The tracking conditions for the 2011 Deer Search Competition were the toughest I’ve ever seen. This year the competition was hosted by the Deer Search Finger Lakes Chapter Inc down in Steuben County at Campbell, NY. This area offers the best deer hunting in New York State, which meant that there were hot lines everywhere and lots of turkeys too. On top of this the tracking was done in a cold, driving rain, although the competition blood lines, laid the day before, had at least been able to dry before Saturday’s downpour began. As part of the judging team, along with Gary Neal and Kevin Fisher, I was in a good position to see the dog work, provided that I wiped my glasses regularly.
Results:
- Winner: Moby. miniature longhaired dachshund, (4 3 4) 92 points, Prize I, Chester Swierk
- 2nd: Tabitha, wirehaired dachshund, (3 3 4) 82 points, Prize II, Dale Clifford
- 3rd: Eibe: wirehaired dachshund, (2 2 4) 64 points, Prize III, Andy Bensing
- 4th: Cassandra: wirehaired dachshund, (2 2 2) 50 points, Prize III, Dale Clifford
Chester Swierk’s miniature longhair dachshund won decisively with the only Prize I rating of the day. This little dog was calm, steady and showed excellent line sense. Chester, the owner/handler, was in his first competition, but he appeared to be one of those gifted individuals born knowing what to do. Chester claimed that he read a good book about handling, but I don’t think that you learn things from a book on this level!
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| Chester Swierk and Moby, winner of the Blood Tracking Competition |
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| Chester and Moby plus 3 judges: Kevin Fisher, Gary Neal and John Jeanneney |
Dale Clifford took a well-earned second with his wirehaired dachshund Tabitha, who tracked down steep, logged-over slopes clogged with downed tree tops. These obstacles were a tough challenge because once Tabitha was a few yards off the line, on the wrong side of a windrow of tree tops, there was no easy way to swing back onto the line again.
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| Dale Clifford and Tabitha, second place |
For Andy Bensing’s wirehaired dachshund Eibe hot lines and a working speed too fast for the conditions were her undoing. She took third with a Prize III score of 64. A year earlier, at the Deer Search Competition in Dutchess County, Eibe had won decisively with Prize I score of 100.
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| Andy Bensing and Eibe, third place |
Dale Clifford’s Cassandra, a sister to Tabitha, rounded out the quartette of placing dogs in the Competition. She scraped though with a Prize III, score of 50, which was still an accomplishment considering the conditions.
On Sunday, dogs not in the Competition were judged for Deer Search certification. Although there was little actual rain while the dogs were working, it was very windy. The blood lines has been laid down in the rain of the previous day. Probably there was even less scent line remaining than there had been for the competition dogs the day before. Still five out of eight dogs passed for Deer Search Certification. The newly certified dogs were:
- Gary Huber’s Beya (Bavarian mountain bloodhound) 74 points
- Darren Doran’s Karl (wirehaired dachshund) 57 points
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| Darren Doran and Karl |
- Dayrl Kempston's Penny (miniature longhaired dachshund) 50 points
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| Matt Griffin and Gunner |
- Matt Griffin’s Gunner (golden retriever) 57 points
- Laura Harrington’s Braylee (wirehaired dachshund) 67 points
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| Laura Harrington and Pauline with Braylee |
What is the blow horn used for?
ReplyDeleteJustin
The horn is part of the German hunting tradition. Our Blood tracking tests here in the united states are largely based on the methods used in Germany and much of Europe. I was exposed to the horn when I apprenticed as a DTK hunting judge a few years ago in Germany. the horn was used just like a bugle in the military before the advent of radios and cell phones. There are different cadences played to signal different events of the hunt. In the photo I am playing the horn signal that indicates to all that can hear that the dead deer has been found. I carried the horn on all the lines and played the tune for all the successful dog and handler teams that found the skin at the end of the line. I am not very good at playing, having never played any instrument before, but the dogs don't seem to mind and I enjoy it. My own dog likes to howl when I play!
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