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Jackson county deer tracking #2254806
10/12/17 01:55 AM
10/12/17 01:55 AM
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 4,700
Pisgah, AL
bowtarist Offline OP
THE Octopus
bowtarist  Offline OP
THE Octopus
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 4,700
Pisgah, AL
I figured I'd be a copy cat and do like CNC is doing. I figured I'd try and keep my stories in a separate thread to keep his clean.

As alot of you know, the northern half of the state is suffering from options on a tracking dog. I think we have 2 that I'm aware of. I bought a dog almost 2 years ago, a mtn cur, from J Carter on here. I had all intentions on making her a tracking dog. Started working her on blood as soon as she came home. I ended up getting a divorce shortly after and didn't have time to work her. I missed last deer season working on a house and decided to start back training her when I was finished. So this summer I started back doing mock tracks and she picked right up where she left off and was doing excellent. Bow season opened in GA and I was able to collect some fresh supplies off some deer friends had killed. Started making her mock tracks as hard as I could imagine. Making loops, crossing dirt roads, etc. She just blew thru them. I felt like it was time to get her on the real thing and started advertising. I've read about every article and alot of books on tracking and have talked to a few other trackers getting advice. (Thanks CNC) I felt confident Spark would find a deer.

Fast forward to yesterday. As soon as I got home, I went to lay a mock track at a family members house. I let it age 4 hours and while I was on my way I got my first call. My boss had shot a doe in GA and the arrow was covered in blood but he couldn't find any blood on the ground. I told him I'd be on my way.

About an hour later we get to the hit site and I let Spark sniff around a minute. Boss told me the story. 2 deer came in the plot, he shot the biggest doe. When she hit the woods, he hears her run by his stand about 30 yards. He didn't see where the deer went in.

So, I tell Spark to find it. I worked her on lead the whole time because I dont have a tracking collar yet. She hits the woods and man is it ever thick. I mean a rabbit would need a chainsaw to get thru this stuff. And me being the novice expert I am, didn't think to wear my briar pants. So here I go, being drug thru the woods behind a dog in a t shirt and blue jeans with no gloves.

We go about 100 yards thru this mess and we've not found blood and by Sparks body language I felt like she wasn't on it. I decided to take her back to the hit site and start over. This time she hit the woods and went a different direction. We get about 30 yards in the woods and find blood. Boy she's on it now. I felt like I had a Clydesdale at the end of that leash being drug thru hell. We end up going about 150 yards and there's the deer! She gets about 5 steps from it, hair raised on her neck and she starts growling. Lol. I'm pumped up, the boss is going nuts. Spark found her first deer! Then we had to drag that heffer back thru that mess. On the way out, I had the idea to train a dragging dog to go along behind the tracking dog! Reckon that would work?

He had actually double lunged this deer but she didn't start bleeding for about 50 yards. It was so thick in there, there's no way he would have been able to find that deer. He had already given up.

When I got back to the truck, I felt like I'd sandpapered an alligators a$$ in a phone booth. I have got scratches and cuts all over me. I learned some valuable lessons from the first. I will wear my briar pants from now on and I will be getting a tracking collar.

[img:center][/img]

Re: Jackson county deer tracking [Re: bowtarist] #2254831
10/12/17 02:27 AM
10/12/17 02:27 AM
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,540
Awbarn, AL
CNC Online content
Dances With Weeds
CNC  Online Content
Dances With Weeds
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,540
Awbarn, AL
Welcome to tracking!! laugh

That made my morning. Yeah, you better go ahead and be prepared for “thick”…..that’s just about every track it seems like. If you don’t start out in thickness, then just give it a minute….you’re headed that way…..either that or a swamp. Briar clothes are a must. I like the soft leather gloves…..they give me more dexterity to work my GPS than the stiff ones. A forester’s cruising vest is also a valuable thing to get. You’ll want to get used to taking a bottle or two of water with you for the dog as well along with a tiny bowl. You can just cut the bottom of a water bottle off to make one. Some tracks are gonna take a while and the dog will do much better if you stop and give it a drink every now and then. They’ll eventually shut down if you don’t when its hot.

Keep the stories coming! thumbup


The Corn Crash!!!
Re: Jackson county deer tracking [Re: bowtarist] #2254974
10/12/17 04:22 AM
10/12/17 04:22 AM
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,879
Lauderdale County
Cousneddy Offline
8 point
Cousneddy  Offline
8 point
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,879
Lauderdale County
Awesome! I will eventually get into tracking and really enjoy reading about it.

Re: Jackson county deer tracking [Re: bowtarist] #2255651
10/12/17 03:02 PM
10/12/17 03:02 PM
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 148
Gadsden, AL
J
J.R. Offline
3 point
J.R.  Offline
3 point
J
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 148
Gadsden, AL
Congrats on the recovery?

Re: Jackson county deer tracking [Re: bowtarist] #2255706
10/12/17 03:35 PM
10/12/17 03:35 PM
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 34,209
Boxes Cove
2Dogs Offline
Freak of Nature
2Dogs  Offline
Freak of Nature
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 34,209
Boxes Cove
Congrats on number 1.



"Why do you ask"?

Always vote the slowest path to socialism.







Re: Jackson county deer tracking [Re: bowtarist] #2255777
10/12/17 04:07 PM
10/12/17 04:07 PM
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 1,006
Russell, Lee county
Strictlybow Offline
6 point
Strictlybow  Offline
6 point
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 1,006
Russell, Lee county
Excellent job and excellent story.
I’ve been training my GSP for birds since we brought him home last September.
After his first season of dove hunting I think he has it down.
Now I’ve been doing a little bit of tracking training with him and he’s doing ok.
If he manages to find at least one lost deer then I consider it a success.
I can’t wait to try him out on the real thing.

Re: Jackson county deer tracking [Re: bowtarist] #2258153
10/14/17 02:27 PM
10/14/17 02:27 PM
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 4,700
Pisgah, AL
bowtarist Offline OP
THE Octopus
bowtarist  Offline OP
THE Octopus
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 4,700
Pisgah, AL
Recovery 2 is in the books. Sorry to come

Re: Jackson county deer tracking [Re: bowtarist] #2258194
10/14/17 02:54 PM
10/14/17 02:54 PM
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 15,952
Brierfield
Beadlescomb Online content
Old Mossy Horns
Beadlescomb  Online Content
Old Mossy Horns
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 15,952
Brierfield
You need to buy a wicks suit asap


We will burn that bridge when we get there
Re: Jackson county deer tracking [Re: bowtarist] #2258222
10/14/17 03:09 PM
10/14/17 03:09 PM
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,540
Awbarn, AL
CNC Online content
Dances With Weeds
CNC  Online Content
Dances With Weeds
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,540
Awbarn, AL
Originally Posted By: bowtarist
Recovery 2 is in the books. Sorry to come



thumbup


The Corn Crash!!!
Re: Jackson county deer tracking [Re: bowtarist] #2258652
10/15/17 02:51 AM
10/15/17 02:51 AM
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 8,916
Between the coosa and cahaba
!
!shiloh! Online content
14 point
!shiloh!  Online Content
14 point
!
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 8,916
Between the coosa and cahaba
Good deal


ggg
Re: Jackson county deer tracking [Re: !shiloh!] #2258873
10/15/17 06:19 AM
10/15/17 06:19 AM
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 41,955
UR 6
top cat Offline
Freak of Nature
top cat  Offline
Freak of Nature
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 41,955
UR 6
thumbup


LUCK:::; When presistence, dedication, perspiration and preparation meet up with opportunity!!!
- - - - - - - -A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take everything you have. Thomas Jeferson - - - - - - - -
Re: Jackson county deer tracking [Re: bowtarist] #2259131
10/15/17 10:52 AM
10/15/17 10:52 AM
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 6,778
Alabama
3
3FFarms Offline
ALDEER SPONSOR
3FFarms  Offline
ALDEER SPONSOR
3
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 6,778
Alabama
Awesome! thumbup

Looking forward to keeping up with Spark's adventures!


Originally Posted by CNC
Ya'll are just overthinking it now

Re: Jackson county deer tracking [Re: bowtarist] #2259389
10/15/17 03:29 PM
10/15/17 03:29 PM
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 4,700
Pisgah, AL
bowtarist Offline OP
THE Octopus
bowtarist  Offline OP
THE Octopus
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 4,700
Pisgah, AL
Alright guys. I've finally had a minute to type all this out. Yesterday evening, my uncle and I went to a spot that we'd scouted last weekend. I took Spark with me just in case one of us shot one, I could give her some practice. I let her lay around in the dog box while we hunted.

I got set up around 4. This spot is a little pinch point between cutover and had a couple white oaks dropping. The wind was brutal, as this spot is right on the brow of the mtn.

I wear contacts and my eyes got extremely dry. At one point, I thought I had caught movement and was straining to look and when I blinked, my left contact came out. I guess the wind blew it off my face cause I couldn't find it.

Well, now I'm blind in one eye. I can't see at all without lens. Shortly thereafter, 3 big does come feeding in. They came in on my left side and I didn't even know they were there until they were at 10 yards. They fed under my tree for the longest and I was able to get up and get ready. I picked out what looked to be the biggest one and got to full draw. I settled the pin and whack, I couldn't tell where I hit her exactly. It sounded like it was right in the boiler, but I can't see real good. She runs off like a bat outta hell and I have no clue where she went.

It was a few minutes before dark and I went ahead and got down. I walked to the hit site and the arrow was covered in blood. I thought then I had made an excellent shot. I gather my crap and walk back to the wheeler and wait for my uncle. I told him all about it and I went and got Spark while he started looking for blood.

I get back and he can't find any blood at all. I take Spark to where the deer was standing and she's on it. I have her on a nylon leash now, about 8ft long. She's dragging me along. We get out about 40 yards from the hit and I see a speck of blood. I tell my uncle to watch for blood as he's following. We make it about 100 yards and the deer finally opened up and bled in one spot about the size of a truck hood. I looked back to tell him here's a bunch of blood, and when I say it, this deer jumps up 2 steps from me and before I could think, Sparks on her. Jerked the leash outta my hand and is gone. She bayed the deer up about 80 yards away.

I told my uncle I was just gone get Spark and we'll come back in the morning cause I'm unsure about the hit. I start making my way over and I'm trying to call her off, but she aint coming. Deer takes off like a rocket again, Spark's right on her. She runs up the mtn this time about 50 yards and bays the deer again. I'm making my way over to her and she quits barking. I can hear her panting and when I get to where I can see her, she's standing on top of the deer chewing on its butt. She was DRT.

Then its all high fives and pics. Somehow, I shot that deer in the hip. I have no idea how that happened and the only thing I can think is, being nearly blind in my left eye and I shoot both eyes open. I don't know.

I don't know if we'd of found this deer without her. I can't say. I believe I could have tracked her to her first bed but when she busted outta there, I found no more blood. It was great practice for her either way. We're both novices and we both love it.

Re: Jackson county deer tracking [Re: bowtarist] #2259390
10/15/17 03:30 PM
10/15/17 03:30 PM
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 4,700
Pisgah, AL
bowtarist Offline OP
THE Octopus
bowtarist  Offline OP
THE Octopus
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 4,700
Pisgah, AL

Re: Jackson county deer tracking [Re: bowtarist] #2259411
10/15/17 03:40 PM
10/15/17 03:40 PM
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 3,801
Remlap
Reno Offline
10 point
Reno  Offline
10 point
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 3,801
Remlap
Congrats on the kill and track.


Roads? Where we're going, we dont need roads. ~Doc brown
Re: Jackson county deer tracking [Re: bowtarist] #2259767
10/16/17 02:32 AM
10/16/17 02:32 AM
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,540
Awbarn, AL
CNC Online content
Dances With Weeds
CNC  Online Content
Dances With Weeds
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,540
Awbarn, AL
Man, you need to go ahead and get you an Alpha system. You'll love it. I bet it really motivated the dog to get on one like that. She’ll be pumped up on the next one now that she knows that some of them are alive. I had one tracker tell me one time that he thought his dog was a little disappointed when they found them and they were already dead. All dogs act a little different with live deer. Some of them want to run in and grab the deer and get really aggressive with it. Those dogs usually get injured or killed eventually. Them dang bucks don’t play. You can use the Alpha collar to help correct this issue and keep your dog off of them.

Last edited by CNC; 10/16/17 02:32 AM.

The Corn Crash!!!
Re: Jackson county deer tracking [Re: bowtarist] #2259770
10/16/17 02:35 AM
10/16/17 02:35 AM
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 4,700
Pisgah, AL
bowtarist Offline OP
THE Octopus
bowtarist  Offline OP
THE Octopus
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 4,700
Pisgah, AL
I'm gone get one. 700 dollars ain't easy to come by to.

Re: Jackson county deer tracking [Re: bowtarist] #2259787
10/16/17 02:55 AM
10/16/17 02:55 AM
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,540
Awbarn, AL
CNC Online content
Dances With Weeds
CNC  Online Content
Dances With Weeds
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,540
Awbarn, AL
Originally Posted By: bowtarist
I'm gone get one. 700 dollars ain't easy to come by to.


Sounds like it’s time to start accepting “tips” ($$$$)…… grin

In all seriousness though, I hear you…..it adds up quick when you really start getting into tracking. It’s more expensive to track than it is to hunt.


The Corn Crash!!!
Re: Jackson county deer tracking [Re: bowtarist] #2259879
10/16/17 04:14 AM
10/16/17 04:14 AM
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 4,700
Pisgah, AL
bowtarist Offline OP
THE Octopus
bowtarist  Offline OP
THE Octopus
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 4,700
Pisgah, AL
I can see where it is more expensive. Especially driving a truck like mine that gets 15 mpg.

Re: Jackson county deer tracking [Re: bowtarist] #2260068
10/16/17 06:50 AM
10/16/17 06:50 AM
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,540
Awbarn, AL
CNC Online content
Dances With Weeds
CNC  Online Content
Dances With Weeds
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,540
Awbarn, AL
Yep, I’m right there with you. I drive an older model Chevy that gets about 17……When the rut hits, that when things really get crazy. You’ll be running up and down every back road in north Alabama. Last year I drove about 40-50 miles to track a deer for some folks one morning and literally as I walked back in my door from that track….another hunter called that wasn’t even 5 miles from the first one. I loaded back up and here we went again.

Last edited by CNC; 10/16/17 06:50 AM.

The Corn Crash!!!
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