David Bell and Quella take blood tracking seriously

David Bell, a United Blood Trackers member from southwestern Ohio reports his blood tracking adventures on his website at http://trackingwoundeddeer.blogspot.com/. His tracking partner is seventeen-month-old Bella, a daughter of Joeri and Keena. This is what David wrote in his recent e-mail:

 

I have had three calls this year. The first one was in Kentucky on opening day, in which Quella took us 300 yards past the hunter's last blood to a thicket. The hunter and myself were in disbelief about it being possible for the buck to make it through it, because it was so thick, so we went back to the hunters point of loss again and searched by eye for 30-45 minutes. I thought maybe the hot weather made it to hard for Quella since it was hot out, so after 45 minutes or so we were only able to take the track 15 yards, so I decided to try Quella again after letting her cool down and giving her some water. Quella took me the same way again to the same thicket, but this time I let her go through it and I let the hunter hold on to the leash while I walked around it so I could pursue on. After we reached the other side Quella started to open up and I immediately found a small wound bed about the size of a small child's soccer ball. Now, me and the hunter were pumped and we thought that maybe we would get a chance of finding this buck since the trail was rather hot but we kept on pushing this deer, with the deer too far ahead of us. The hunter was amazed on this young dog's ability and quickly made her a star in his hunting circle of friends by telling his club about this amazing little dachshund. This track was 8 hours old, on a very dry day with low humidity and the temperature was 78 degrees.

 

Track number two Quella took us across a creek, through the woods to the hunter's point of loss with ease, with the hunter and his cousin laughing telling me that it took him 1hour and 45 minutes to cover the ground which Quella did in around 5 minutes. We took the track another 600 yards to another property line, with only a drop here every 40 to 50 yards to confirm that she was on the right trail. This track was for a cousin of a good friend mine, who took his first shot at a deer for his first time with a compound bow. We stopped at the property line and called it off only to hear back from his cousin that he has seen the same deer again later with an arrow sticking out of his shoulder. This track was done around noon with temperatures in the mid 60s. The track was 19 hours old.

 

Track number three Quella found the doe 4 hours later after a good drenching rain. I was very sceptical at first that she could do it, but she locked in on this track like I never seen before moving her little legs with lightning speed and confidence. I slowed her down of course, but I knew that I could let her go faster if I wanted. I knew that she was on the right track by the way she was pulling, but I wanted to look for sign at the same time, which I never saw until we were almost right on top of the doe. I brought my wife for the first time and she was amazed on how good she is. We did the track at 7pm.

 

I couldn't do track#4 because I was on a camping trip with my wife, the boys and Quella, but I would have done it in a heart beat if it wasn't for that. I had a feeling that I was going to get a call, but I had to pass on it to keep the wife happy. I feel grateful to own such a good tracking dog and for her understanding of my new found hobby that I love.  My friends get a kick out of seeing the waidwerk shoes that I train with and the fridge full of deer blood and hooves, but I do know that they understand that my dog and I are all business!!!