I like to watch a good dog work. If I were to make a bad shot, I wouldn’t hesitate to call one. The goal is recovering the deer. I can think of 2 good bucks I shot about 12 and 14 years ago that might have been recovered if I would’ve known a tracker back then.

You have to teach those you hunt with. You have to be willing to learn as well.

I can see how folks could perceive this happening but it just doesn’t…..and if it ever does its an extreme rarity. I’ve yet to go on a single track where I felt like the hunter just took a shot knowing they could call in a dog. It’s just never the case. Folks are shooting with the thought of loading that buck up in the back of the truck an hour later. It’s only after the shot that they start contemplating on calling for the dogs. This may change as time goes on but I just don’t see it happening

Wiley might have come to that conclusion because that’s exactly what that dipshit Timber2 did in his most recent big buck kill. He intentionally gut shot one knowing he could call a dog because some wise old man told him to.

I don’t get condemning others for not having tracking skills. A lot of it just has to do with the fact that a large percentage of hunters grow up in city or subdivision type environment now….instead of growing up in the sticks like most hunters used to do.

Let me ask y’all this……..How many of you feel like you have to kill a big buck this year in order to prove to everyone else on here that you’re a “big buck killer”?? Do you feel like if other hunters aren’t good enough to kill a big buck then they should be shamed for it? How are blood tracking skills any different? Should they not call in a dog so that they can prove to everyone that they’re a superior tracker? Is it not ok that they aren’t Daniel Boone?

10-4.....I understand now.....Yeah, he's definitely a world class dipshit then.

What you see on these shows is a shot placement that is behind what I think is a good shot. I try to shoot with a bow right behind the shoulder into the heart and lungs. I have had one that I lost but tracked it for an hour. We backed out and came back the next day. Lost it when the blood run out and it was bleeding good. Still bothers me that we didn't find it. They do it on shows but you don't see who or what was used to find it.

I ain't even read the comments but the only 2 deer I've lost were directly under me with a bow...i killed one drt like that once..then lost 2 after close to same shot...ill never take that shot again, I tracked both for at least 150 yards before blood ran out...id suggest not to take this shot if u a bowhunter...ive never called a dog but I wouldn't hesitate in certain scenarios....props up for the guys who track for money

what I see as the biggest tracking mistakes are either trying to go too fast or having too many helpers. the right number of trackers is 2 in my opinion with three being the most you want. only having 1 guy out looking for blood is the key with the other standing at the last spot. the worst thing is having lost blood and trying to track by hoof tracks and somebody or the trackers have already turned up a bunch of leaves. this usually happens when somebody with little skill just starts walking around looking for blood and can't find any. On iffy shots always send the shooter back to his spot and have him recreate the shot. once a guy gets up and moves around many lose track of where they shot and the path the deer took. this is especially true at night.

2 cents.

By the time I'm called in (wish I had a dog) sometimes the site is soo tracked up by foot traffic finding the original path can be very difficult. No human traffic helps determine whether it was a hit or miss.

I think there is a small segment of hunters that think you can get blood you killed it. I’ve heard some gun hunters talk about breaking one down. I think some think it applies to archery hunting too. Maybe there’s and underlying thinking that if it’s a good one a dog can be called in.
At the same time I’m glad to see so many tracking dogs.

problem as I see it that some folks shoot deer and do not wait for good shot.

This

There are a lot of people that think that they are expert shots but couldn't hit the broad side of a barn! Most don't practice and some never check to see if there rifles are zeroed in. They figure it was ok last year, so it's good to go this year! I know several that do this very thing!

If you want to improve your tracking skills, come prepared to track. You will need a roll of fluorescent flagging tape, a compass, a headlight, a field notebook, and a plan. After the shot, take a compass bearing on where you saw the deer when you shot it, and where you last saw it. Write those bearings down in your waterproof field notebook. When you come down, flag your stand tree high enough to see over the underbrush. Now you can walk a line to the kill site to look for blood and hair. If you find any, start tracking. If you dont, then walk the other line to where you last saw the deer. Look for blood or overturned leaves. Remember that a running deer can cover a lot of ground in a few seconds, so even heavy blood and tracks may be in spurts that are yards apart. Flag each blood spot or leaf disturbance. Be sure to look for blood on trees, bushes, and tall grass up to deer shoulder height Once you have a line of flagging established, the next spots are most likely down that line. If they disappear, look for a turnoff. Because my buddies always seem to be aimless wanderers, I do not involve them except for a last resort grid search. And if all else fails and you call the dog, at least it will only have to deal with the confused trampling of one hunter.

When I shoot a deer that falls within sight, I practice doing all those things to see if my tracking will take me to the deer. I look at the deer's wound and try to associate it with the blood and track pattern. The more you can learn, the better you get. You learn how deer react to different shot placements. You learn the value of patience and persistence. Most of all, you learn to trust your own abilities.

Actually those numbers wouldn't surprise me. I've been around a little.....

Can someone explain how you track a deer through thick cover without a blood trail? I'll be the first to admit I don't know how to do that.

Kicked up leaves, broken/bent branches, broken/bent grass, natural trails, etc.

Wounded critters "typically" take the easiest path even in thick stuff.

A GPS and aerial photo from a phone helps tremendously. I use both in conjunction with my dogs to search. The Garmin Alpha I'm running on the dogs will draw a line behind everywhere they go so it allows me to see exactly where we've searched and where we haven't. It also allows me to run a very efficient grid without just wandering around like we sometimes do when the woods make it hard to keep our bearings straight. Using the GPS I can simulate a timber cruise and work back and forth running evenly spaced out lines parallel to one another and not leaving big gaps that have been skipped over. The aerial on my phone allows me to look at the bigger picture and decipher over where the most likely travel routes may be....the different stands of timber around me..... or if there's a nearby pond or swamp maybe. It's just like putting pieces of a puzzle together. Sometimes the dogs can run right to it and all I do is follow. Many times we work together as a team though and these are the tools I use along with the knowledge of what I've seen deer do in the past. The GPS and aerial pic can help you even if you're not using dogs.

Have you ever used a tracking dog to find your deer? You've hunted in Africa quite a few times haven't you? I know they have some of the best trackers in the world but don't they commonly use dogs over there too?

CNC, I've got an honest question, and maybe I'm dead wrong about what I'm assuming, but what percentage of tracking jobs that you get called on are for bucks vs does?

I second all the comments that the there is just a general lack of woodsman ship, a lot of people "bow hunting" now that probably should not be and just a general laziness.

I shot one Thursday evening, first thing I did was go home and get my 7 year old to make the track with me. He's been on several with me know, and he's actually a big help, I use him to mark last blood when I push on, I'm also a little red/green weak in the color spectrum and blood does not jump out at me like it does for most, and he's actually spotted drops a few times before I picked them up, talk about make that little boy proud when he found blood before dad di!