Dogs for Tracking

[Tbilisi]

I had a situation that made me realize that if a tracking dog was available it would have made life easier.  The deer was finally recovered but by sheer luck.   The question is what are the best breeds for tracking for recovery of deer?  It would have to be a small breed.  Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[Jeff U]

See:

  http://www.born-to-track.com

[The Night Stalker]

Jeff, they are good looking dogs. I have two short legged jack russel terrorist. Last year when I shot some does, I put my male on the trail and he went right to it. I found a purebreed female in Kentucky in the pound. She was about a year old. This dog is unbelievable. For the price of the adoption at 60.00, could not go wrong. I know some folks use jacks alot for this purpose. I thought about getting the wire haired. Maybe next time. I am dog poor at 6 right now.

[aao321]

vdd-gna.org

[Izzy]

Im looking into a German Shorthair for tracking deer and bird hunting.They say they are versatile dogs.Also, look into a Bavarian Mt. Curr if you want a dog for tracking only.Hard to locate but they say theyre unbeatable trackers.

[BFinegan]

Bavarian Mountain Hounds are supposed to be excellent trackers. As mentined above hard to find and you will problably need a finance counselor to afford one. I had a froend put a deposit on one this year and later decided to hold off.

I do know from experience the dahschsunds (sp?) have incredible tracking ability.

if you are looking for a versatile dog for blood tracking and upland game check with the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association. NAVHDA has chapters all over the US and would be your best source for finding a bloodline where the true versatile ability is still being bred for. In NA we tend to focus more on the upland ability for these dogs and focus breeding efforts on those qualities. So, be sure to find a line of GSP's that are breeding and testing dogs for bloodtracking ability.

The Europeans place a bigger emphasis on tracking and thus a lot of the better lines have close ties to european bred dogs. Do a search on the web and you will find all your looking for.

I think it's a great idea. I just have too many bird dogs and can improvise with them if needed.

[Richie Nell]

I worked as wildlife biologist and guide at Willow Point Island.  Being bowhunting only we had numerous opportunities to track deer.  We used well trained labs.  Without hesitation I will say it was unbelieveable to me to witness what these dogs did.  They would actually track a NONfatal wounded deer and kill it.  The wounded:find deer ratio statistics would be horrendous if it weren't for those labs. Also the super fast bows and light arrows were the most important problems.

[deerfly]

I spent most of my formative hunting years (circa 1967) around dog hunters and actively hunted deer with dogs until around 1995 myself. Mostly blueticks, black and tans, beagles, walkers and a few redbones. I would say pretty much any hound and most sporting breeds can track wounded game though without a lot of training. Most any mutt can track too, but you might have to spend more time with them and some may never get it. But I would say there is no "best" breed. Some are better on cold tracks and some get distracted with other non-targeted tracks, but following their nose is what dogs do. Train them right and most any dog will find wounded game, which is the hottest of hot tracks. - eric

[KyleAllen]

i bought "tracking dogs for finding wounded deer". The books seems to suggest shorter legged breeds becauses of basic physics. There nose is just closer to the scent and they cant out pace you as easily.

[Bill Turner]

The wire haired dashound is a great tracking dog but a little pricey. A good friend was considering a wirehaired but received a beagle puppy as a gift. This dog has proved to be a terror when it comes to tracking wounded deer. My buddy will not go hunting without him. He is a real hit in their bowhunting circles.  

[draco]

My own deer dog is a Blue Lacy. She found her first deer last year when she was 5 months old. That deer went 3/4 of a mile,and would`nt have been found otherwise. She went on to find 6 more last year. Any hunter,anywhere they live should find the person a head of time in thier area with a deer dog as they will find any deer that has shed blood and is dead.
 Although I love my Lacy,I think a dachsaund is the way to go. They wont run off and leave you because they cant and they are built with their nose at the ground and if they get hurt they are easier to carry out.

[Bowmania]

The book mentioned in above borntotrack is well worth the price.  The name of it says it all, "Tracking Dogs for finding Wounded Deer".  

My Lab Bridger, mentioned in TBM Apr/May '07 has to date found 7 deer and 2 bear.  Some of the most incredable tracking job he's done were on deer he didn't find and probably didn't die.  I'll be working with him a half to a mile from the hit site thinking that this dog has no idea at what he's doing, then all of a sudden there's blood.

I'm having a bit of a problem with him that might not be a problem.  The last two deer he found he found by winding the body (gut shot).  Now, the last deer he didn't find, he seemed not to want to trail.  He was "body searching" running with his nose in the air.  I think with the snow in late season I can get him back on trailing, because the blood will be easier for me to see.

If you've thought "bowhunting" couldn't get any better, get a dog for trailing.  One of Bridger's first blood trails was on a doe that a friend shot and we knew we'd find.  After he found it the friend said, "Watching Bridger do the blood trail was as much fun as shooting the deer."  

Bowmania

[wapiti792]

Well I too bought the above mentioned book. My wife and kids brought home a "mutt" this summer. Seems a curr from the neighbors coyote dog pen came to visit the neighbor's champion lab. I was POd at having a new dog until I heard the bloodlines.

I am still working with her, but I will tell you she gets better feed now than that first few weeks. I put a lead on her for the first time in August and in October she found her "first" deer: a doe I had already arrowed/found. Since then she is 5 for 5. It's a bit of a pain to back out, go get her, and put her on the trail when I know the deer is down, but it will pay off when I arrow one of these monsters a little far back! I knew nothing of hunting dogs when I stumbled into her, and she has taught me alot. I'll document her next "find" with pics and a blow-by-blow account for those of you who are interested. I still have one tag left. This one will be Katie's (except the meat will go to me!).

[Tbilisi]

This is great information.  I have hunted with beagles when I was young and have used Labs in field trials.  Labs are too big for my purpose.  I want something easy to take in and bring out.  Something that will remian with you as you drag a down deer out of the woods.  I will try to get a pup of some breed this spring.  Just like dogs.  Now to convence my wife.

[AllenR]

I've just gotten a beagle pup to start on this.  

From my research it seems that the concensus is that for blood trails less than 24 hours old in good scent conditions, almost any dog will do the job.  However, for the older trails and poor conditions, the dogs that have been bred for it will be superior.  The Wire Haired Doxy and the Bavarian Hound are among the ones that I've heard of.  

Obviously, a lot of other breeds can do the job, it's just that you have a better chance of a good cold trailing dog from the breeds that have been bred for it for generations.  John Jeanneney at Born-To-Track tests his pups for trailing aptitude before he will sell one.  I understand that his success ratio is really good, but even he has the occasional pup that doesn't have it.

By the way, not all lines of wire haired dashounds will make great trackers.  Only the lines like Johns that have been bred for it (mostly of European origin) will be superior trackers.

I recommend that you get John's book.  It's a gold mine for blood tracking.  Everything you need to know is in there.

Good luck,
Allen

[Labs4me]

Care to guess which breed I have used in this application and would personally recommend?

Before you rush out to buy a dog - any dog -  to "just track deer" with, be certain to ask yourself how the breed will fit in with your family's lifestyle THE OTHER 355+ DAYS A YEAR.

Deerfly nailed it with his comment above. Choose wisely...

[V I Archer]

If it was entirely my choice, my first pick would be a weimreiner.  However, I don't really want a big dog, and my sweetheart most certainly dioes not want a big dog.  Her pick would be one of those useless teacup mutts.  We have jointly decided a beagle fits our desires best.  Great scenting ability for me, (though she won't be making tripsto the duck blind that is a small price to pay), and cute as a button for the little woman.

Don't know when I will have "Missy", but the sooner the better.

[ishiwannabe]

I have had to use the local tracking service once, back when I shot wheels. I hit the deer great, had great blood for about 150 yards and then nothing.
The guy showed up within 45 minutes with is wire haired daschund. Alex(the dog) found the deer within minutes of being on the trail. Of course, there wasnt much left of it, seems the coyotes ran him down(thus the lack of blood the last 150 yards) and ate everything but the shoulder he was laying on and his neck. I never would have recovered what was left if it werent for that dog, so I think tracking dogs are a great asset.
As for the breeds, I think it is a personal preference. Almost any dog can smell well enough to do the task...I plan on training my brit to do so.

[Darryl Quidort]

Michael Schneider at United Guide and Outfitter (a TradGang sponsor) uses tracking dogs to recover moose and bear in his hunting operation.  He has also recently started a Canadian tracking dog group.  Michael has a DVD, named Moose Country, which includes a segment on training and using tracking dogs for recovering big game. I feel this would be a good DVD to buy if you are interested in seeing a trained tracking dog in action.  I hunted with Michael and I was impressed with his dogs!

[Bill Kissner]

I will agree with others about the value of John's book. It covers every aspect of bloodtrailing. I got started in this last year with the purchase of a jagdterrier puppy. Suzy just loves to track and has been easy to train. All she needs now is plenty of experience.

As to the different breeds, I only have a couple of reccomendations. First, you need to get a dog that has the desire to track. Just any dog won't cut it. There are pups in every breed that will track but buy a pup from a line that is bred for trailing. It will have much more desire and be easier to train. Second, pick a pup that is from one of the smaller breeds. You can get very tired of being dragged through heavy brush and briars by a large dog. Smaller dogs are just easier to handle. They are also better for keeping in the home.