I believe it was about this time last year when I was on the phone talking with another tracker from south Georgia. I asked him where he was headed to and he said that a guy he had tracked for several times in the past had called him to come track a really good buck. I asked him what kind of situation he was dealing with and he tells me he really doesn’t know yet. He said the hunter had just got down after the shot and went back home to call him to bring the dogs. Apparently, it was a truly big deer and they didn’t want to take any chances….they just wanted to make sure the deer was recovered.

Well, there didn’t end up being any grand tale about the track….No 1000 yard trails…….no swimming ponds and rivers…..no baying and finishing him off….Nope….When they got there, the deer had only went 100 yards and crashed up into the bushes. The deer was indeed a true giant. It was probably one of the biggest deer killed in GA last year and it was soon after highlighted in an article in GON magazine.

The reason I tell that story is to make a point that tracking dogs aren’t always used as the last-ditch effort….nor should they be. They’re an invaluable part of hunting that many folks still are unaware of. It leaves me scratching my head when I read story after story of folks who shoot the “biggest deer they’ve ever seen” and then do everything else under the sun first other than letting a dog go find it for them. The vast majority of hunters will probably be able to count on one hand the number of opportunities that they’ll get in their lifetimes on a really big buck. We’ll all be lucky if we get even just one opportunity at a buck like in the story. If you’ve just gotten one of those opportunities and you’re unsure about the situation…..don’t get down and start chasing after him…..and don’t call three or four of your buddies and spend then next day and half grid searching for him…… back and call someone with a good dog. You’ll be glad you did in the end.