Kinda live Mississippi deer tracking thread

[jwatts]

12/29 continued

We went back out to our lease yesterday afternoon, with the promise that we weren't tracking any deer unless it was for family or on the lease. My wife and I went to one stand , and my son went to another to watch a pipeline crossing. About 4:30pm the shots started. Shortly afterwards the texts started coming in. After saying we weren't tracking, we ended up with 2 tracks on the lease and another for a family friend's daughter that we have tracked for several times.

Track 1, 35 Wheln at just over 100yd. The deer immediately ran towards the hunter and into a few year old cutover. They had gone in, found and marked blood, but jumped the deer. When we got there Boone ran into the plot and made a hard right, right onto the marked trail. He made it to their last mark and made a 90 degree right turn. He immediately hooked a left and started rolling. I assumed the deer was still alive. He reached a creek and started to bay. I pushed my way through a wall of briars, and made it to the creek only to find he was after a coyote. I guess it was headed to the same deer he was.

We pulled off, reset, and he went straight to the dead deer, which was right about where he started running earlier. The deer was shot quartering to, and was hit low in front of the onside shoulder, and exited through the offside leg. Imagine a shot that was high enough to get half the bullet diameter into the chest cavity. Regardless, we had the deer and were headed to number 2.

Track 2, 45-70 at about 80yd. The details said this one was a dreaded "back whack". If you look at the anatomy of a whitetail, it is possible to shoot over the spine above the shoulders, but have the appearance of a great shot. The spine dips low just above the center of the shoulder. A deer hit here will immediately hit the ground and appear to be stone dead. Eventually it'll start to move, twitch it's tail, kick it's legs, and slowly regain feeling in it's body. Once it does, it will run until it feels safe. That's typically a long ways. They also don't tend to produce the same pheromones as a wounded deer for as long as normal. It's a tough track.

This deer was shot about 4:30pm. It hit the dirt an laid there. The hunter gathered his gear and started to go look at the deer. He looked up to see the deer floundering around. By the time he got his gun ready, the deer was up and gone. He had blood for about 50yd then it stopped. The blood was dark red and thick, indicating it was starting to clot. We turned out and got the typical "back whack" response. Boone lined out great for about 200yd, then nothing. It's like the deer is plucked off the ground and disappears. We pushed him severa times, always with the same results. Regardless I walked every inch of his track for several different tracks. Sometimes it found me on my hands and knees going through tunnels in briar patches. After a few hours, we called it off. It's always tough to convince a hunter that a "dead deer" isn't dead.

Track 3, 350 Legend, around 50yd. This was another that didn't sound promising once we showed up. Over the phone it did. They originally thought it was a gut shot. I told them I would be a while, so back out nad let it lay. The hunter's dad is training a dog. I told him to put his dog on it based off of the initial assesment over the phone. After a few hours they made it to a pond, and to a dead end. We finally made it to them at roughly 930pm. This track is for my wife's best friend's daughter, so that took the heat off of me for keeping her out so late with me on what was supposed to be a family night of going out to eat and catching a movie.

The puppy had made an attempt at the track. They had found something on the track that they couldn't identify. Turned out it was chunks of fat. The blood would stop, they would keep tracking, find more fat, more blood, trickling to nothing. Also, the girl's grandpa decided to "help" by driving his side by side down the plot and all nearby trails looking for blood, spreading the scent all around.

We turned loose and Boone started towards the pond on the same line that they took earlier. When he got to the pond he bailed off in it, swam it, and lined out on the other side. Sure enough we found more fat and blood where the deer left the pond. Boone took it to another plot where grandpa had driven. It took him quite a while to sort it out. After that he hit a dead end at a very deep ditch. He finally found a crossing, got back on track, and came up empty. He never was able to line it out after the ditch. The deer had obviously been pushed before we got there, and decided to leave the country.

We ended the day 2/4. Not what I wanted, but you can't get them all.

 

[jwatts]

12/30

After a late night last night I decided to sleep in. I planned to catch a few tracks around the house before we headed out for the afternoon hunt. No tracks came in, so we left around 1pm to try our luck this afternoon.

Just after dark 2 calls came in. The first was second hand info. Brown and white hair, no blood. The second was a buddy of mine from Louisiana. His nephew shot one and couldn't find any sign. I made a call to track 1, no answer. Track 2 was first priority now.

We made it home, unhooked the 4 wheeler trailer, and grabbed supper. In an attempt to build back a few brownie points lost last night I started moving some firewood inside and to the front porch wood rack. Track 1 called me back. He had brown and white hair, and a faint smell of gut. No blood. They had been tracking for 3hr, and had even put the neighbor's dog on it. When I told him he'd have to wait til I finished the one ahead of him, he decided he'd just go back on his own tomorrow morning.

The track I ended up running was 6.5mi from my house. We got there, suited up, and started the walk in. We had quite a walk across a huge rye grass field. The kid shot the deer from the fence line. The deer was at a small clump of trees just shy of 100yd away. After the shot, the deer ran towards the hunter and down the fence until out of sight.

Boone got to the trees, angled to the fence line, then followed the fence. After he got out of sight behind a pile of tree tops he made a hard right under the fence and went on point.

We followed the track to Boone. We never saw a sign of blood until right near the fence. There was a big pool of blood on one side of the fence, a small spot where the deer went under, and a dead deer right there. We had one happy hunter, dad, and grandpa.

 

[woods89]

Very cool thread! My dad has a little dachshund that has been a huge help a time or two.

Does it get old seeing the less then perfect shots/situations over and over?

 

[jwatts]

Very cool thread! My dad has a little dachshund that has been a huge help a time or two.

Does it get old seeing the less then perfect shots/situations over and over?

When it's a repeat customer, yes. There are also a few people that take a pop shot and hope for the best. For the most part we get tracks for kids, for adults that get kinda shaken up watching a big buck chase a doe and shoot the legs or briskets, or bow shots where people hug too tight to the shoulders or pull a little far back. There are a few that know they hit, but don't have blood on ideal shots too. There are definitely a few that leave you shaking your head though.

 

[jwatts]

1/1/24 Nothing popped up near the house New Year's morning, and I was kinda glad. We did lunch with the wife's family then headed to the woods. It was uneventful on our end with no shots fired. We came home, ate supper, and started a movie. Then the phone calls came in. A friend of my wife called, and had shot one that she couldn't find. While she was on the phone I received a call from a friend of mine that was at work overseas. His wife shot one and was having issues locating it as well.

Track 1, less than 100yd, with a 7mm-08. The deer spun and ran at the shot. The only sign was a very small tuft of white hair. We went to the shot site, and sure enough, that was it. Boone never hit on anything at all. He walked all up and down the plot and never showed and interest in anything other than a rabbit. All we could figure it she shot low and knocked hair off the brisket.

Track 2, 40yd, 300 blackout. There was no sign at the shot site. The initial description sounded good though. The deer was chasing a doe. At the shot, the buck ran and jumped the fence, while the dow stuck around. Typicall this means the deer was at least hit. It could also mean that the bullet hit close enough to scare the deer. The next details are where it got bad. She waited for the doe to leave before looking for sign. When she walked to the trail where the buck crossed the fence, the buck was right there. He was blowing and stomping, then ran off a little ways to continue blowing. In most cases, an injured deer won't hang around blowing. They either bed up or vacate the country.

We turned out and Boone lined out on the game trail where the deer went. In short order he barked bayed a few times, then hit the afterburners. He got 500yd away very fast. I started toward where he initially barked, and found a dry bed, no hair or blood. He ran whatever it was around a big field a few times, turned back towards us, paralelled the fence where we were standing, and kept going. Eventually he turned around and came back. He was outrun. I walked a big portion of his track using the GPS, and never found anything to indicate the deer was hit. As far as I can tell the buck bedded near the plot to try to hang around and intercept the hot doe.

First day of 2024- Deer-2, Boone- 0

 

[jwatts]

1/2/24 I hunted this mornig and heard very few shots.We had a few requests come in through the Facebook group but they were way down south. We ran a few errands and goofed off a while. About 230pm a buddy of mine called to see if I could cover one for him. I agreed and called the hunter. This was gonna be a fun one. Dark blood, trailed for over 500yd already (per the hunter), with no beds. I loaded up to see what we could do.

We arrived and turned out at first blood. While Boone lined out I checked sign. It was dark blood, but there was white hair as well. In most cases the color blood I was seeing indicates liver. But, the deer was shot at 7:15am, and I was there after 3pm, so the dried blood was likely darker than when he started. I also found that the neighbor's dog had followed them on this track. They had tracked 580yd straigh line from shot site. After the blood trail meandered around (due to them ununtentionally bumping the deer as it bedded), it ended up being a little over a half mile.

Boone was acting squirrely. You could definitely tell another dog had been there. We eventually worked past the point where the neighbor's dog got bored and went home. We were standing there looking at last blood, when I noticed Boone was lined out and moving pretty fast. The hunter had permission to access the property we were on. It was an old pine thicket with a few creeks in it. Shortly Boone barked on the property line near a feeder creek. I hurried that way.

Before I made it, he started running. He was off of the property where we had permission. I scrambled and started contacting anyone I knew in the area to figure out who leased the Weyerhauser property that he was now on. In the meantime he bayed, broke, bayed, broke, repeat for a total of 5 bays. We were finally able to obtain permission from the person that leased this land. I made my way through an SMZ along the feeder creek as fast as I could. I came up to Boone standing over a nearly dead deer. I finished him off. He was shot near the center of the body and very low. Dreaded low gut. These deer will live a long time, only to die a pretty gruesome death after 20 or more hours. I hate to turn out on a known low gut shot for at least 12hr, longer if we can make that happen.

The person that leased the land told us he'd meet us back at the truck. After an hour and a half locating the hunter (he couldn't keep up when I made my mad dash) and getting back to the truck, we met the guy that leased the property. He was kind enough to drive us on his side by side right to the deer and load it up for the hunter.

 

[jwatts]

1/4- My son and I skipped the afternoon deer hunt. Instead, we drove to a WMA to the west of us and met with a friend of mine to chase squirrels. He brought his squirrel dog and we had a ball. We brought 7 squirrels out, and let 4 more slip by us. Pretty good for a short hunt.

After supper I started getting my things together to go hunt this morning. I figured if a call came in at this time, it was likely going to be a mess that I just didn't want to fool with. I really shouldn't have those thoughts, because as soon as I did my wife walked in and handed me her phone. A friend of hers was wanting me to track her nephew's first deer, a doe. The bad part, they had been tracking for about 3 hours already and had their 2 labs on it. Even better, they thought it was a liver shot. I like to let those lay up if possible, but I figured if it had already been pushed around maybe it would be tired or dead. We loaded up and made the 10 mile trip.

We drove down the pipeline and met the hunter and his dad. I got a few details and let Boone go about his normal business. I noticed Boone was in the woods, and I asked where shot site was. Turns out he had gone right to it and lined out. I watched him on the GPS. You could tell people and dogs had been in there by the lines on my screen. I walked in a little ways to get a lay of the land. He finally got past the last place the other dogs had been and lined out. Satisfied he was on the deer, we alked back out to the pipeline where the deer was shot. I'll admit I didn't do my due dilligence on this one. Partially, I trusted what the hunter told me. Also, since Boone was already lined out, I let him go on. Regardless we looked at the shot site only to see a big pile of white hair and gut matter that they had missed initially. Low gut.

About the time we figured that out, Boone started baying. He had found her. What happened next was what I was worried would happen. The deer jumped and ran. If a doe jumps, she will do her best to die on her feet at a full sprint. They do not like to stop once they get going. I am watching the numbers click off on the GPS. 250yd, 300, 400, 500. She's maiking a big arcing loop that will get us to a blacktop road and some houses pretty soon. Just as she neared the blacktop, Boone stopped. He had been following her more by sight and sound than scent. That's typically how it goes when they get on a live one. She lost him. After a while he gave up and came back.

Once he made it back to us I noticed coyotes cutting up towards a lake to the north. The deer was between a pipeline and a lake, and her arcing loop was taking her closer to the lake when she lost him. A lot of times a wounded deer will circle back to their initial bed if bumped. Their first bed is usually in a place where they feel safe and in the core of their normal home area. I used that to my advantage. I put Boone back on the track. He ran the exact same line, but made a sharp left and headed towards the lake. He had picked the track back up.

I watched the GPS as he neared the lake. I figured with a gut shot, she wasn't feeling so good after that sprint and would want to get in the water to cool off. Just shy of the water he bayed again. I just knew he had her. Then as fast as he bayed he started running. Man it sounded weird. His barks were very high pitched and sounded funny. He was running almost directly to us. As he neared us I realized what was going on. That wasn't him. It was a coyote. He had jumped a coyote off of the deer. The coyotes we heard earlier had (I assume) caught her based on all the ruckus we heard. He had managed to cut one from the pack and was chasing it. Before long it was confirmed, as a coyote ran past us at about 100yd barking and yipping with Boone in tow. I toned him off immediately.

After that he had no interest in going back. I guess I could have marked the location of the bay and checked on the deer myself. I am almost 100% sure that the coyotes had gotten it. I don't know how or why that one broke away from the pack, but man I am glad it did. That 50lb GSP is one of the grittiest dogs I know, but no match for a pack of coyotes. We loaded up and went home.

This was "the" track of the season. There's always one. The one you leave knowing that you just left a dead deer in the woods. We do everything we can to recover every deer but it just doesn't always happen. You remember some of the more eventful recoveries, but every time you turn loose, these are the ones that are in the back of your mind.

 

[jwatts]

1/6- We'll file this one under "If you weren't there, you wouldn't believe it"

My son and I went to our lease this morning. Just after daylight I heard another member shoot. I had some errands to run after the morning hunt, so we came out around 9. Just as I was leaving, another member (the one I heard shoot earlier) called and asked if I had Boone with me. He had shot a buck, and lost blood after a short track job. I told him to hang out and I would get back out there after I ran my errands. His son-in-law also tracks. I called and asked if he wanted to put his young dog on it with Boone. I got everything wrapped up, picked up Charlie and Marlee, and made it to the shot site around noon.

The hunter and another guy that was with him were waiting for us at the pipeline. He described the shot and where the deer ran. He also said that as they were waiting, a pair of dogs from a nearby house came down the pipeline. When they crossed the shot site, they immediately went into the cutover. Shortly afterwards he heard them barking and running. Weird, but ok.

We turned loose and Boone took to the track immediately. Marlee works a little slower and more methodical. We followed her through the cutover. According to the GPS she was on the same line Boone took. She was also on blood. It looked like a muscle hit. Good blood that petered out, then a blown out clot, followed by more blood. As we walked I kept an eye on Boone with the GPS.

Boone was 100% lined out on the deer. Then it was almost like he overran the track. He started looping. He made a wide loop to the northeast, a wide loop north, wide loop northwest, etc. I couldn't figure out what he was doing. He looped back to the creek and followed it in both directions. He even followed a woodline back and forth a few times. Anyway, he was off the deer. We kept making our way in there, on blood the whole way.

We finally arrived at the point where Boone kept coming back to. Sure enough, it was a bed. The deer had bedded, bled a while, and obviously clotted. From that point it's like the deer vanished. All we could figure is that the neighbor dogs jumped the deer from it's bed and ran it out of the country. Marlee did the same as Boone, just worked dead ends until she gave up. You can't control all factors, but you typically don't expect the neighbor dogs to run your deer when you're close to a mile from their house.

 

[jwatts]

1/20 I just got back in town from work last night and decided to sleep this morning. While I was drinking my morning coffee a buddy contact me. He recently had knee surgery and is unable to run his dogs. Someone near him needed one teaches and asked if I was interested. I gave them a call then loaded up.

It was about a 45min drive west. Initially the hunter hadn't found any sign. The deer hunched up and ran at the shot, so I felt certain he'd hit it. He walked about 50yd into the woods, found no sign, and backed out. In the time it took me to get there he also found some white hair at the shot site. The deer was quartered to pretty hard. I figured it skimmed the brisket low, or was a good shot that exited low and back.

We turned out and Boone circled the plot a few times. He found where the deer exited into the woods and lined out. Once I was sure he was on the deer we started easing in the woods. It wasn't long before we found a big spot of blood. Not the blood I wanted to see though. This was a brighter, thinner looking blood that's usually associated with a muscle hit. Boone continued a ways, then started to loop like he lost the track. Every circle brought him back to one spot. We went there, and sure enough there was blood. It was in a little stream bed just before it dumped into the creek. I dropped a pin.

One good (and bad) thing about tracking with a bird dog is that they "wind" tracks. They won't necessarily run nose down along the exact line. If there's a cross wind, they'll run parallel and downwind of the actual path. I've had deer make a big circle when they ran, but the dogs cut straight to the deer because the wind direction blew the scent straight to them. This was the case here. The wind changed in the stream bed, and he lost the track.

I called Boone to me and reset him. This time he worked more slowly and methodically. He hit a trail leaving the stream bed and lined out. We gave him some space and followed behind. Blood was getting sparse. It looked like a wound that was starting to clot. We were almost 300yd in and hadn't found a bed.

According to the gps, Boone outran the track again. After a few loops he was back on it. We decided to hang tight. If the deer hadn't bedded, and we hadn't found any gut matter indicating a low and back exit, then it was likely a superficial wound.

I studied the map. There were no roads nearby. No property boundaries to worry about. The nearest property line was for the national forest, so we were good there too. I let Boone go until he hit the 750yd mark. So far he'd been over 1000yd with no additional sign that the deer had anything more than a graze. We called it off at this point.

It's tough to know when to call one. I'm always looking for that one last drop of blood or one piece of sign. If the dog is lined out it's tough to tell them to stop. Then there's the hunter. They have a hard time coming to terms with the fact that deer isn't dead. In this situation the hunter was on the same page with me when I hit the tone button on the collar and watched Boone start to back track to us.

 

[williaada]

I have been training my wife’s berniedoodle to track wounded deer in MI. Any ideas on how to keep his interest after going 300yrds over and hour? The deer was gut shot. Never did find the deer.

 

[jwatts]

I have been training my wife’s berniedoodle to track wounded deer in MI. Any ideas on how to keep his interest after going 300yrds over and hour? The deer was gut shot. Never did find the deer.

A guy I know that trained scent dogs for MS Highway Patrol gave me so advice, and it makes a ton of sense. When you're training a dog make the training a game that your dog can always win. Do scent drags with deer feet and blood. Don't get too complicated with it until you have confidence that the dog can find it. Don't get too creative until you know the dog will find the end of the track. Once they find the end, praise them, give them treats, and make sure they'll be ready for the next training session.

The rest of the equation is you as a handler. Learn the dog's demeanor. Pay attention to how the dog acts when it's locked on the track. More importantly, learn how it acts when it's struggling. That's a very important part of training. While you train the dog, the dog trains you.

 

[jwatts]

1/20 Continued

I went hunting that afternoon. Close to dark my brother texted me. My niece had just shot. She's typically a pretty good shot, but he said the deer acted like it wasn't hit and ran off. He was hunting my grandma's place, which is on my way home from where I was hunting. A few minutes later he texted that his wife had shot as well. I told him to let me know what he found and I could stop on my way home. About the time I responded to that text, a hunter close to me shot. I came on out to help him out. His deer dropped, so I just had to help load him up. I got to the truck and contacted me brother. No sign of a hit on my niece's deer, but blood on his wife's deer. I told him to back out and wait. I knew that it was close to the property line, so I contacted the neighbor to get permission. During that call I found out his son shot a buck, and felt like he hit it far back and may need some help. That's 2, maybe 3 tracks lined up. Good thing is they are all within walking distance of each other.

We turned out on the sister in law's deer first. It rolled at the shot, ran, and she heard it crash, but couldn't find it. There was very little blood. She shot it with an 80gr ballistic tip from a .243. We turn out, and Boone found the shot site. He lined out, then started moving pretty fast. He went on point, left, went on point, left. He had jumped a raccoon. After a little discussion I brought him back to the shot site and he got his head in the game. 150ys later he was on point for real this time. I heard him thrashing around. I knew he had a dead deer. Sure enough he had located the big doe. The shot was perfect, but she just didn't bleed much. There was a little blood at the entry/exit, but lots of blood coming out of her nose and mouth. The lungs were jelly. Now off to my niece's deer.

We drove down the hill and to the next food plot. I put Boone out and he made his way around the plot, never hitting on anything. I pushed him into a few trails with no luck. We tried just about every path a deer could have taken with no interest shown by Boone. We combed the plot for any sign and couldn't turn any up. When we got back to the truck, she mentioned he scope looked funny. We looked through it, and it looked like a kaleidoscope. There was frost inside the scope, on the front lens. It has a lighted reticle, and it was just a bog starburst with a single dot in the center. I think we found the issue.

I made one more phone call to the neighbor. His son had gone back to look for sign and found his deer dead pretty close to the shot site. Number 3 for the night was cancelled.

 

[jwatts]

I went hunting yesterday (1/23). About 30min before dark a lone doe fed through. I figured if she was alone this time of year it was either a spike, or it was a hot doe. I never could see any antlers protruding so I assumed she was in heat. Just after she fed off I caught movement where she came from. A buck popped out, nose down and in pursuit. I couldn't pass that opportunity.

As I was loading my buck, another handler called. I texted and let him know I'd call him back, that I was getting one loaded. He told me that he'd sent a hunter my number. He needed a deer tracked and wanted me to cover it. I made contact with the hunter, let him know I had to clean a deer first, then I'd head his way. As soon as we hung up another handler called asking if I could cover one. Turns out it was the same track. I let him know I already had it lined up. About that time I heard back from the first handler. The hunter called to let him know he'd called yet another handler and he could get there quicker.

That's the one problem with having a lot of dogs in a small area. Hunters know that there are plenty of options so they shop around until they get someone that can get there within their liking. Sometimes it comes back to bite them. If I call a hunter, and they say they've already spoken to another handler that could come, I end the conversation there. Most handlers do the same. It avoids confusion and prevents anyone's toes from getting stepped on.

I got my deer skinned and in the cooler, and went home. I grabbed supper, then a shower, and settled in on the couch for a little rest. A little was the best way to describe it. A request came in through another tracking group, and was just up the road from me. I got dressed and loaded up.

It had been raining off and on all day and was supposed to be bad this morning. I convinced the hunter to meet me and give it a shot rather than wait. Details sounded like a possible leg or brisket shot. The deer had been jumped once. The hunter backed out, came back 2hr later and tracked about 350yd before backing out.

We started the walk in to last blood. Along the way Boone hit the track. The hunter took us straight to last blood using OnX, and we were able to verify Boone was on the deer. After a few hundred more yards, Boone crossed the property line and started to loop. It was like the deer disappeared. We called him back and reset several times. Same results.

We decided to walk the track to the point where he was losing it. Sure enough we were on blood. It was slowing up though. We found one big spot near the fence. Almost as if the deer had bedded and clotted up. Immediately across the fence was a gravel road around the perimeter of the adjacent property. He never picked that deer back up after the road.

My best guess is that the deer was shot in the brisket. The first blood was 50yd into the track where the deer initially bedded. There was also a thin sliver of cartilage in the bed, indicating brisket shot most likely. The hunter came back to track and inadvertently bumped the deer from it's second bed near the fence. By this time the blood had stopped, and the deer was no longer producing the pheromone that injured deer produce. I may be completely wrong, but that's what all the clues point to.

 

[jwatts]

I've got a few updates to make. It's been kinda hectic the past few days. My season wrapped up last night. Headed to work.

 

[jwatts]

Back this past spring a few friends of mine decided to run a marathon at the end of January. Knowing good and well I wouldn't train for it, I signed myself and my son up for the half. We were supposed to leave on 1/27 headed to the race, which was taking place on 1/28.

We dropped the dogs off to be boarded at the vet mid day 1/26. As soon as we dropping the dogs off I got a call. I immediately regretted signing up for a run during deer season. I had to hand that track off.

We hit the road Saturday morning and headed to the beach for our run. We got settled in the hotel and met up with our friends. I got another call for one at our lease. As bad as I hated to, I had to hand another one off. We got home late on 1/28. We had a few things to do Monday 1/29, and were headed to get the dogs after lunch.

Right before we went to get the dogs I got another call. A guy had gut shot a doe mid morning. He was hunting a club just up the road from where I hunt. I told him I'd stop by after my afternoon hunt. We got there around 30min after dark. After a long 4 wheeler ride in we arrived at shot site.

Boone lined out at shot site and went to an empty bed. He proceeded past it and then started looping. This is really strange for a gut shot. Those tracks are like candy to tracking dogs, but he was having none of it. We walked all around and couldn't find any sign past the bed.

That's when the truth came out. After the shot, the hunter assumed he was going in to recover a dead deer. He went back to camp and got his 4 wheeler. His dogs followed him in, and jumped the deer from its bed. They came off the track pretty quickly, but there's no telling how far the deer went after jumping.

 

[jwatts]

1/30- This was going to be my last day of season. Our washer went out, so I hang around waiting on a new one to be delivered. I was hoping it would get delivered early enough to catch an evening hunt, but it didn't. I stayed close to my phone waiting on a track to come in, but it never did. After a shower and supper, I settled in for a little tv.

I wasn't comfortable long and I received a text. A lady had shot a buck, but didn't have any sign. She felt that she hit the deer based on the reaction but wasn't sure where or how good it was hit. We loaded up.

This lady has a GSP that she's training to track. Since she wasn't sure of her hit, she didn't want to put a rookie dog on it. She also wanted to see my dog work. We got Boone suited up and went to shot site.

Once in the food plot Boone immediately took a line. He wasn't overly enthusiastic, but he was moving like he was tracking. We walked in the woods and found one drop of blood the size of a pencil eraser. It looked like muscle blood.

Boone continued until he got to a fence. We walked to the fence and I dropped a pin at the fence crossing. I immediately noticed another pin on my screen. I had actually recovered a deer on the neighboring property 300yd from where we were standing. Boone never did turn this one up, and we never found any other sign.

About the time we decided to pull off I received a text asking if I could cover a track for another handler. The hunter was a few miles up the road, and on my route back home. I told him I'd be there shortly.

I met the hunter at the gate. We drove across a big rye grass field, stopping where he was set up when he shot. It was a pretty good poke across the field, and he shot close to dark. The details were sketchy, and got worse when we got to shot site.

The deer had run after the shot. There was no blood at shot site. He had run up a hill, tried to jump a fence, and couldn't. He ran back down the hill, jumped the fence, and got hung up. There was a pile of hair at the fence, and sporadic blood after that, stopping after about 75yd.

When we got to the fence I immediately thought we had a lost cause. The deer couldn't clear the fence because it was a 5ft net wire fence, with 2 strands of barbed wire above it. When he did clear the fence on his second attempt, he had gotten hung in the barbed wire and skimmer himself up on the fence.

We finally got Boone through the fence and he lined out to a gravel road. He turned around and came back. We followed his track and found more blood up to the road. When we got to them road, we pushed Boone across. He ran up and down the right of way until he found a line and started, eventually making a loop back across the road. We made our way to where he crossed and started looking for sign.

Boone briefly went on point, and immediately ran towards me. It sounded strange. He would run, then I'd hear a commotion. He kept that up until he got to me. Then I smelled it. He had run up on a skunk. We called it off and went to the truck.

That was the last one for the season. We ended on a losing streak. But, it happens. The later in season you get, the worse the shots get. People get excited. They want to fill the freezer or get that one last buck. Regardless of the reason, it happens. Boone got to sleep in the dog box that night. I got him as scent free as possible and left for work. One more season is down.

After I get in from work I'll be cleaning my truck out and putting my gear up. I'll put up a post showing what all we use during tracking season. Thanks for following along.

 

[TheBenHoyle]

These were very interesting stories. Thanks for sharing them. I feel like I learned a lot. I have shot 5 deer and never had trouble finding them but this is a reminder that I have been pretty lucky and I this provides a lot of insight into what happens when deer don't go down within sight. Keep up the good work.

 

[jwatts]

Thanks man. If one runs, it's really tough to know what happened. You can read the sign at the shot site and get a pretty good idea, but nothing is certain until you walk up on the deer or see it on camera later.

These were very interesting stories. Thanks for sharing them. I feel like I learned a lot. I have shot 5 deer and never had trouble finding them but this is a reminder that I have been pretty lucky and I this provides a lot of insight into what happens when deer don't go down within sight. Keep up the good work.

 

[TheBenHoyle]

Thanks man. If one runs, it's really tough to know what happened. You can read the sign at the shot site and get a pretty good idea, but nothing is certain until you walk up on the deer or see it on camera later.

I've had three with little to no blood trail. Fortunately I saw each of them fall. In one case, the lung deflated and stopped up the exit wound so no blood came out. In another the arrow stuck in the offside shoulder and then broke off, entrance wound was high so there was no blood coming out of that hole. and in the third, I hit high and severed an artery just under the spine and all the blood went into the body cavity instead of the grass. I can't even imagine what I would have thought if I hadn't seen these three hit the ground.

 

[3855WIN]

This is my camp neighbors Bavarian Mountain hound. He only tracks on our place. We put him on every track we have. It’s a lot of fun.
You must be from around Brookhaven.