Syracuse.com - Hunters: Who you going to call if you've wounded a deer and can't seem to find it?

[HuntingNY-News]

Try Pauline Eggers of Deer Search, who's had 16 successful finds so far this fall with Braylee, a wirehaired dachshund.

Stephen D. Cannerelli / The Post-StandardPauline Eggers holds her dog, Braylee, after the wirehaired dachshund found a coyote skin she had put out for demonstration purposes.

By Heather Wentz

Contributing writer

When Paulene Eggers takes her dog, Braylee, for a walk in the woods this time of year they’re usually on a mission.

Eggers, a Syracuse Police officer of 25 years, recently joined a non-profit organization called Deer Search, Inc., which is a volunteer group that uses tracking dogs to find wounded game during the hunting season.

"I’m absolutely addicted," Eggers said. "It’s challenging and rewarding and sometimes you’ll get a young person who’s just started off hunting, and then they’re just thrilled to death when you find the deer for them."

Deer Search began more than 40 years ago when the state began allowing the use of specially trained, licensed dogs to find wounded deer. During the bow and firearms seasons each fall, Deer Search operates a dispatch service that hunters can call when they shoot a deer and are unable to find it afterward.

"What it does is handles the requests for tracking services, because there are only a limited number of searchers and handlers scattered around New York State," Eggers said.

Eggers interest in tracking wounded game began in 2009 when a friend gave her a 11-week-old, wirehaired dachshund for Christmas, which she named Braylee. The dogs, originally bred in Germany, are great tracking dogs. She also received a book written by John Jeanneney called "Tracking Dogs for Finding Wounded Deer."

Eggers read the book and used it to train Braylee. Last spring, she attended a Deer Search competition in Campbell, N.Y. and became so enthralled with the group she joined soon after. She then set about getting Braylee certified as a tracking dog.

"It is an extremely challenging course for certification," Eggers said. "It’s an 1,000-yard course with three, 90-degree turns and the deer blood has been laid out 24 hours in advance, but she did fantastic."

Eggers said Braylee scored very high and impressed the certification judges. After Braylee was certified, Eggers got herself certified as a state licensed, deer searcher in October.

Since then, Eggers and Braylee have been on 16 searches and been successful on each one. The biggest deer they recovered to date is an 11 pointer found in Moravia during the bow hunting season.

Eggers is the only Deer Search volunteer in the Finger Lakes region, which includes Onondaga, Madison, Oswego, Tompkins and Cayuga counties. She said she has been very busy in the past month. She even took some time off of work to do searches.

On a typical search, Eggers said she receives the message from the dispatch and then contacts the hunter and he or she tells her what happened. Then, she and Braylee generally go out the next day to track the wounded game.

Eggers said it has taken Braylee as short as 15 minutes and as long as an hour and 15 minutes to track the wounded deer. All she has to say is, "Find the deer, Braylee," and the dog goes to work.

"She loves it," Eggers said. "To her, it’s all fun and games and she always comes through for me."

Deer Search members do not charge a fee for their tracking services. They only accept donations. Eggers said on average, people are very generous because they are so appreciative of having their services. She has received between $25 and $100 donations

The money the volunteers receive goes to operating the dispatch service and to help pay for volunteers’ gas. Deer Search also purchases tracking gear, which the volunteers can buy.

When out looking for a deer, Eggers takes precautions. She wears a bright orange and yellow reflective vest. Braylee is attached to a 30-foot tracking leash that is bright yellow. Eggers also carries a Smith and Wesson .45-caliber handgun, which she has not to use yet to dispatch a deer.

"I try to be very safety conscious during gun season. That’s the only time I feel a little uneasy about going out there into the field," she said.

Eggers said she plans to track wounded deer for many deer hunting seasons to come.

"I have this overwhelming enthusiasm for hunting and fishing like most sports people do, and this is just right up my alley," she said.

NEED HELP FINDING A DEER?

Call the Deer Search hotline at 585-5220. For more on Deer Search, check out the group's Web site.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog