tracks from after the shot. Kunox started at the hair and went into tall thick nasty swamp grass and downed trees,  but could only walk about 10 yards in before being unable to get through it. I looked around a short distance and didn’t see any sign so I took him back to the hair. He did the same thing, then turned around and went the opposite way into a thicket. I let him look around in there awhile, and at one point he went hot. Investigation showed tracks too small for our buck. I took him back to the hair and one of the guys said he thought he had smelled the buck in the area Kunox had first gone to. I put Kunox down and he went back to the swamp grass, so this time I carried him around to see if he could smell anything. Sure enough, back goes his head and the sniffer went into overdrive. I watched him as I walked and he took me right to the dead buck. He was only 50 yards away, but you couldn’t see him until you were literally right on top of him. Great bunch of guys....I’d track for them anytime.

Just some hair and no blood? I’m just amazed at what your dogs can do. The education I’ve gotten from your threads over the years is worth it’s weight in gold.


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[outdoorstom]

11/9/19

 

A hunter shot an 8 pointer last night, but couldn’t find any blood. He followed the tracks a short distance into a thicket, then backed out and called me. Luna and I arrived at first light this morning with the temperature at 18 degrees. This one was disappointing. Luna clearly was on it and took us into a wet thicket that eventually got too deep for her as she was breaking through the ice. She picked up tracks coming out of there heading to a 30 acre cedar stand and wanted to follow them. We worked the cedars, never seeing blood or a bed, so we did a restart and again she took us back to the cedars. At this point Luna was showing the effects of being in the ice water for over an hour and was shivering badly, so I called it. The hunter is drying his clothes then going back out. I recommended he go back to the first area Luna took us. I’m regretting not giving that area more attention before Luna got too cold.

[crappyice]

Wow...amazing work on that 11!


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[outdoorstom]

11/10/19

 

#1

A hunter and his Dad waited a couple hours after the shot to start tracking this buck, and they jumped it within a couple hundred yards. They did everything right....from flagging the blood as they tracked, to backing out immediately after jumping it. Luna took us past their ribbons and just under half a mile to the dead buck. This was a leg hit deer and it looked like he had been chased around an alfalfa field late in the track, there was blood everywhere. There were no other injuries, he bled to death. 

 

#2

A hunter shot a buck yesterday morning, found a few brown hairs and a very small piece of flesh. He was unable to find any blood after a good look, so assumed he grazed it. This morning on his way out of the woods he came across blood and followed it for as far as he could, then called me. Luna and I headed over after the first track, and about 15 minutes in, she took me across a paved road. There were no tracks in the snow where she took me, so I took her back across the road. After some exploring over there, she again took me across the road, this time to somebody’s yard about 25 yards away from where we  went the first time. The snow was melted in the yard, but not the woods. I told the hunter we need to get permission to enter, but a neighbor told us the bank owned it. Being unable to get permission, I ended the track. I did ask the hunter to take a peak in the woods for sign to verify Luna was right, and he located blood.  I got a text later saying he was able to follow it for 300 yards and it never bedded down. 

 

#3

I was called by this hunter as I was on my first track, with the second track lined up. I had family arriving from out of state this afternoon, so I declined the track. When the second track ended up being so short, I called the hunter back and said I could take it after all. Naturally, 3 guys had been out grid searching for quite a while by then. I stopped by the house on the way to this track and swapped dogs.  The hunter said this was a big buck and the picture he showed backed that up.....it was huge. The buck dropped at the shot, flailed around, got up and ran off. Uh oh.....don’t like the sounds of that. There was minimal blood in a small area about 50 yards from the hit site, then nothing. Kunox and I worked the area extensively and came up empty. I believe this is a high back hit and they may see him again.

[land 1]

great job

[outdoorstom]

Poor Luna.  Cut her paw last night on a nightmare track. Buck pushed for a mile by hunter, then he went back out and grid searched after I agreed to come.

[Moho81]

Awe, heal up Luna we need you back out there!


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[New York Hillbilly]

Poor little puppy. Get well soon Luna! 

[grampy]

Poor Luna.....heal up soon little girl.

[doebuck1234]

Get well soon luna!!!!

[UpStateRedNeck]

Sounds like she needs a wood stove, tender vittles and a couple weeks off.  Get well soon little hero pooch!

[Renegade Hunter]

I don’t comment much but love your posts! Have you ever considered the little dog booties or would that be counter productive? I’m sure it would effect the dog somehow, just wondering. Keep up the good work!! 

[cdbing]

Rest up Luna! Get well soon!

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[crappyice]

I imagine keeping her calm when you are walking out for a track will be the Greatest challenge....heal quick Luna


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[outdoorstom]

On 11/14/2019 at 6:44 PM, Renegade Hunter said:

I don’t comment much but love your posts! Have you ever considered the little dog booties or would that be counter productive? I’m sure it would effect the dog somehow, just wondering. Keep up the good work!! 

I’ve ordered some booties and they will be here on Tuesday. I’ve already tried 3 different styles but nothing stays on properly, due to short leg syndrome. I’m hoping these will do the trick.