Indiana handlers and hunters can't leave deer in the woods overnight because of the coyote situation

Joe Walters from Indiana wrote:

After three good tracks and no finds due to different circumstances, we finally scored.

This was a 26-hour-old track about a quarter mile long.  Hunter was looking for last blood and Doc found it first and came out of weeds and down along side of woods.  He made one short side check of about three feet into woods, then continued along edge of woods and then made an abrupt turn into woods for about 75 yards and there lay the doe.  No blood seen from last sighting in weeds.  As you can see the coyotes beat us to it.  I'm very happy with his performance this year.  The hunter said he had his doubts, but now is a believer. He told his buddy, "This dog is bad."

"Doc" (Magnum v Moosbach-Zuzelek, a Buster/Keena son) with the deer he found

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Chris Barr who also tracks in Indiana wrote recently:

Gerti found her first deer for me that I’d shot over the weekend. I’ve taken her on some “set-ups” of mine, but until Saturday, I’d not needed her since bringing her home in ’09. I shot this doe behind the ribs and in the upper 1/3 of the deer. Our area is riddled with coyotes, so if you want the meat, leaving a deer over night is no longer an option. I returned 3 ½ hours after the shot. Gerti had a little trouble getting started, but the landowner found some blood about 60 yards from the hit in the corn so I just took her and started her there. She took the track, with very little blood, about 300 yards through a partially picked corn field to the edge of the woods where the deer was laying. It was very limp indicating that it had not been dead long. Also pictured for the first time is Oscar, Gerti’s side-kick.

 

  

 

The second pic shows a friend who’d shot this deer behind the ribs at 6:00 on Sunday night.  The track was only about 200 yards. At one point as we were crossing a creek, Gerti turned and raised her head and wanted to go up the creek. The hunter was sure that the deer had gone up the hill so I “corrected” Gerti and she tracked up over the hill, made a big circle back down to……you guessed it, THE CREEK, where the deer was laying. Unfortunately, the coyotes had done their work overnight.

 

I was very pleased with both tracks. We’ve had 7 tracks so far. I’m expecting to get really busy in the next 3 weeks.

Take care,

Chris, Gerti…..and Oscar.

Chris Barr is holding Gerti (Gwen von Moosbach-Zuzelek, a Billy/Gilda daughter)

Blood tracking dog is very useful when a wounded deer leaves no blood trail

In John's words:

Joe and Marlene Mason came up from Kentucky to pick up a pup on Sunday. While they were here I had a call about 30 miles away, which gave me an opportunity to show Joe how an experienced dog works. There was absolutely no blood beyond the hunter’s point of loss at 100 yards. Joeri followed the easy, five hour old scent line 300 yards to the button buck. It was gut shot with an exit wound in the bottom of the belly. It was easy for a dog, but without blood it was impossible for the hunter and his buddy, who had searched for three hours. It was a nice opportunity to show Joe how easy “blood tracking” is!

Opening day of bowhunting season

What a nasty weather for the opening day of bowhunting season here in the New York State's Southern zone! Rain, gusty winds and cold.

on Saturday John went on two calls and recovered one deer. This spike was shot in the early evening around 5:30 pm by James Alex in Westerlo. Joeri started to track around 8:30 pm and had some difficulty around the tracked up point of loss. Once he had the line he had no trouble and found the deer in around 200 yards. The fatal wound was in the kidney, somewhat higher and further back than it had been expected.

John, Joeri and Jim with the recovered spike.

John is 76 and the fire is still burning bright in his belly - he lives for tracking!