Thoughts please going to start training my young lab armed with two books Neils Sondergaard working with deer dog and Tracking dogs finding wounded deer by John Jeanneney . Watched various vids online were scent shoes used and dragging deer fur and a few drops of blood setting a trail is it worth buying the tracking shoes?
Scent/Tracking Shoes
- Thread starter Gallowaycountrysports
- Start date
What you have to remember is, wounded deer don’t always bleed!
some bleed heavily and then the blood stops, or some times there is no blood and 300m later it bleeds!
Remember this a wounded animal runs on its feet!
so to do a proper job of training your dog, scent shoes are essential!
a dog must be able to track with or without blood, both dog and handler must be trained in covering vast distances.
also what you have to remember is going in too soon on a wounded animal, also can cause considerable pain and stress, so you dog should also be able to track at least 12 hours after the shot as a minimum!
Animal welfare should be paramount.
some bleed heavily and then the blood stops, or some times there is no blood and 300m later it bleeds!
Remember this a wounded animal runs on its feet!
so to do a proper job of training your dog, scent shoes are essential!
a dog must be able to track with or without blood, both dog and handler must be trained in covering vast distances.
also what you have to remember is going in too soon on a wounded animal, also can cause considerable pain and stress, so you dog should also be able to track at least 12 hours after the shot as a minimum!
Animal welfare should be paramount.
Last edited:
Bavarianbrit
Well-Known Member
The dog follows the scent gland output from the deer feet. The blood trail is a bonus if available.
Many thanks for the info ordered the shoes
yellow belly
Well-Known Member
@Bavarianbrit Love these videos of how the dog works are great. Don't suppose there is any in English by any chance? Regret not learning German now!
Stupid question , so apologies! If I wound a deer and can find no paint or pins but am 100% about my shot placement. So I get my dog from the van, how is the dog then to differentiate the runner from his buddy that was standing close by as the shot was taken, and maybe took off in a completely different direction?
There shall be more experienced tracking people on here than myself, but my understanding is that 'seasoned' tracking dogs pick up on the adrenaline from the wounded deer and use that to differentiate between it and any others that were present when the shot was taken.
Bavarianbrit
Well-Known Member
I have never seen an english one yet.
its all about training, my dog Heidi has followed a track from a single red deer out from a Heard of 60+ animals, a 1.2km Track which ended successfully.
there comes a point where you have to realise what your dog can and can not do, if you think your dog can’t do then call for experienced help.
BUT the key is also not to rush in too soon, too many animals are lost because stalkers are too keen to get their fruits of the labours.
too many times I have seen wounded animals pushed over the boundary That given time would have been easily tracked and dispatched.
Similar threads
