Something else to add to the discussion……There are a lot of new people who are getting into tracking now. Be mindful of this when you start cold calling someone who you don’t know. This is by no means meant to put down new guys…heck, I’m still new myself. What I’m saying to everyone is…..instead of waiting until you gut shoot one and then need a tracker….do your homework now and get to know the guy listed for your county or area. If it’s a guy training a puppy and he seems really eager to want to get into tracking, go ahead and start forming a relationship with him now. He may just live 5-10 miles down the road from your hunting land. Let him bring his puppy out to your land when you shoot an easy find and let him work his dog. When the time comes that you do mess up and need someone, then both parties will be in a much better situation for it.

Also, you local guys getting to know the guy in your area will also help vet the folks on the list. There’s only so much that Brandon can do when someone calls him up and wants to be added to the list of trackers. It’s inevitable that there will be guys who decide one day to let ol’rover try to find the deer they just shot and then put their name out there on the tracking lists. That’s not good for the tracking community or the hunters cause your gonna be pissed when you call someone up to find your buck and he shows up with his yard dog……then you’ll start bad mouthing your experience with getting a tracker off the list. Having all of you guys give feedback on people who are just bullchitting will keep the quality better for everyone.

I say that because the GA tracking community is already way ahead of ours in popularity and I see it playing out with those guys. I’ve heard some of the more experienced trackers over there complaining about it on several occasions. Once tracking became more popular, then every Tom, Dick, and Harry with a dog added their name to the list and went out trying to track with dogs they had never really trained. It’s a good thing and a bad thing but it can be managed through testimonials from the public if you guys speak up. If you call a guy and he stands you up and never shows up….let it be known…..If he does a great job, also let it be known. Call these guys and get to know your local tracker now instead of waiting.