Updates on a successful season
Well, deer season is quickly coming to a close in most of the areas where we track. Calls become fewer and fewer towards the end of season. As much as I hate to see the season close, it allows me some time to reflect on the ups and downs of the season. Every season is hard to predict, and this one was no exception. Our season got off to an extremely slow start due to unseasonably warm temperatures and an explosion of new trackers. However, late October and the entire month of November were busy with lots of calls coming in. We were not able to take many of the calls personally due to work and family obligations, but did our best to refer those tracks off to other qualified trackers. Also, I felt like we spent an awful lot of time educating hunters on which shots are more likely to result in recovered deer, and which are not. Additionally, a lot of phone time was spent educating hunters on what steps to take to dramatically increase the odds of recovering their deer with a tracking dog. Obviously we don't make any money for giving advice, but hopefully this service will help hunters recover more deer in years to come. My section on Tracking Tips details most of these suggestions. It is best to review them prior to hunting season begins.
As of right now, our recovery success is on par with previous seasons at just over 35%. A hunter did recover one deer that we were unable to find. This is only the 6th deer recovered later by hunters when we were unable to find it in 9 seasons of tracking. On that particular track, the deer had been jumped, and pushed by the hunter. After being jumped up the hunter and his party continued to push the buck, and spent hours grid searching for the deer before making a call to us. Layla, actually extended the track several hundred yards in the direction the deer had gone, but after hundreds of yards without any sign, I pulled her off the track just about 100 yards from where the deer was later recovered The hunter found the buck in the same draw that we were in when I called the track off. Layla did her job. Chalk that one up to handler error. None of the other deer we were unable to recover were found dead. Some of them were later confirmed alive. As in years past, gut and liver shots made up the vast majority of recovered deer. Deer shot in the paunch are high success recoveries if the hunter doesn't push the deer by searching too early, and doesn't destroy the area by grid searching.
Layla had the toughest recovery on a nice 10 point that had traveled about 800 yards from the initial hit site, leaving very little blood. The hunter had then performed a grid search, and brought his dog from home to search for the buck prior to our arrival. Both of these mistakes usually ruin the chances of a recovery. However, 24 hours after the shot, Boone was able to advance the track wonderfully, but missed the last turn the deer made. Layla was placed on the track, and made short work of completing the task. Here is the hunter with his beautiful SW MO buck.
Boone had a great rookie season, recovering a number of deer, including some difficult tracks. He showed great progress over the course of the season, and matured greatly as a tracker in just a few months! It's hard to believe that he just turned 7 months old today! Here are just a few of the deer that he was able to recover.
I am equally proud to report that Echo also had an outstanding season working with his new handler, Andrew. For those that follow my blog, Echo was my top tracking dog over the past 2 seasons. He grew from a mutt that one of my boys brought home, to an exceptional tracking dog. Andrew purchased Echo from me to be his first tracking dog. Andrew was also an excellent student, and took all the training that I provided to him to heart. After training all Spring and Summer long, both Andrew and Echo were ready for the start of hunting season. A live deer at the end of a tough track was all that Echo needed to turn on his prey drive,, which had been his only weak point in previous years. After that track, he became a tracking monster. At the last update that I received from Andrew, they were over 50% on recoveries, with many tracks under their belt. That is an amazing season for any on lead tracking team! I am very proud of them. Here are a couple of photos of Echo's recoveries.
Lastly, I want to show my new logo design. I want to thank my good friends, Russ and Laura Tucker at Best Sign Group in Rogers, AR for bringing my idea to fruition. The dog profile is actually from a photo of Boone's grandsire. I will be making an announcement in the next few months about another service that I will be offering on a limited basis once my kennel facility is completed. The decal may give you a hint ;). Stay tuned!
