I agree that the hunter could have called someone else if the first tracker didn’t want to track it..... I completely agree that it’s probably not going to be a recovery on this one as well but you never know. If the hunter wants someone to come out and verify that his deer is not dead then I don’t blame him for that…..that’s part of what trackers do…This is where charging a fee has its advantages over “accepting tips” IMO. This guy gets his peace of mind by having a dog check out the situation and the tracker is still compensated for his time and travels even though there most likely won’t be a recovery……versus just no one taking the track at all because it’s likely a backslap. I'm just speaking in general terms here.....this has nothing to do with any one tracker specifically.

Ammon is probly the best tracker in the area. If he says no it probly isn't a dead deer

If he didn’t even come out,he’d have to be a better psychic than tracker to be sure though

Let a hunter draw blood on a big buck and then tell him that there’s a 1% probability of recovering his deer……….Most will respond with……

I thought I read Ammon came out but decided not to pursue.

I contacted Ammon once last year and he had not tracked all day, offered him $250 to come put his dogs nose on the ground where I had shot my biggest buck and could’ve sworn I had hit it and he would not come out. Tried calling more people on that Facebook page but with no calls back I gave up. Not saying he’s not good, his numbers speak for itself, but it would be nice to call a guy that supposedly has the best dog in the area and him come out.

Any tracker I’ve ever called has asked a few questions before coming out. If they didn’t feel like a deer would be recovered, then they wouldn’t come. I don’t blame them. You couldn’t pay me enough to come waste a day looking for a deer that can’t be caught or found dead. I’m sure Ammon had his reasoning.

I would have wanted to give it a shot, regardless. You never know.
And the dog will sort it out. One way or the other. If he never finds it
then so be it. At least there was an effort.

This is an interesting topic for debate.....So if you were a tracker.....would you only take the gut hit calls??? What would it take for you to go out on a track?? What if someone shot one in the arse???

I wouldn’t do it period. I’ve seen the kinda hours you guys work and I just simply wouldn’t do it. That’s why I’ve been so very thankful for those who do it and take the time to do it right.

I guess I just have a different way of looking at it…….I’m not so concerned about every track having to have a dead deer at the end of it. I see it as providing clients with a service…..not just simply trying to see how many dead deer I can find. I serve the same folks over and over……plantations, landowners, clubs, etc…..I have several calls booked for tomorrow morning and there’s really only a chance of finding a deer on one of them in all reality. The other ones sound like low probability situations. The hunters want me to come out though and put the dogs on it anyways….. They don’t want me to tell them….”No, I don’t think we’ll find him so I’m not coming out.”…….That’s why charging a fee makes sense to me…..They get the peace of mind of knowing they did everything they could……I get paid….they’re happy….I’m happy…….That makes more sense to me than just picking and choosing tracks bsed on finding a deer…..Again though that’s just my opinion.

I see you're not going to take the bait on the arse shot, huh?

Nope. Lol

I take every call that I'm able to take. Some I thought were back slaps based on the description ended up being a find and some were confirmed back slaps. I will never charge a set rate just because if a man is down on his luck money wise, I don't want him to not call and risk losing a deer over a few dollars.

I can understand that……however, there’s not too many folks hunting these days that are down on their luck. The track I just came from the guy owns 2500 acres……The one before that the guy was driving a $60,000 truck pulling a $20,000 buggy……The one before that the guys lease 4500 acres with 8 guys......Most hunting clubs around here cost a minimum of $2000-$3000 to join. One place I tracked was two guys who spent $25K each yearly to lease the place. The idea of tracking for people “down on their luck” sounds good but it’s just not the reality for most of the situations we get called out on.....I’m sure a lot of that has to do with the area you’re tracking as well.

Maybe he had some other calls and had to make a choice on which one to take? I wouldn't hold it against the guy for not coming unless I was sure I knew all the facts.

If I lived in your area and needed to call in a dog, you would be the man I'd call. Simply because of your attitude, integrity and character. Your a man that knows not all deer hunters are wealthy and you seem to want to help a man find his lost deer more than you want his money. I know you guys can't do what you do without some kind of compensation but it's nice to know not everyone is driven by a dollar to do what they do.

Not many folks left like you in this old world we live in. Kudos to you.

Well said

I'd call the man who choses discretion over the man who is just in it to make money no matter the case every time.

In another recent thread it was said that it costs $675 to have the best taxidermist in the state mount your deer…….He charges that much because there’s demand for his work….the quality is worth it….and there’s only so many he can do in a year. The best trackers in the state are no different… I’m baffled by how we celebrate folks who charge for one service but then act like someone else providing another service doesn’t have any character or integrity because they’re charging for it. It’s really about the most retarded chit I’ve ever seen.

I went on 3 calls this morning and had to turn down 7.........The three I went on paid for being the three that I could do today....It was their choice to have me check out their situation. I advised them on our chances of recovering the deer and they made the choice to book me. I even tried to talk the second one out of tracking it because there wasn't a chance in hell that he had fatally hit the deer. He wanted to give it a try anyways just to verify it. That's how most people feel about the situation.