New Jersey Trackers will be present at the 2nd Annual New Jersey Wild Outdoor Expo

Come and meet New Jersey Trackers who we will have a booth at the 2nd Annual New Jersey Wild Outdoor Expo under the banner of the United Blood Trackers on September 17 and 18 at the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area in Jackson Township, Ocean County. The WILD Outdoor Expo is a terrific way for anyone, including families, to learn about New Jersey's great outdoors.

 The Expo will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, rain or shine. Admission and parking are free and so are most activities at the Expo, except for a few that are offered for a modest fee. Some activities and events require pre-registration.

The WILD Outdoor Expo is sponsored by the DEP's Division of Fish and Wildlife, and Division of Parks and Forestry, the Green Acres Program, and the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey and is partially funded through a grant from the Weatherby Foundation International.

For more information including a complete listing of programs and directions to the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area, visit www.wildoutdoorexpo.com.
 

Below is article written by Darren Doran and Cathy Blumig. It was published in the September issue of the NJ Federated Sportsmen News.

 

On the Trail to Better Deer Recovery

by Darren Doran and Cathy Blumig

Darren Doran is shown here with his dog Karl after tracking this nice buck last November for a satisfied hunter. Photo courtesy D. Doran.

Time and again, studies have shown that only a small percentage of deer that hunters have attempted to bring down are not recovered. While this well-established history of excellent deer recovery rates is something of which all deer hunters can be proud, the small percentage of animals not recovered is a source of consternation nonetheless, gnawing as it does at the core of hunting’s ethical obligation to the animals that are pursued. Recently, however, a new door has been opened, which further diminishes the number of uncovered deer. Enter New Jersey’s experimental leashed tracking dog program.

For the past three hunting seasons, a study examining the use of leashed tracking dogs has been underway to help recover that small percentage of deer that hunters have had difficultly finding by themselves. This experimental program has been carried out under special permit from the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife. The long-term goal of this study is to gather enough data to be able to show that qualified handler/dog teams are a useful tool in deer recovery, and that present legislation restricting their use should be modified.

During the 2011-2012 deer hunting seasons there will be twelve certified handler/dog tracking teams spread throughout New Jersey. Each team has been certified by United Blood Trackers (UBT) to perform at the UBT1 level. This level indicates that the team has demonstrated success with an unmarked deer track that is 400 yards long with two 90-degree turns and one wound bed. The track is at least two hours old and has eight ounces of deer blood along its length. The dog and handler must follow the track and find the deer part that had been placed in the field by handler/tracking dog evaluators at the end. A strict protocol is followed by participants for recovery efforts as part of the program. Before one of the certified handler/dog tracking teams even steps foot on a deer trail, the Regional Law Enforcement Office of the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife must first be notified. The hunter must have permission to search any properties where searching is to occur, prior to entering those properties. Also, no firearms or archery equipment are permitted to be carried outside of legal hunting hours.

At the conclusion of the search, a track report is completed by the handler and signed by the hunter. This track report records data including the hunter’s name and address, location of the track, the age of the track, and type of weapon used. It also records the name of the handler and dog used on the track, and whether or not the deer was recovered. This data is collected by all the trackers and submitted to Dr. Len Wolgast who then analyses the data and submits a report to the Division at the end of the season. These trackers are all volunteers, and provide this service at no charge to the hunter. There is a referral system among the trackers, and every effort is made to accommodate the hunters requesting this service.

For more information about this program contact Darren Doran at Darren@rvwsinc.com. For information about tracking dogs in general check out the national organization, United Blood Trackers at unitedbloodtrackers.org. Time will tell if certified leashed tracking dogs and handlers will be as effective in New Jersey at increasing the deer recovery rate as they have proven to be in other states. The mere effort to investigate this question is in itself a fulfillment of the ethical obligations to the animals that hunters pursue and to hunting itself.