Labs for deer dogs ??

[secondtry]

What are people's experiences and thoughts on a lab for tracking wounded deer and runners ? Indicating would also be good.
NOTE: Not interested in physically holding a deer, as that would pretty quickly lead to a mangled or dead dog with our 300 t0 550lb deer.

 

[Shaun Goss]

I’ve seen them used to very good effect in the uk. Added bonus is they are easy to train and great in the home.

 

[long_range_rob]

Yep, no problem.

 

[Malxwal]

Absolutely, easy trained, steady.

 

[NullMac]

Ideal. Dog works it out for itself.

The main benefit though is having a mobile deer radar.

 

[Buchan]

marvellous

 

[Merlyn]

Most sensible thing I ever did in the deer stalking world.
He was great on fowling, got much too excited to be any good at beating and picking up, but he took to stalking like a natural and loved every minute of it.
Pointed, tracked and was great company.

 

[paulst]

Yep, as above, all my labs loved rough shooting and wildfowling and were easy to train to do this. With deer they essentially trained themselves. It just seemed to come naturally to them. Get them steady at heel and they will do the rest.

 

[paulst]

Proof if it were required. My son’s lab, No formal training bar basic obedience. Deer was 100 yards inside woodland that was overgrown with Himalayan balsam, very wet and deer ended up in a pond.

 

[pendle]

UKDTR have a few handlers with trained deer tracking dogs

 

[FISH BOY]

Mine comes with me regularly and is great to have as company. Naturally picked it up with no real tracking training bar the sit and wait when the stick open for a shot.

He gets very excited post shot, so not quite the normal slow and steady orthodox tracking following a trail - more like a spaniel flushing in a figure of eight until he catches a sent on the wind and finds it.

Labs are ace all round.

From Saturday first light.

 

[Norfolk Deer Search]

What are people's experiences and thoughts on a lab for tracking wounded deer and runners ? Indicating would also be good.
NOTE: Not interested in physically holding a deer, as that would pretty quickly lead to a mangled or dead dog with our 300 t0 550lb deer.

Get a good lab from a good breeder!

I’ve had 2 labs as deer dogs

 

[LarryLightFoot]

If UKDTR are using them amongst other breeds that kinda answers your question

 

[NullMac]

very wet and deer ended up in a pond.

Christmas Day for a Lab !

 

[1894]

On my 3rd

#1 best dog I’ll ever have. Dynamite tracker, tracked a red 400 plus yards and bayed. Also tracked a high leg roe ignoring unwounded ones and took me directly to it.

#2 mediocre if I’m honest - air scent tracker but great companion and good at indicating unshot deer

#3 very good - best I’ve ever had at indicating unshot deer - has led me 300m to reds. Very surprisingly tracked mobile fallow 500m and killed (it was probably on its way out)

All bitches, all bombproof obedience, all 100% with me on foot all the time.
Will never have another breed
I would say get for finding dead deer within 200m, as companion and indicating unshot deer.

 

[paulbshooting]

Use my 4 year old lab for deer and he's great. Did some blood trail training with him as a pup and he has saved the day many times including finding a fallow buck caught in tree that death run off a quarry edge! He is raw fed and loves kidneys and heart in the field as a reward. He loves his work and any extra grub. Perfect family dog too.

 

[Ratel]

Mine comes with me regularly and is great to have as company. Naturally picked it up with no real tracking training bar the sit and wait when the stick open for a shot.

He gets very excited post shot, so not quite the normal slow and steady orthodox tracking following a trail - more like a spaniel flushing in a figure of eight until he catches a sent on the wind and finds it.

Labs are ace all round.

From Saturday first light.
View attachment 447705

Blimey, that Lab is bigger than a Fallow doe. No need to bother with a rifle.
Seriously every Lab I've had would track deer, and I've had a few over the years.

 

[muddy42]

Most retrievers will find a dead deer. The hard bit is getting any dog steady enough to walk at heel when stalking without distracting you!

 

[Rodeer]

Most retrievers will find a dead deer. The hard bit is getting any dog steady enough to walk at heel when stalking without distracting you!

What's the best way to do that then? I'm getting my first deer lab in January

 

[farrieral]

Peg dog, goose dog, rough shooting dog, deer dog... look no further than a lab! and lovely to own and have in-between shooting activities!

Completely bias but I doubt I'll have any other breed! Born half trained and all that!