HS First Real Track

jamross65

Well-Known Member
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I had a guest out from the SD over the weekend. On Saturday Morning we spied a group of big stags out on the hill and another large stag holding about 20 hinds a bit further on. As we had been sat in a high seat waiting for the freezing mist to clear for about 2 hours, I thought if nothing else the walk up to them would at least warm us up!

We managed to get into hinds that were below the stags we had seen along the edge of the sitka, only 60yds in front, and a stag was also there. We could not get a clear shot because of the ground between us and if we stood up to use sticks the hinds would have seen us. At that the stag lay down. However, before we could move a hind jumped out from the bracken at our side and chirped, lifting about 30 hinds and calves from the cover and the stag, all now running off away from us along the edge of the trees. Steve (fallowmoor) threw himself forward onto a mound and I told him to get ready as the whistle may just stop him long enough for a shot. It did, only for a couple of seconds. He made it out to about 200yds and stepped into the shade below the trees in thick bracken. However, Steve managed to shoot. I could not see the stag at all because of the light so had no idea where he had been struck or the reaction. Steve was confident and the noise that came back suggested a good hit, but as the ground is wet and mossy I have heard misses before that sounded quite positive. I walked forward and asked Steve to direct me onto where he thought he had been. There was no sign and the bracken now turning brown meant it was very difficult to see blood against it. Because I had lent my trailer for the stags to my brother in law, I had left the dog at home as Steve's wife needed the space in the back of the Landy and no room for the dog box as well as a tray for the deer but as we were back out that evening it was not a concern as if there had been any need the dog would have been back out later, which was now looking exactly like what was going to happen.

We gave it a good look but could find no sign of the shot site. After 20mins or so I suggested going to get the dog and starting again later. On the way back to the car Steve tells me to stand still and asks me what was sticking on the back of my trouser leg. It was the tiniest speck of bloody matter. More like a spot of meat to me honest. At least I now knew it had been hit and that we had been in the right area of bracken bed.

6hrs on and we are back. I sent Steve and his wife to sit in another seat whilst I went with the HS, now coming up for 11months old.

I sat her down and began a search of the bracken. After 5mins somehow I was able to spot dried blood covering a leaf. A wee bit further in and I see some blood spots that were still wet on the moss but still no positive sign of where it had been standing when struck. Now it looked a bit more encouraging. I popped the tracking collar and lead onto her and took her to the site of the blood. She immediately started to sniff at bracken stalks that I could see also had splatter on them, then nose to the ground and straight through the bracken. There were spots of blood every few yards but very hard to see against the covering of needles. She then goes under the canopy of sitka, so I am now trying to keep up with her on hands and knees and not blind myself! She stopped often along the track to give a proper sniff of blood spots before carrying on. The stag had not taken a direct straight route and a couple of times I began to wonder if she had come off the track as the footfall of deer in this area is significant and must be distracting for a young inexperienced dog. However, first lesson taught was always trust the dog!!!!

About 120yds in I see the stag lying dead. The shot was good and low in the chest, taking off the top of the heart. Very small exit hole. That said, I would have expect to see a lot more blood from that shot. 30-06 with 175grn bullets. The dog has never seen a freshly shot beast before, having only been trained on live deer tracks, skin and scent shoes with no blood yet introduced. She did a bit of jumping about it to start with and a bit of sniffing and licking. She then sat patiently while I gralloched. She hadn't made any sound when she had found it but as it was now flopping about a bit whilst being dragged she barked at it, which to be honest was the highlight of the whole event for me!

She has turned out to be a well built dog with a lovely temperament. The stag weighed in at just over 100lbs and it does not dwarf her. Not big for the estate but a nice young 8 pointer nonetheless.

Steve was happy for me to write this up for him as he is now heading back home, but has asked to come back ASAP, as the bug of sika stalking has taken hold of him. We sat out this morning but only saw hinds however, we were treated to a stag calling continuously for about 45mins! None stop, every 15 seconds it would call. I have never heard one as vocal for so long before. Quite an experience.

This was his first sika and also the last to complete all 6 species for him.
 
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exellent writeup , great pictures as well . im glad she found the stag shes going to be a cracker ,atb wayne
 
View attachment 19434View attachment 19435View attachment 19436

I had a guest out from the SD over the weekend. On Saturday Morning we spied a group of big stags out on the hill and another large stag holding about 20 hinds a bit further on. As we had been sat in a high seat waiting for the freezing mist to clear for about 2 hours, I though if nothing else the walk up to them would at least warm us up!

We managed to get into hinds that were below the stags we had seen along the edge of the sitka, only 60yds in front, and a stag was also there. We could not get a clear shot because of the ground between us and if we stood up to use sticks the hinds would have seen us. At that the stag lay down. However, before we could move a hind jumped out from the bracken at our side and chirped, lifting about 30 hinds and calves from the cover and the stag, all now running off away from us along the edge of the trees. Steve (fallomoor) threw himself forward onto a mound and I told him to get ready as the whistle may just stop him long enough for a shot. It did, only for a couple of seconds. He made it out to about 200yds and stepped into the shade below the trees in thick bracken. However, Steve managed to shoot. I could not see the stag at all because of the light so had no idea where he had been struck or the reaction. Steve however was confident and the noise that came back suggested a good hit, but as the ground is wet and mossy I have heard misses before that sounded quite positive. I walked forward and asked Steve to direct me onto where he though he had been. There was no sign and the bracken now turning brown meant it was very difficult to see blood against it. Because I had lent my trailer for the stags to my brother in law, I had left the dog at home as Steve's wife needed the space in the back of the Landy and no room for the dog box as well as a tray for the deer however, as we were back out that evening it was not a concern as if there had been any need the dog would have been back out later, which was now looking exactly like what was going to happen.

We gave it a good look but could find no sign of the shot site. After 20mins or so I suggested going to get the dog and starting again later. However, on the way back to the car Steve tells me to stand still and asks me what was sticking on the back of my trouser leg. It was the tiniest speck of bloody matter. More like a spot of meat to me honest. At least I now knew it had been hit and that we had been in the right area of bracken bed.

6hrs on and we are back. I sent Steve and his wife to sit in another seat whilst I went with the HS, now coming up for 11months old.

I sat her down and began a search of the bracken. After 5mins somehow I was able to spot dried blood covering a leaf. A wee bit further in and I see some blood spots that were still wet on the moss but still no positive sign of where it had been standing when struck. Now it looked a bit more encouraging. I popped the tracking collar and lead onto her and took her to the site of the blood. She immediately started to sniff at bracken stalks that I could see also had splatter on them, then nose to the ground and straight through the bracken. There were spots of blood every few yards but very hard to see against the covering of needles. She then goes under the canopy of sitka, so I am now trying to keep up with her on hands and knees and not blind myself! She stopped often along the track to give a proper sniff of blood spots before carrying on. The stag had not taken a direct straight route and a couple of times I began to wonder if she had come off the track as the footfall of deer in this area is significant and must be distracting for a young inexperienced dog. However, first lesson taught was always trust the dog!!!!

About 120yds in I see the stag lying dead. The shot was good and low in the chest, taking off the top of the heart. Very small exit hole. That said, I would have expect to see a lot more blood from that shot. 30-06 with 175grn bullets. The dog has never seen a freshly shot beast before, having only been trained on live deer tracks, skin and scent shoes with no blood yet introduced. She did a bit of jumping about it to start with and a bit of sniffing and licking. She then sat patiently while I gralloched. She hadn't made any sound when she had found it but as it was now flopping about a bit whilst being dragged she barked at it, which to be honest was the highlight of the whole event for me!

She has turned out to be a well built dog with a lovely temperament. The stag weighed in at just over 100lbs and it does not dwarf her. Not big for the estate but a nice young 8 pointer nonetheless.

Steve was happy for me to write this up for him as he is now heading back home, but has asked to come back ASAP, as the bug of sika stalking has taken hold of him. We sat out this morning but only saw hinds however, we were treated to a stag calling continuously for about 45mins! None stop, every 15 seconds it would call. I have never heard one as vocal for so long before. Quite an experience.

This was his first sika and also the last to complete all 6 species for him.
Perfection ;) Verweisen there as well,well done Whisky an Jamross....
 
Waidmansheil Brian , and yes " always trust the dog he (she ) has the noose " As i wrote yesterday " i'm prowd " on this team .
 
Thanks guys. I'm never really sure if there is much interest in hearing about other folks dogs when you are busy working with your own, and really pop the posts on as a way of letting one or two friends see how she is coming on, especially Rudi over in Belgium, but if it does interest others all to the good. ;)
 
Perfection ;) Verweisen there as well,well done Whisky an Jamross....

Said to George on the phone when commented that it looks very green there, the find was 400yds up that hill in the background, under the Sitka. Different world to what is in the photo which is at the foot of a 30deg hill! Then I had to go back up it for the Landy... :(
 
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Brian ,
I do know how it feels , first live trail , after 6 hours ( cold trail ), nerves , looking for some spots off blood , boones ,ect , holding the line , obeserving how Whiskey is going on , is she correct , or not , lots off questions in a short time , am i doing wright , must i hold her , and than after a long time , finding .
After this , you can replay the movie off what you did , a very important lesson , all this what you learnt before is coming to a good end . Well done .
 
Brian ,
I do know how it feels , first live trail , after 6 hours ( cold trail ), nerves , looking for some spots off blood , boones ,ect , holding the line , obeserving how Whiskey is going on , is she correct , or not , lots off questions in a short time , am i doing wright , must i hold her , and than after a long time , finding .
After this , you can replay the movie off what you did , a very important lesson , all this what you learnt before is coming to a good end . Well done .

Rudi

It is so very different from the way I have worked a dog for deer before. I don't want to start the debate again, each to their own, but this way seems to be far more methodical and working in partnership with the dog. So yes, you are correct in assuming it is exciting and nerve shredding at the same time!!! Good fun though!

Whisky was in no doubt how pleased I was with her when she found it.
 
Well done Jammy and HS she looks a real nice bitch Brian and looks to have done a great job hope she finds many more for you.
 
Congratulations Brian and Whisky. It's such a good feeling when you prepared a dog for a job and does the job as you hoped. Very diffrent than just putting an untrained dog on a track and hope for the best.
 
Congratulations Brian and Whisky. It's such a good feeling when you prepared a dog for a job and does the job as you hoped. Very diffrent than just putting an untrained dog on a track and hope for the best.

Thanks but I must admit Hales that the groundwork had already began before I got her! I then just had to continue with what was already there. that said, I honestly think so much is bred into these dogs, BMH's as well. A bit like a lab pupbretrieving at 5 weeks old, it's natural for them to do what they do. Whisky has had a good number of training tracks on cleaves and on live deer plus obedience work, but for 10months old she did well for a novice...
 
I exactly know what you mean. When I started seriously working springer spaniels, I met Mr Bill Kelleher of Molanue Spaniels fame. He just had a hip replaced and decided to retire from trialing. He sold me a few pups, which he otherwise would have kept for himself. They were the start of a pleasant and succesfull life with spaniels. I am still gratefull that he sold me this pups.
 
Just to add my two peneth. What a great experience in fabulous surroundings. Many thanks to Brian and Whiskey for finding my first Sika and helping me complete the british six. A hundred yard dash with the top of his heart blown away just goes to show how tough these animals are. I was confident with the shot and the noise of the conection that came back to us. Many thanks again Brian and both Chris and I hope to be back with you before the season ends :thumb:. Steve.
 
Just to add my two peneth. What a great experience in fabulous surroundings. Many thanks to Brian and Whiskey for finding my first Sika and helping me complete the british six. A hundred yard dash with the top of his heart blown away just goes to show how tough these animals are. I was confident with the shot and the noise of the conection that came back to us. Many thanks again Brian and both Chris and I hope to be back with you before the season ends :thumb:. Steve.

Glad you enjoyed the experience Steve and well done on completing the 6 species and your first Sika. They are a bit addictive aren't they? :lol:
 
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