I wanted to post up a thread and let any of the guys in my area know that I�m starting up a new tracking service. This is Otis. Otis is a 6 month old Slovensky Kopov, a small hound breed originating from eastern Europe. So far he�s showing great promise and I�m really excited to see what he�ll eventually mature into. This year I�m just trying to get Otis some training work and establish some contacts with local clubs and landowners, so any tracking is free. If any of you guys in Macon Co or nearby surrounding areas are interested, send me a PM. Thanks.

I hunt in Macon county and will be sure to give you a call if we have trouble finding one. Good luck in training Otis.

Thanks GH. I returned your PM. I hope Otis and I can be of help.

Would it be too far to go to the Troy area if we paid for gas, expenses and Otis a hamburger steak?

I will next year for sure but for this season I'm trying just to stay close to home. Otis is still really young and just in training mode. He's done well on a couple of tracks but he's also worked a couple like a puppy as well. If you've got a sho nuff hard track then it may be too much for his attention span this year. The last one I put him on, he trailed it good for a little ways and then just decided he'd rather play. Part of being a puppy I suppose. Once him and I both gain some confidence then I don't mind coming that far.

What I really need some folks to help me with here at the first of the season is getting him on as many easy tracks as I can. If anyone is hunting alone and needs help getting a deer out of the woods, I'd be glad to come and help just to get Otis some easy finds.

CNC, you may already have your training program figured out, but after seeing their dogs in action, I'd sure give Tom Munoz a call and see if he has any pointers on training them. His dogs are amazing. Good luck with Otis!

Here's the website with contact info:

www.alabamadeertracking.com/

Thanks Fur......I'll definitely seek his advice as it looks like he has is down pretty well.

I thought I'd add these pics to the thread. Most people are probably not familiar with the Kopov breed and the pictures I posted of Otis right now don't do justice for what a full grown one looks like. The Males top out around 50-55 lbs with a real short stocky appearance. They're used in eastern Europe for hunting Russian boar in a real similar manner as what we hunt rabbits here with beagles. They're also an extremely smart dog and work well as a watch dog. That was one of the reasons for my decision to get a Kopov. I wanted something to help guard the house. I'll probably eventually get a second one.

Beautiful dogs

Beautiful dogs, wish my son would have connected on one for you this AM, but no such luck. We had a big deer come in about 5:20 but could not tell much about him. He got spooked a few minutes later and left the field. We will try again this evening.

Thanks guys.....

GH...I'll have my ears on around dark in case y'all get one. Maybe it will be a good evening with this front moving in.

That breed looks like a Rot crossed with a Black and Tan. It ought to be able to track it, catch it and drag it to the truck. Good luck with your training.

Here you go. Watch this..........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViAiEpgMNKU

By any chance, does someone know anyone in south Alabama that may have an experienced dog that I could let Otis follow on a track? I think that would do him a lot of good.

I hope everyone is having good luck today. I wanted to bump this thread back to the top in case any guys around me might have missed it. I was able to get Otis on a good easy track this morning as a confidence builder. He did great.

Congrats Otis! Nice vest.

Thanks!.....Its a little big on him now but he's still got some growing to do. Its rated for 45 lbs to 65 lbs and he's suppose to top out at 55lbs. It should be just right eventually.

Thought I'd give this a bump since its about time for the bucks to come out of hiding in my area. Otis got himself a new GPS tracking collar for Christmas.... so we're ready to go if any of you guys need us.

If you don't already have them, consider getting a lighted collar too. It makes all the difference in the world trying to follow them at night. Another suggestion is to add a small bell, like a goat bell to the collar. This also aides in following them in the dark when they get in the thick stuff and can't be seen. The bell does serve a secondary purpose. Sort of like Pavlov's experiment, when the dog hears that bell come out of the truck, they know it's go time. I witnessed this firsthand. A buddy of mine uses dachshunds to blood trail. When he grabs that collar with the bell, they go nuts.