Blood Tracking Dog to Help You

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

  • No ad networks!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • Derwood

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 2, 2011
    1,075
    DC area
    The whitetail bow season is rapidly approaching, so I'd like to offer the services of my blood tracking dog to MDS members.

    My dog is now 1.5 years old is becoming a remarkable blood tracker. Last year at only 8 months old she helped me find a deer that ran into very thick cover. I probably would have found the deer eventually...maybe after hours of searching and getting cut up by thorns in the dark...but she found it in about 2 minutes.

    I can't guarantee she'll find your deer, but she will try! :thumbsup:

    If you're a big game hunter and want help finding an animal you've shot, PM me before you go hunting and I'll give you my cell number. I want to get my dog plenty of experience with blood tracking and also don't want anyone to unnecessarily lose a nice deer (or bear--she'll track anything).

    I am in the DC area and can travel a reasonable distance (1-2 hours depending on the day).
     

    outrider58

    Eats Bacon Raw
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 29, 2014
    49,815
    The whitetail bow season is rapidly approaching, so I'd like to offer the services of my blood tracking dog to MDS members.

    My dog is now 1.5 years old is becoming a remarkable blood tracker. Last year at only 8 months old she helped me find a deer that ran into very thick cover. I probably would have found the deer eventually...maybe after hours of searching and getting cut up by thorns in the dark...but she found it in about 2 minutes.

    I can't guarantee she'll find your deer, but she will try!

    If you're a big game hunter and want help finding an animal you've shot, PM me before you go hunting and I'll give you my cell number. I want to get my dog plenty of experience with blood tracking and also don't want anyone to unnecessarily lose a nice deer (or bear--she'll track anything).

    I am in the DC area and can travel a reasonable distance (1-2 hours depending on the day).
    Good deal.

    Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
     

    davsco

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 21, 2010
    8,607
    Loudoun, VA
    a little OT, but... few years ago i arrowed a real nice buck in my side yard. i waited but not enough and he took off thru very thick woods. this was pretty much at last light. spent about two hours, kept losing blood trails. wife came out with our golden retriever (zero hunting or any related experience) and within 15 minutes he found it in a creek bed a few hundred yards away. then to add to the fun, this was saturday nite, by the time i gutted him it was around midnight so i just hung him out back and took it to a processor midday sunday. i used one near my work and not near my house just because i had used him before. so being sunday, and a few counties away from where i got him, and a decent buck, guess that warranted a visit from the game warden...
     

    lx1x

    Peanut Gallery
    Apr 19, 2009
    26,992
    Maryland
    I thought you weren't allowed to use dogs, even a track wounded animals in MD?
    To hunt... No go.. to retrieved. .. ok.

    35c78d659dff06b722dad1bbff1530cf.jpg
     

    outrider58

    Eats Bacon Raw
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 29, 2014
    49,815
    Just spoke to Derwood and am planning on using his services should the need arise. We had a good conversation and should I ever need him and his dog, I would be glad to return the favor. :thumbsup:
     

    engineerbrian

    JMB fan club
    Sep 3, 2010
    10,148
    Fredneck
    Thats a heck of a service to offer. I'll touch base with you prior to the season opening. If you end up in New Market looking for my deer i'll gladly return the favor too
     

    Archeryrob

    Undecided on a great many things
    Mar 7, 2013
    3,064
    Washington Co. - Fairplay
    I have my lab trained for waterfowl. I always did the "search" command and she will wrangle up and dead birds any where with that nose. I have one of my training dummies with a patch of deer rawhide, hair on, cut in a square and burnt holes and sewed it around it. I have pics on my phone of the dummy, just can't post it unless I upload it to my blog. I drag it and throw it and train her to find the "deer". She also know what they are as seeing them dead and seeing them in the yard and forced to sit idley and watch. Once she gets downwind she is always going to end up finding the dummy or the deer. :)

    What breed is your dog derwood?
     

    Derwood

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 2, 2011
    1,075
    DC area
    Good question about "hunting" deer with a dog. That is not what I'm offering.

    My dog is trained to use her nose and mental concentration follow blood trails on a lead per the state requirements. I actually use a special collar and 30-meter slippery leather lead for this activity. The dog knows that if she sees that collar and lead, we are tacking blood only (i.e. looking for a dead animal, and not about to do a free search where she gets to run around and find whatever she wants). So the dog isn't "hunting" the deer, it's finding what you already hunted so that it can be recovered in a timely manner.

    I train the dog using beef blood that leads to treats and/or a buck hide in the off-season. We've done it a few times and she's always been able to work it out. But this is more of a "master" level skill that I'm really going to work on her with as she enters her second year of life. Beef blood is a good tool for training...but nothing beats the real thing!

    My dog is a Deutsch Drahthaar. Here are a couple videos of Drahthaars working on a tracking lead so you know what I'm talking about. (Don't ask me why the Europeans dress like that to go hunting).

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz7rMdCVKVk

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYhJE4CM2vY

    Glad some of you are interested! No one wants to have a shot animal run off where it's hard to find, but if you find yourself in that situation, we'd like to help.
     

    Derwood

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 2, 2011
    1,075
    DC area
    Just wanted to bump this thread as deer season kicks into full swing. Since I posted this, my dog helped me find a deer in dense vegetation. I probably would have found it on my own...after a few hours of searching and stumbling in the dark. She found it in about 2 minutes.

    PM me if you will be hunting within a reasonable drive of the DC area and I'll give you my cell number in case you need help at some point. Don't worry--I'm not going to ask you for money or give away your hunting spot or anything. I'm just trying to get my dog a lot of good experience doing what she's born to do!

    Good hunting everyone--hopefully you won't need to call me!
     

    engineerbrian

    JMB fan club
    Sep 3, 2010
    10,148
    Fredneck
    Just wanted to bump this thread as deer season kicks into full swing. Since I posted this, my dog helped me find a deer in dense vegetation. I probably would have found it on my own...after a few hours of searching and stumbling in the dark. She found it in about 2 minutes.

    PM me if you will be hunting within a reasonable drive of the DC area and I'll give you my cell number in case you need help at some point. Don't worry--I'm not going to ask you for money or give away your hunting spot or anything. I'm just trying to get my dog a lot of good experience doing what she's born to do!

    Good hunting everyone--hopefully you won't need to call me!

    I'm guessing you live in the Derwood area? Just trying to figure out how far away you are from me.
     

    iH8DemLibz

    When All Else Fails.
    Apr 1, 2013
    25,396
    Libtardistan
    Just wanted to bump this thread as deer season kicks into full swing. Since I posted this, my dog helped me find a deer in dense vegetation. I probably would have found it on my own...after a few hours of searching and stumbling in the dark. She found it in about 2 minutes.

    PM me if you will be hunting within a reasonable drive of the DC area and I'll give you my cell number in case you need help at some point. Don't worry--I'm not going to ask you for money or give away your hunting spot or anything. I'm just trying to get my dog a lot of good experience doing what she's born to do!

    Good hunting everyone--hopefully you won't need to call me!

    How do you train a dog to hit on a dead deer?

    That's neat stuff.
     

    lx1x

    Peanut Gallery
    Apr 19, 2009
    26,992
    Maryland
    I get the smell part.

    The technique/training part is what I'm looking after.
    depends on the dog also... Some are natural seeker like the ops dog. Lots of online how to.. most important.. patience and time...

    but best bet is typically trained by professional trainers.
     

    Derwood

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 2, 2011
    1,075
    DC area
    The dog is trained to follow the blood trail. It's not that complicated to teach it to do that--you start with the right dog (most important) and then give it a few simple tracks to follow using beef blood and treats at the end of the track. Then you steadily get more complex. Venison blood smells much stronger (and exciting) than beef, so it's relatively easy for the dog. It's more about steady exposure and positive reinforcement than "training" it to find a deer. The skill for the dog is to be mentally stable enough to only focus on finding the animal that's leaving a blood trail and to not get distracted by other animal scents in the woods. I'm

    I grew up in Derwood and lived there when I registered on here. I live in Arlington now but will drive to pretty much anywhere in MC, PG, HO, parts of Frederick and southern MD...as long as I can get there in under a couple hours. Let me know if you need help and I'll come out if I can manage it.
     

    Derwood

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 2, 2011
    1,075
    DC area
    Here she is locating a deer I shot about a year ago. This was her first time completing a blood track and first time encountering a dead deer. Right after I took this she looked back at me with an expression that I interpreted as her saying "Ohhh....now I get it!"
     

    Attachments

    • heidi with deer.jpg
      heidi with deer.jpg
      129 KB · Views: 160

    Users who are viewing this thread

    Latest posts

    Forum statistics

    Threads
    274,918
    Messages
    7,258,760
    Members
    33,348
    Latest member
    Eric_Hehl

    Latest threads

    Top Bottom