Tracking Dogs for Finding Wounded Deer Table of Contents

Chapter 1 General Tracking Techniques 31
Collars, Harnesses and Leashes 31
Your First Deer Call 34
Dead Spots 36
Marking Tape 36 Crossing a Field 37
Cold Tracking 38
Hills 39
Fresh, Bright Blood on the Trail 39
Distractions of Wildlife 40
Night Work 41
Putting Down Live Wounded Deer 43
Reward 45
Summary 46

Chapter 2 The Tracking Dog and Scent 47
What is Scent? 47
Scent and the Direction of Track 48
Tracking Conditions 49
Scents and Surfaces 50 Water Hazards 51
Roads 51
Water Tactics 52
Swamps 53
Checks 53
Working the Wind 54
Blood Tracking Without Blood 55
Summary 57

Chapter 3 Selecting a Tracking Dog Prospect 59
Guidelines for All Breeds 59
Breeds and Individual Dogs 61
Show, Pet and Hunting Stock 61
The Role of Genetics 63
Nose and Intelligence 65
Stability and Courage 67
Puppy Tests 68
Working Style 71
The Process of Selecting a Puppy 72
Evaluating an Older Dog 74
Conclusion 75
Points to Remember When You Pick Your Puppy 75

Chapter 4 Dog Breeds I: The Scent Hounds 77
Dachshunds 77
Beagles 85
Bassets 88
Coonhounds 88
Bloodhounds 90
Hanover Mountain Bloodhound 93
Bavarian Mountain Bloodhound 94
Summary 96

Chapter 5 Dog Breeds II: Spaniels, Pointing Dogs, and Retrievers 97
Spaniels 97
Versatile Hunting Dog Breeds from Europe 98
Labrador Retrievers 100
Golden Retrievers 103
Chesapeakes and Flat Coats 104
Summary 104

Chapter 6 Dog Breeds III: Curdogs and Cowdogs 105
Summary 112

Chapter 7 Dog Breeds IV: Old Breeds with a New Mission 113
Terriers 113
German Jagdterriers 113
Norwegian Elkhounds 115
German Shepherds 116
Belgian Sheepdogs 117
Summary 118

Chapter 8 Basic Training for Blood Tracking 119
First Principles 119
Motivating a Dog to Track and Find 120
The Desire to Please 123
Training Variations 124
Artificially Laid Lines 125
Marking the Line 128
How Old Should the Training Line Be? 130
Patterns for Laying Training Lines 132
Tracking Leashes 133
Tracking Accuracy 134
Frequency of Training Sessions 134
Finding the Time 135
Psychological Foundations 135
Summary 137

Chapter 9 Advanced Training for Blood Tracking 139
Blind Lines as a Reality Check 140
Hot Lines 141
Working Speed 142
Wind, Rain and Darkness 142
Working Several Dogs on the Same Training Line 143
Orders of Priority in Training Versatile Hunting Dogs 143
Adolescence 145
Training Older Dogs 145
Physical and Psychological Conditioning 146
Turning on the Prey Drive 148
From Training to Live Tracking and Back Again 149
Gun-Shyness 150
American Perspectives on European Training Methods 151
Fährtenschuh 152
European Off Lead Methods 154
Summary 156

Chapter 10 Special Tracking Situations I: Wounds in the Body Cavity 159
Chest Wounds: Archery 160
Overview 160
Signs of Chest Wounds 161
Physical Characteristics of Chest Wounds in Bowhunting 162
Head-on Shots into the Front of the Chest 163
Finding Chest-shot Deer 164
Chest Wounds Made by Firearms 169
Overview 169
Signs of Chest Wounds 170
Physical Characteristics of Chest Wounds 171
Finding Chest-Shot Deer: Firearms 171
Gut Shots: Stomach, Liver, Kidney and Intestines 171 Overview 171
Signs of a Gut Shot: Archery and Firearms 172
Physical Characteristics of Gut Shots 172
Finding Gut-shot Deer 175
Summary 178

Chapt 11 Special Tracking Situations II: Wounds Outside the Body Cavity 179
Leg Wounds: Archery and Firearms 179
Overview 179
Signs of Leg Wounds 179
Physical Characteristics of Leg Wounds 180
Tactics for Recovering Deer with Broken Legs 180
High Back Wounds 182
Overview 182
Signs of a High Back Hit 183
Physical Characteristics of High Back Hits 183
Tactics for Dealing with High Back Shots 185
Head Shots, Jaw Shots: Firearms 186
Overview 186
Signs of a Jaw Injury 187
Methods of Tracking and Taking a Jaw-shot Deer 187
Neck Shots 187
Overview 187
Signs of a Neck Hit 187
Physical Characteristics of Neck Wounds 188
Tactics for Doing the Best You Can on Neck Shots 188
Muscle Wounds: Archery and Firearms 189
Overview 189
Muscle Wounds and Blood Sign 189
Tactics for Dealing with Muscle Wounds 189
What Does the Amount of Blood on the Ground Tell Us? 190
What Does the Hair at the Hit Site Tell Us? 191
Summary 193

Chapter 12 Tracking Wounded Bears 195
Breeds of Dogs for Finding Wounded Bear 198
Summary 200

Chapter 13 Putting Down Live Wounded Deer 201
Ethics, Administration and Politics 201
Handler Safety 203
Alternatives to Firearms 205
The Argument for Permitting the Use of Firearms 206
Summary 207

Chapter 14 Equipment for Tracking 209
Collars and Leashes 209
Lights 211
Electronic Tracking Collars 215
Marking Tape 217
Compasses and GPS Navigators 218
Eye and Ear Protection 218
Outer Clothing 219
Footwear 220
Clothing Beneath the Outer Shell 220
Organizing Your Gear 221
Equipment for Hunter Support 222
Communications 222
Handguns and Long Guns 223

Chapter 15 Handlers and Hunters 229
Handlers and Their Motivations 229
The Spouse of the Tracker 233
Communicating with Hunters 234
Cash 236
The Telephone Interview 238
Questions for Bowhunters 239
Questions for Rifle and Gun Hunters 241
Summary 245

Chapter 16 The Tracking Dog in the Family 247
Working Dog Temperament 247
Teaching a Strong-Willed Dog His Place 248
Behavior in the House 249
Teaching Your Dog to “Come” from a Distance 249
Exercise 250
Livestock 251
Avoid Spaying and Neutering 251
Dog Fights 252
Yards and Fences 253
Summary 253

Chapter 17 The Tracking Dog for Guides and Outfitters 255
Tracking Dogs Are Good Business 255
Select a Dog Suitable for Your Hunting Situation 255
Care and Management of the Dog 258
Care and Management of the Hunter 259
Summary 261

Chapter 18 Tracking Tests 263
Reasons for Testing 263
Field Tests Versus Field Trials 263
Blood Tracking Tests in America 264
General Description 264
Challenges 265
An Experience with the JGV Blood Tracking Test 265
Judges 269
Deer Search Judge’s Score Sheet 270
Tracking Accuracy 271
Beyond Call-backs 272
The Handling Factor in Tests 275
Preparing a Dog for the Blood Tracking Test 276
The Day of the Test 277
The Dog and Handler as a Team 279
Tracking Tests for Young Dogs 280
Tracking Tests with Fährtenschuh 281
Natural Tests 282
Blood Tracking Titles on European Pedigrees 282
Summary 283

Chapter 19 Questions and Answers 285

Chapter 20 Regional Tracking Traditions 299
The Southern Tradition 299
The Texas Cowdog Tradition 302
Regions Where Blood Tracking Never Caught On 305
The Tracking Tradition of the Northeast and the Upper Midwest 307
Use of Tracking Leash 310
Tracking at Night 310
Examination and License 310
Notification of Conservation Officer 310
Carrying Firearms and Bows While Tracking with Dog 311
Uniqueness of the Northern Tradition 311
Summary 312
Recommendations to Deer Managers and Legislators 313

Chapter 21 Conclusion 315

Appendix A
List of Equipment Suppliers 321

Appendix B
Deer Search Inc. Artificial Blood Tracking Test 325

Appendix C
NYS Leashed Tracking Dog License Regulations 331

Appendix D
The Schutzhund Approach to Training for Tracking 335

Appendix E
Training with an Electronic Collar; an Overview 339

Appendix F
Directory of North American Tracking Organizations
and Sources of Support 343

Glossary 345

Recommended Reading 349

In author's words:

Four completely new chapters have been added. Chapter 13, "Putting Down Wounded Deer", was inspired by a risky experience of my own, which made me realize that I had slighted a complex subject in the first edition.

Chapter 16, "The Tracking Dog in the Family", was the outcome of many conversations that we had with buyers of the book or of our puppies.
"Tracking Dogs for Guides and Outfitters", Chapter 17, grew out of conversations with many guides who were looking for appropriate dogs as leashed tracking was legalized in more new states, most notably Illinois and Alaska.

The handlers/guides of Tara Plantation, a 27,000 acre hunting preserve on the Mississippi near Vicksburg, contributed very significantly to my education. Tara already had established its reputation as the pioneer hunting preserve in the United States to use tracking dogs as a means of enhancing the hunting experience of their hunters, and wisely using the whitetail resources of the plantation.
That same southern trip that took me to Tara also allowed me to meet a number of trackers in Georgia. I had an opportunity to experience the terrain, the dense underbrush, and to test "Yankee" tracking leads which worked better than anyone had expected. My travels in Georgia made me realize what a diversity of dogs have been finding wounded deer there long before this book was ever written.
We have added a new Chapter 19 "Answers to Problems" based upon our telephone conversations and e-mails.

It was gratifying to review the changing state legislations and regulations for the chapter entitled "Regional Traditions". Clearly, the movement to legalize the use of tracking dogs has expanded dramatically since the first edition. There is no way that we will ever keep this chapter completely up to date because there are positive changes every year.

I hope that the readers of this second edition will communicate with me and suggest how the book can be further enriched in the future.

About the Author

Wearing many hats - John Jeanneney - is a hunter, tracker, dog trainer, breeder of hunting wirehaired dachshund, author of many articles on blood tracking, speaker at numerous workshops and seminars, educator and Ph.D. scholar. He began tracking wounded deer with dogs in 1976 after he has been granted a research license from New York States's Department of Environmental Conservation to investigate the feasibility of using leashed tracking dogs. John has kept careful records on over 750 deer calls, which he has taken himself. His understanding of the art of tracking was enriched by the experience of other tracker around the country and above all by his fellow trackers in Deer Search, an organization that he co-founded.

As an American hunter who has read much of the European literature of blood tracking, he believes that we need our own book, written in our own language, to deal with tracking problems that are unique to America. This is what compelled him to write this book.

John has retired from his University position as a history professor and now he resides with his wife Jolanta and a dozen of wirehaired dachshunds in Berne, located in the Helderberg Mountains of New York State.