First tracking season for Pi, a young Lab from Georgia

Michael Harrell from Georgia has shared with us his experience of training and tracking a young Lab Pi. Thank you Michael!

I have been following your blog and have read and re-read your tracking book for the past several years. I had a beagle for five years and he was a great tracker. He actually trained me, I didn't train him. He died in an accident just before last year's deer season opened here in Georgia. This past Thanksgiving I got a Lab puppy named Pi and began training her. Pi is a typical, overactive Lab. Slowing her down is the problem, but I am working on that.

Once the gun season opened on October 22, I have put her on two tracks. The first was relatively easy. An eight-point buck was shot through both front legs. It was her first track. Pi followed the trail for about 130 yards. Then the buck made a 90-degree turn to the left in an old firebreak. Pi overran the turn, but after searching to the right, she came back to the point she lost it and picked up the trail. Pi followed it for another 75 yards then jumped the buck in an overgrown patch of briars and Gall berry bushes. She pushed the buck out and the hunter was able to finish the buck off with his pistol.

The second track was a six-point I shot later that week. When I walked into the stand that morning before daylight, there were hogs all around it. After about 15 minutes, the hogs moved off towards the North. I made it to the ground blind around 7 a.m. Just 15 minutes later, the buck came out. I made a good shot at about 50 yards. It also ran off towards the North, right where the hogs had gone into the thick brush. I was shooting a 30-30, hit the main shoulder bone, one lung and the heart. But the bullet did not penetrate. Around 8 a.m. I looked for blood and did not find any. I went and got the dog and put her on it. She actually ran past the hit site and began smelling the hog sign. Since I was not sure exactly where the hit site was, I let her go. After about 15-20 minutes of watching her sniff and run around I knew she was not on a blood trail. I brought her back to what I thought the hit site was. Pi acted like there was nothing there, but went into the brush in the direction the buck ran. I followed her and within about 10 yards, she definitely picked up the scent. From her reaction, I realized she winded the buck. With her head held up, Pi began a zig zag pattern and followed the scent. I looked in the direction she was going and the buck was piled up about 25 yards ahead of her.

I did not find any blood on the ground until I got within about 10 feet of the buck.

I believe we would have found both bucks without the dog, but it was a good training experience. It was also her first experience with hog scent. I was glad I was able to put her on the right track and she zeroed in on the buck. Once she hit that scent, the hog smell was ignored.

Pi with the hunter, Frank, and his buck after we got back to the camp.

I am a member of United Blood Trackers and I did get one phone call so far this year. But the location was almost 150 miles away and the hunter said he thought the buck crossed into property he did not have permission to go into so I declined to go.