Scent and how it travels, disperses, disapates etc is a most interesting subject. As with most of dog training there are a number of variables, many of which you named. One would also hills, irregular terrain can cause eddys and dead spots. The ambients (temperature/humidity) can cause scent be more or less concentrated. All those are fine points. My only comment in the discussion was to correct what I thought to be a mistake when typing. I know I often get my merd wixed up or my tang toungled. The width of a scent cone is certainly not wider with a stronger wind, nor is it narrower with a light wind. Scent can rise, fall, chimney, stagnate and many other description. There can even, under many conditions, be an almost 360 degree area of scent , which in many instances there is. When the wind moves scent however, that is what has been defined as a scent cone for many more years than I have been around. The principle is always the same, narrower with stronger winds, wider with lighter winds.

DFrost

Man, thanks for all the info. Good stuff, and gives me an idea on what I need to look further into. Cool idea about the smoke bombs too, Carol.

I'll probably hold off a little on training 'til next deer season when we can get some real experience or bigger scent articles like whole hides.

 Quote: carol boche

Michael,

I think you asked me this and I forgot to answer.....my apologies.

No problem. You guys got lives.:laugh: You mean y'all don't wait around to answer my PM's! What else is there to do!:laugh:

 Quote: nancy jocoy

The other thing is what is the objective of this training the dog to air scent dead deer?

Are we talking about old rotten deer or a fresh kill? Fresh kill, don't most people do blood trailing? I don't know, what is the ojective?

Its fresh or at least day old kills. I started out with air scenting as a game. This made later tracking training difficult.

During deer season I took him out with me while I was looking for a deer I shot the day before. I had lost the blood track and knew he wouldn't track anyway. He was basically along for company. Well, the little sucker got down wind of the deer and found it a 1/4 mile from the last blood drop. He has since found 1 other deer via air scent. Figure I just need to work with what I got.

 Quote: carol boche

Nancy....he makes his dog hunt for his own food.....
(J/K)

Doing your own shopping is encouraged around here.

Tons of thanks to everybody for their input. I hate that I might have messed up his tracking. At least I can salvage this. He seems to be kinda good at it. I will definately wait for some "larger smells". Something closer to real scenerio size.

Mike,
There's also a forum member here named Scott Dunmore ( Hi Scott! ) that uses his GSD's to track wounded deer that hunters lost - he might have some excellent real life type info about scent tracking and deer that would be well worth hearing.

Thanks Will. Shot him a PM.

Hi Mike,

Being a deer hunter yourself, I'm sure you are quite aware how enviromental circumstances can affect your success in the field. Working with the wind in your favor is critical to getting that deer. We both know that there is less of a chance of being winded when our scent cone is narrow on a windy day, as opposed to us perculating on a calm day where our odor just eminates in all directions.

Deer use the wind for survival from predators, while predators use the wind to hunt so they can survive. If you have a pinpointed search area then a stiff wind wont make the dog work so hard to get on odor. If you have no clue where to start then a lighter wind will have a larger scent cone and the scouting will be easier as you're not looking for a needle (narrow scent cone) in a haystack.

Like David, Those are the basic principals in which I work the dog. After conducting thousands of searches in every type of weather imaginable {except snow), my original training on wind effected scent cones, and a few other basics have served me well.

Howard

 Quote: Howard Knauf

Hi Mike,

Being a deer hunter yourself, I'm sure you are quite aware how enviromental circumstances can affect your success in the field.

Thats the truth. The more I learn about my dogs nose, the better I have become in the field.

I really appreciate all you guys expertise. Thanks!