BGH, it would surprise you if you knew what percentage of deer are wounded every year and not recovered. It happens often, even to experienced killers.

It’s even more surprising how many hunters in the under 35 crowd who have no woodsmanship skills. They can’t track because they never learned. I’ve recovered many deer through the years for other people they never would have found otherwise. It’s not because I’m a great tracker. It’s because people are not going to take the time to really evaluate what happened after the shot, and don’t know what to look for when sign goes cold. It’s the experience they don’t have because they’ve never had to use it. It’s much easier to back out and call a dog. I personally have no issue with that. It’s a smart decision and leads to many more recoveries than someone haphazardly blundering through the woods not having a clue what they’re doing.

I’ve used a dog on two deer that I would not have recovered otherwise. I also used a dog on a bow kill that was less than 150 yards from where I shot him. Even though he didn’t go far, and I had a pass through, the deer would not likely have been recovered without the dog. To me a recovery is the desired outcome. How it happens is of no concern to me.