A couple of weekends ago I was away stalking with some clients, and when we had finish stalking one evening if was that time where the dog needed to come out. One client suspected two wounded deer and another possibly hit deer. So off we went in the pickup into the wood with the two clients to where they had "THOUGHTS" where they may have hit them.
So i got the dog out and let him have a quick P&S before putting his tracking lead on. I pointed him in the rough direction of the possible first hit deer and sure enough his head went down and off he went. Then he reared up on his back legs and his nose was in over drive and i was a little concerned that he would be scenting all the other deer in the wood and not the dead one (if dead at all) then he dropped down and off he went again and sure enough he took me straight to it within 80yds.
Off for the second one. This was out in a field and had been marked and so again took the dog to where blood had been found and again he set off then up on his rear legs and dropped and off again yet again sure enough he tracked about 150yds and there it was a dead fallow in a hedge.
3rd now off we went again in the same manor, the track started off in the field but shortly tracked into the wood and as we were pursuing through the wood the dog stopped and pointed, I suspected something not quite right and thought I seen the bracken move in front of me. I unclipped the dog and let him go sure enough the fallow jumped up and run!!!!! The dog gave chase and pulled the fallow down. I run over and then realised I had made a school boy error I had left my knife as I had changed my trousers and left it on the other ones. So i shouted over to the others and they had to come and humanely dispatch the animal swiftly whilst the dog had the animal restrained & movement free.
So over all I had a great night. It’s as rewarding if not more than the pull of the trigger seeing the dog perform.
So i got the dog out and let him have a quick P&S before putting his tracking lead on. I pointed him in the rough direction of the possible first hit deer and sure enough his head went down and off he went. Then he reared up on his back legs and his nose was in over drive and i was a little concerned that he would be scenting all the other deer in the wood and not the dead one (if dead at all) then he dropped down and off he went again and sure enough he took me straight to it within 80yds.
Off for the second one. This was out in a field and had been marked and so again took the dog to where blood had been found and again he set off then up on his rear legs and dropped and off again yet again sure enough he tracked about 150yds and there it was a dead fallow in a hedge.
3rd now off we went again in the same manor, the track started off in the field but shortly tracked into the wood and as we were pursuing through the wood the dog stopped and pointed, I suspected something not quite right and thought I seen the bracken move in front of me. I unclipped the dog and let him go sure enough the fallow jumped up and run!!!!! The dog gave chase and pulled the fallow down. I run over and then realised I had made a school boy error I had left my knife as I had changed my trousers and left it on the other ones. So i shouted over to the others and they had to come and humanely dispatch the animal swiftly whilst the dog had the animal restrained & movement free.
So over all I had a great night. It’s as rewarding if not more than the pull of the trigger seeing the dog perform.