Mike and Tank with his first recovery
In Mike's own words:
"On September 24 or so I picked up my puppy from Sian Kwa, he was eight weeks old. The next week I took him to my hunting club in South Carolina; 'Tank' was nine weeks old then. An older man in my club came to me saying he had a deer down and requested help in tracking him.
I went to the shot site and found a small amount of blood spatter. A very sparse trail from that. I went back to my camper, picked up 'Tank' and took him to the site. After a few minutes of calming him down he picked up the trail. After about fifteen minutes he had located his first deer. Keep in mind he was nine weeks old.
The next week there my hunting partner shot a large doe near the spine. We had no blood and it had started to rain slightly. I looked 'Tank' in the face and told him I had nothing to work with. He looked at me as if he understood what I had said. I put him down where the shot had been made. Tank nosed around about a minute then started working in a semi circle fashion. My partner said the deer had gone that way.
We let him work for a little over a hundred yards and into some very thick gall berry brush. It was so thick that I had to crawl behind the dog. In about fifteen yards, we found the fletched 1/3rd of the arrow. We quit the trail to give the deer time to die. We went back the next morning and trailed the deer until I decided the deer had not died quickly or was still alive.
The first week end of December my wife and I went back to my club to hunt the end of a storm front. At about 5:30 pm I shot a doe, which was quartering to me. I got about twenty inches of penetration. The deer left with my arrow. About ten minutes later a second doe walked in. I shot this one full broad side, with a complete pass through. I had good blood and some gut material at the site, however, I had no blood after that. My wife does not like to search after dark, and with the gut material present I decided to back out and wait til the next day.
I went back to the site at about 10:30 am and put 'Tank' down where I last saw the deer. We had a NW wind of about 12 mph, so we cross winded that. Tank went down a well used deer trial for about forty yards, made a hard right turn and walked right to the downed deer. Keep in mind; I had no blood whatsoever to start him on.
My wife started walking the edge of the swamp the second deer went into. She located three drops of blood. I put 'Tank' on that. 'Tank' started toward the first deer site again due to the wind. When I realized what he was doing I picked him up and went back to the blood.
This time; 'Tank' went into some brush following a lightly used trail. We had gone about eighty yards. For some reason 'Tank' stopped and made a circle to his left, went through the same brush as before, walking right to the downed deer. This is a twelve week old puppy! He had found two deer that had been shot fifteen hours prior. All I can say is 'Thanks for a champ of a dog'.
We are now one week from Christmas. I shot another large doe, with a compete pass through. I had good blood at the site, and fairly good blood initially, but it was spread out after that due to the speed with which the deer left when shot. I went back to camp for 'Tank' and some help. We were in a swamp about a fourth of a mile from my truck. I put 'Tank' down and let him start to work. In just a matter of a few seconds he was off at a rapid pace. We found the deer in about fifteen minutes or less. I probably could have found the deer, but it would have taken at least an hour and a half to do it.
The next day, one of the men in the club who trains bird dogs came to me and said " I have been in this club for over twenty years, and have seen a lot of people bring in what they call trail dogs. But, that dog of yours is the best I have ever seen. He truly loves what he does".
As of now January 10th, 2010 'Tank' has found seven of the deer I have put him on. One I did not go into, and one did not die or walked until she did, the third involves inexperience on my part and 'Tank's'. He is now a little over five months old. I can only imagine what he will do in a couple of years."
"On September 24 or so I picked up my puppy from Sian Kwa, he was eight weeks old. The next week I took him to my hunting club in South Carolina; 'Tank' was nine weeks old then. An older man in my club came to me saying he had a deer down and requested help in tracking him.
I went to the shot site and found a small amount of blood spatter. A very sparse trail from that. I went back to my camper, picked up 'Tank' and took him to the site. After a few minutes of calming him down he picked up the trail. After about fifteen minutes he had located his first deer. Keep in mind he was nine weeks old.
The next week there my hunting partner shot a large doe near the spine. We had no blood and it had started to rain slightly. I looked 'Tank' in the face and told him I had nothing to work with. He looked at me as if he understood what I had said. I put him down where the shot had been made. Tank nosed around about a minute then started working in a semi circle fashion. My partner said the deer had gone that way.
We let him work for a little over a hundred yards and into some very thick gall berry brush. It was so thick that I had to crawl behind the dog. In about fifteen yards, we found the fletched 1/3rd of the arrow. We quit the trail to give the deer time to die. We went back the next morning and trailed the deer until I decided the deer had not died quickly or was still alive.
The first week end of December my wife and I went back to my club to hunt the end of a storm front. At about 5:30 pm I shot a doe, which was quartering to me. I got about twenty inches of penetration. The deer left with my arrow. About ten minutes later a second doe walked in. I shot this one full broad side, with a complete pass through. I had good blood and some gut material at the site, however, I had no blood after that. My wife does not like to search after dark, and with the gut material present I decided to back out and wait til the next day.
I went back to the site at about 10:30 am and put 'Tank' down where I last saw the deer. We had a NW wind of about 12 mph, so we cross winded that. Tank went down a well used deer trial for about forty yards, made a hard right turn and walked right to the downed deer. Keep in mind; I had no blood whatsoever to start him on.
My wife started walking the edge of the swamp the second deer went into. She located three drops of blood. I put 'Tank' on that. 'Tank' started toward the first deer site again due to the wind. When I realized what he was doing I picked him up and went back to the blood.
This time; 'Tank' went into some brush following a lightly used trail. We had gone about eighty yards. For some reason 'Tank' stopped and made a circle to his left, went through the same brush as before, walking right to the downed deer. This is a twelve week old puppy! He had found two deer that had been shot fifteen hours prior. All I can say is 'Thanks for a champ of a dog'.
We are now one week from Christmas. I shot another large doe, with a compete pass through. I had good blood at the site, and fairly good blood initially, but it was spread out after that due to the speed with which the deer left when shot. I went back to camp for 'Tank' and some help. We were in a swamp about a fourth of a mile from my truck. I put 'Tank' down and let him start to work. In just a matter of a few seconds he was off at a rapid pace. We found the deer in about fifteen minutes or less. I probably could have found the deer, but it would have taken at least an hour and a half to do it.
The next day, one of the men in the club who trains bird dogs came to me and said " I have been in this club for over twenty years, and have seen a lot of people bring in what they call trail dogs. But, that dog of yours is the best I have ever seen. He truly loves what he does".
As of now January 10th, 2010 'Tank' has found seven of the deer I have put him on. One I did not go into, and one did not die or walked until she did, the third involves inexperience on my part and 'Tank's'. He is now a little over five months old. I can only imagine what he will do in a couple of years."
Yay smoothies!!!
ReplyDeleteWonderful story.