Blood tracking dog

[oneshot-onekill]

Al...very nice offer for those around you...are you near the Merrilville area...I am sometimes in that area for work...maybe we can get together and shoot....the people at the holiday inn look at me kind of funny....terry

[7 Lakes]

I have the American cousin.. a German Shorthair Pointer.  GSP  The added benefit is she is a wonderful bird dog.  Very little training from me and she'll point/fetch Quail, Chucker, Phesant, Woodcock & rabits.  Fetch Doves.  Blood trail deer, coyotes and a lost duck with only one pellet in him.  

Trained right (I got lucky with some good help) she doesn't run deer but follows a mixture of a blood and as best I can figure a trail scent.  She'll only trail on command as she is primarly a bird dog looking for a hot dog at the end of a trailing job.

[Ryan Rothhaar]

Good deal, Al..

We'll be doing the same thing next year with our smooth hair European dachshund pup - I'm located in Southwest Indiana, so we should have the western part of the state covered between us   .  

Oskar is 5 months old now and has been on 12 lethal hits (with 12 recoveries), 1 non-lethal hit (arrow thru brisket, verified non-lethal and pulled him off of track at 200 yards) and one unknown ("perfect" gun hit - inexperienced hunter - with no visible blood).  We've only went on tracks for family and close friends other than the gunshot, so this average is very high - because we wanted only good experiences for Oskar the first year.

Of the 12 lethal hits 2 would not have been found without the dog (500 yard and 800 yard tracks), 4 were moderate difficulty (would have likely been found without the dog - 200-300 yard tracks) and 6 were easy tracks (heart/lung shots, generally 100 yards or less).

This blood tracking is addictive!

R

[maxwell]

I tracked in NYS with deer search awhile ago, and one of my daughters fondest memories is going to the salughter house to get a five gallon bucket of beef blood when she was around 7 years old.  Anyone for show and tell?  My dauschand trained very well with thi9s type of blood.

[Keefer]

Wingnut,
   Maybe the dog is like his Master...Just likes to look at the pics!  

[Brian Krebs]

I raise German Wirehaired pointers - which is how the American Kennel Club recognizes the breed called the 'Drathaar'. I have a litter of 10 that are giving me cabin fever      

 I have used my dogs for blood trailing bears; and for bird hunting - I shoot more birds with my bow; than my shotgun.

 I will say though; that they are big dogs; and they are powerful. If they are on the track; you best be ready to go under;over and through stuff that could be an Olympic sport. One that would no doubt be sponsored by a band-aid company.

 I love my dogs - but unless you can let them run off lead ( can't do that here- too many wolves)- while blood trailing ... I would stick to the dachshunds. Not dissing my dogs- its just if your getting a dog for blood trailing only- then I would go for one you can control on lead better.

 Drathaars by any name are really great hunting dogs; and naturally track; and tree lions and bobcats; as well as point birds. If your intentions though are strictly for blood trailing- then their is nothing wrong with dachshunds.

 If I sound conflicted; my first dog was a dachshund -    

[Don Stokes]

There's something to be said for using big dogs, too. I've had experience with two, a lab and a golden retriever, that would literally hold a wounded deer until someone could get there to dispatch the animal. Using these animals, most deer hit were recovered. The golden retriever was a family pet that lived in the house when not called on to find a deer, and the lab was used by a pay-to-hunt place.

No wolves down here!

[fishone]

Al,

Thanks for the clarifiction. A good tracking dog will find mortally wounded deer that would not be found. That is a fact! Good luck with your dog. It sounds like you have a good one.

Craig