What do you want from your Deer Dog?

What do you want your dog to do once it has tracked and Found a wounded Deer?


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Storm

Well-Known Member
What do you want your dog to do once it has tracked and Found a wounded Deer?

I have read a few posts about dogs keeping a deer at bay, or needing a handgun to finish of a deer at bay.

So I got to wondering what others do.

I use a German Wirehaired and would not be without one. It will retrive Roe and Muntjac! and has even dragged down biggest Sika and woodland Red Stags.

I personally would not give house room to a dog that did not bring the deer down.
 
Neither

I want the dog to identify the position of the deer so I can do a safe follow up shot. Dogs can get hurt running in on wounded beasts.

Mark
 
As i live in scotland and the forests are quite dence espically with sitka spruce. If your wounded deer has ran into thick cover and you are not able to follow up with the dog, it would be best for me to get the dog to go in and pin it down and then drag it. But with different situations where you are on open land or woodlands you can have the dog find the position of the deer and you can follow up and finish it off with another shot.

Remember scotland and england's landscape is different, from scotland being mainly commerical forestry and to englands open woodland.

Brent
 
Mark,

I have asked JayB to edit the poll to include your option, as I cannot edit it.

I had not really thought about ground open enough to allow a shot, If the ground is open I dont use a dog, and the cover is far too thick to be able to seen the deer.
 
I want the deer asap. I've had deer dogs for about 15yrs now and what shocked me was how readily a dog will bring big deer down.

I suppose there is a risk of the dog being hurt, the most injuries I've had with my dogs have been with branches .

I've had a couple of dogs who bayed, that was down to their temperament rather than training. I worked them alongside dogs .which would take down deer, which was a very useful combination.

I found that working deer dogs is so much different than gundogs , and once the basic obedience is in place then I work to the individuals dogs strengths it's a far more fluid training process.
I've never used false blood trails as I've had enough dead deer in the field to create scenarios for young dogs to work on as well as teaming young and older dogs together.

My methods have been pretty add hoc , but have worked , I do mean to get another pup soon and follow a prescribed method.
 
+1 for what Markh said. But as Bambislayer says you can train your dog to suit your stalking conditions.
 
Everyone has there own opinions and it has to suit the stalkers conditions, dispatching the deer safely and cleanly is the main thing.
 
Seeing as I use a fox terrier I cannot really expect him to drag them down, although I'm sure he wouldn't agree!!!!!!!!!!!!! :lol:
 
When I worked as part of a contracting team we had Labradors that were excellent at following blood trails and would not think twice at engaging with any deer.
Unfortunately my bitch was a little too laid back but the other labs were very proficient both in daylight and at night!

Slightly off topic but one the dogs loved vegetables, I had never seen a lab eat cabbage leaves before but old Brody loved the stuff!

All the best

Ben
 
hi i also have a gwp which im training for stalikng and rough shooting, can i expect her to drag down fallow and roe even though shes a bitch?? iv seen her get hold of a fox once and that wasnt pretty so i think she has it in her:D
 
Drag it / Pin it down until it is dead or you get there? - Thats if you ever do! but then I suppose if you were daft enough to let the dog go on a sika stag with a front leg injury or the like, then you'd be daft enough to expect to find them when your dog has used all its strength to pull it down. As a matter of interest is the dog expected to wave a flag on its tail to let you know where it is or should it say "feinights" to the deer so it can call for help.

Keep following it or try and bring it to bay? - My only comment would be gaffer tape its passport and its food preferences to its tail so whoever finds it in two days can feed it its favourite food.

All wounded deer stop and stand at some point if not pusued, they have a high velocity bullet wound if there is no sign of pusuit they want to stand and feel sick! possibly lay down, give it time, track it silently, and if you get close enough shoot it again, dont let the dog off, cos if you dont get it this time your gonna need him with you not in the next county.
 
It really depends upon the location, deer species, etc.

I have 2 chesapeakes which are very hard charging and will thing nothing of running in and engaging a big galloway red. I actually have to hold the male back as he once didn't bother waiting for me to shoot it. He'll kill a deer if i were stupid enough to give him the chance. The chesapeakes are my choice if stalking dense plantation for sika or reds.
My little springer bitch that i'm currently training is the complete opposite. She's very soft and would never engage a deer, ragardless of species. She will locate them and trail after them (the hides i've dragged at least). I have a mature woodland where i stalk roe that i think she'll excell.
 
hi i also have a gwp which im training for stalikng and rough shooting, can i expect her to drag down fallow and roe even though shes a bitch?? iv seen her get hold of a fox once and that wasnt pretty so i think she has it in her:D

My wire bitch once pulled a large Fallow doe down then dragged it a good 5-6 meters around a gorse bush whilst I wrestled the doe! I might add it had been neck shot and gone straight through without hitting any bone.
 
cool, mine has seen a couple of deer both of which were dead, she bite their face a bit but shes was only young so expect it should come with age, have you trained her atall for stalking and tracking????
 
cool, mine has seen a couple of deer both of which were dead, she bite their face a bit but shes was only young so expect it should come with age, have you trained her atall for stalking and tracking????
She was a good bitch and did everything I asked of her from deer to duck and everything in between! She is sadly missed but the dog I have as a replacement is showing very good promise!
 
bambislayer what dog do you use?i cant make up my mind between GWP or Bavarian mountain hounds.I only had limited stalking experience and have never used a dog for deer,only trained springers before.
 
At the moment, I want her to not think she is up the duff, not leak milk all over my sofa, and not growl at my springer when she approaches the nest (sofa)!!!!
 
It really depends on the breed, as I could only expect from a dog all of the characteristical traits that breed has to offer. Don't get me wrong, there is always a dog that will have more skills or traits than what would be expected from its breed.I am just under a month into training a field Airedale for stalking and rough shooting. I already see her pointing and following trails but I am waiting to see how this breed quarters. The bitch is only 11 weeks old but on seeing a green field trial lead means hunting up deerskins hidden in the rushes, that hunt em up means to start looking for pieces of deer meet, fur, or skin and the phrase sit and stay is usually followed by some sort of reward. I think that depending on age also we can only expect certain skills. A more experienced or older dog knowing that a lost scent means to look header or in terms of wildfowling a downed mallard might be that bit further out in the water than expected. Also what the handler needs the dog for. I needed a dynamic breed, decided to choose the Airedale due to stalking, rough shooting and wildfowling. So I am expecting a lot, but with hard work and a few years of hunting I think this is the dog for the task.
 
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At the risk of upsetting everyone, if you don't take dodgy shots and you shoot to kill, you won't need a dog or anybody else to find your deer as it will be dead !
 
At the risk of upsetting everyone, if you don't take dodgy shots and you shoot to kill, you won't need a dog or anybody else to find your deer as it will be dead !

So every deer you have shot just dropped dead? If so you must have nervous of steel and never had a bad shot.
Or are you using a 50 calibre?
Because I shoot to kill every time but even a perfect heart shot can run into trees and be extremely difficult to find without a dog.
 
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