BORN-TO-TRACK BLOG: A great start of tracking season for Kyle Stiffler from Eagle, MI

Four days ago Kyle Stiffler, a United Blood Trackers member from Eagle, MI wrote:

We are off to a good start of our season. Moose & Misty have both had a couple easy finds with other successful tracks. Yesterday we found two. Moose (Buster/Keena son) worked an eighteen-hour-old gut shot with hunters finding only 2 small drops of blood. Although he found the deer he got skunked. If you look at the picture he is not squinting because of the sun. Just before we got to the deer, he was in very tall weeds 20 feet ahead of me when I heard all hell break loose. I reeled him in to me pulling him from weeds only to find a skunk in his mouth. As you know these guys don't like to let go. I was quick to put distance between me & them first. Then from the other end of lead I finely convinced him to let go putting more distance between us and the skunk. After his first ride in the back of pick up we began the pleasant skunking process. I think we need a new leather collar.

Then last night Misty got to go on a liver shot. She made short work of the hunter's lost trail. Both dogs did a really good job. I am very pleased.

Then next e-mail brought outstanding pictures taken by Kyle and his wife Kelleen from a very memorable call:

I got a call from the hunter who shot buck right behind the shoulder broadside at 15 yards (heard that before). They tracked the deer about 150 yards with very little blood. It was 10 AM, and I told him I could sneak away on my lunch break. He told me that he would stop right then so he would not contaminate the track. When I got there I was met by the hunter's friend as the hunter had to go to work. We started at the hit site, and Moose wasted little time reaching the point of loss, crossing a soy bean field and then entering a dry swamp. As we circled past the point of loss I noticed that the ground looked like an army had passed. That's when I learned that the deer had been shot the previous night, and they had trampled it all up. Normally this is just a delay, but I was on limited time today. So we went ahead and swept the swamp area working our way to the far side. Moose picked up tracks but seemed to be a little unsure. He worked several trails only to pull off and circle back. We pushed ahead past the swamp to a bean field where we swept the edges.

Moose turned into field and preceded through the beans about 50 yards and then turned back. We restarted at the field edge again. It was warm, dry and windy I was starting to think that this might not be good. Then, as if on cue, Moose turned into the beans again. He worked his was through the field, circling many times and returning to the line. After about 150 yards we reached the other side of the beans where there was moist ground and moose was locked onto the track. He turned left along the field edge, which was also the river bank. After another 50 yards he stopped and started wind scenting. He went to the river bank and looked over to find the buck in the water. It was 18 hours. and 800 yards later. I took the lead to try to lasso the deer when moose swam out to it to claim his prize. The hunter returned shortly to claim his deer, and we went back to work. This was our fourth recovery in six tracks over four days.
Kyle, Moose & Misty