Blood tracking dogs and their handlers at the NJ Wild Outdoor Expo 2012

By Darren Doran

Last weekend  The 2012 NJ WILD Outdoor Expo drew more than 7,200 visitors to the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area to learn about and experience a wide array of outdoor activities available within our state. Together with exhibitors, vendors and volunteers, more than 7,600 people participated in this very successful and highly commended event. This was a 43 percent increase in participation from the 2011 Outdoor Expo. Many of these visitors have no outdoor or hunting experience. A number of visitors remarked that the Expo was an “excellent family event” and it provided “a great introduction to outdoor skills and learning about the environment.”

The UBT booth was a great success. We had many visitors and answered a lot of questions about blood tracking and our dogs. UBT members Stan Kite and his son Lee and a friend Brandon, Rich Stollery, Nola Wunderlich, John Drahos and his daughter Rylee and myself manned the Booth for the two day event.

We put on two blood tracking demos each day and had a large gallery of spectators watching demos by Rich and Ember and Stan and Rilla on Saturday. I and Theo took the Sunday shift. This type of positive exposure of the non-hunting public to blood tracking dogs can only help the legalization efforts in New Jersey. And you never know, someday I just might be knocking on their door for permission to track across their back yard.

Rich Stollery while manning the booth

Darren's two dachshunds, Karl and Theo

Darren doing a demo with Theo

Nola Wunderlich with a drahthaar

Rylee Drahos with Theo

Stan Kita and Rilla

Rich Stollery's Ember and Darren Doran's Karl are littermates.

Thank you Darren and good luck this season!