Deer Tracking.....

[cyprinuschris 0]

How about a Rhodesian Ridgeback - I've read about one being successfully used for this, just can't remember whereabouts. They've got a good nose, got the stamina for the job and they're gorgeous

 

 

I recently went deer stalking for the first time to my mates dads in bonny scotland and his dad had used a rhodesian ridgeback for many a year he couldn't rate her highly enough even though she was old she was still keen as mustard good nose and big enough to grab a wounded deer and hold it there till he arrived.When the time arrives for me to purchase a dog for that job think i'll get the bavarian mountain hound with what i have read about the breed.

Edited May 9, 2008 by cyprinuschris

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

Personally ,from experience ,the type of dog required depends on a couple of factors.-

The health and stature of the chap following and the type of deer regularly encountered .Its no good whatsoever having a large ,fleet dog if you struggle to run a few yards .Let me expand on this .In my experience there are two types of deer finders as well as the various breeds .Some will find ,stay and bay ,which is ideal .Some will rip into the deer and maul it but neither can be taught to a dog which is usually out of sight and in cover.A few will return to you and guide you back to it .If you are unfit shall we say then you definately want a bayer of the teckel,terrier,hpr sort .The sight hounds have been bred to tackle quarry and tackle they will .Whats the point of shooting a deer to have its ass end destroyed .

Stick with one of the proven breeds in this field and theres no reason why you cant take it rough shooting or rabbiting as well .You know it makes sense.

[cocker 2,654]

a german wirehaired pointer is the one for that job mate.

[Murph 30]

I used to ahve a GWP and would have to agree that they are the boys for the job, another breed that no-one's mentioned yet is the Vizla, heard good things about them but not seen one work myself yet.

[threbb 0]

I used to ahve a GWP and would have to agree that they are the boys for the job, another breed that no-one's mentioned yet is the Vizla, heard good things about them but not seen one work myself yet.

I dont know much about this subject but I think a wolfhound is a sight hound. there are pics of teckels doing the job on this site if it helps. www.freewebs.com/darswedteckels/.htm

[Hunting Dachshund 0]

as above really....which breed would be the best for tracking a wounded deer? Will your standard hunting dog do it, or would the dog need to come from that sort of backround??? i wouldnt want the dog to be hunting pheasants and the like when im looking for a deer!!!

Was thinking Irish Wolf Hound, or would that be over kill....Always wanted an IWH, could kill two birds with one stone....

Any help be great,

Slan!

Firstly, the breed choice depends on what type of deer or game you are hunting. The larger deer may take off farther away than smaller roe deer. Secondly, it depends on the individual working style of the dog or the breed. Thirdly and most importantly, it also depends on your own style working the trail, your ability to train the dog, and your character (that should suit the dog). Blood tracking is working as a team together with your dog.

As far as I'm concerned, you may be able to train any kind of dog to track a blood trail, even chihuahuas, but it depends how patient and how experienced you are in training dogs, and how well you can work with your dog (how well you can read your dog's body language).

 

In general the pros of a larger dog are that it works faster and covers a larger area more easily. The cons are that when there is less blood, when the scenting conditions are tougher, or when the trail is more difficult (more hooks and loops) larger dogs may overshoot and loose the trail more easily. However this definitely depends on your training and handling ability.

 

The pros of a smaller dog are that they are easier to control. They generally work slower and tend to stay on the trail better. And one of the main pros is that a wounded deer may not flee for a small dog, whereas it is likely to keep running off for a larger dog. Drawback is that smaller dogs may not have the same stamina to follow longer distances and when there is lots of snow, but this depends on the breed and your own conditioning of the dog.

 

I would first choose a dog that is bred for scenting, a breed that is already developed to use its nose. An IWH is not known for its scenting ability, but I won't ever say that it is not possible to train an IWH for tracking wounded deer.

To me, it's not only the nose itself that is important in tracking, but also the willingness and perseverance to follow a blood trail. It is just easier to motivate these kind of dogs to work a trail and maintain on the trail.

 

Hope these pointers give you some idea about blood tracking with dogs.

Edited May 29, 2008 by Hunting Dachshund

[Hunting Dachshund 0]

Personally ,from experience ,the type of dog required depends on a couple of factors.-

The health and stature of the chap following and the type of deer regularly encountered .Its no good whatsoever having a large ,fleet dog if you struggle to run a few yards .Let me expand on this .In my experience there are two types of deer finders as well as the various breeds .Some will find ,stay and bay ,which is ideal .Some will rip into the deer and maul it but neither can be taught to a dog which is usually out of sight and in cover.A few will return to you and guide you back to it .If you are unfit shall we say then you definately want a bayer of the teckel,terrier,hpr sort .The sight hounds have been bred to tackle quarry and tackle they will .Whats the point of shooting a deer to have its ass end destroyed .

Stick with one of the proven breeds in this field and theres no reason why you cant take it rough shooting or rabbiting as well .You know it makes sense.

Working the dog on a long (10m or 30ft) tracking lead will solve most of these problems you are mentioning above. It also gives you more control over the dog. Socalled 'totverbellen' (the dog stays and bays to indicate where the dead game is), 'totverweisen' (the dog takes the hunter to the dead game) or 'bringselbringen' (the dog indicates to the hunter that it found the dead game by taking something in his mouth) can be trained, but I agree that some breeds have these traits innately.

 

When also used for other hunting tasks, you may look into the more allround hunters. Most British hunting breeds are specialists and are bred for only one or two hunting tasks. The mainland European hunting dogs are more allrounders.

Edited May 29, 2008 by Hunting Dachshund

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

[kiwi 4]

gwp......unlike alot of hpr breeds this breed was bred for large game as it's main function, they need very little training and bond close to their owners, they don't care what game you are hunting so long as it's hunting and they are doing it with you.

[Hywel 53]

Personally ,from experience ,the type of dog required depends on a couple of factors.-

The health and stature of the chap following and the type of deer regularly encountered .Its no good whatsoever having a large ,fleet dog if you struggle to run a few yards .Let me expand on this .In my experience there are two types of deer finders as well as the various breeds .Some will find ,stay and bay ,which is ideal .Some will rip into the deer and maul it but neither can be taught to a dog which is usually out of sight and in cover.A few will return to you and guide you back to it .If you are unfit shall we say then you definately want a bayer of the teckel,terrier,hpr sort .The sight hounds have been bred to tackle quarry and tackle they will .Whats the point of shooting a deer to have its ass end destroyed .

Stick with one of the proven breeds in this field and theres no reason why you cant take it rough shooting or rabbiting as well .You know it makes sense.

 

Sound advice given

[FJager 0]

I have been looking for a Gundog to be used mainly on deer, know I am not new to dogs, so have done a lot of research into the different HPR breeds so as to get exactly what is needed for the job.

I really wanted a GWP and have looked into them quiet extensively and have now decided to go with a GSP as for me it is the better option, looked at some great dogs today that are worked on pheasant and quail, but obviously will work any game. My decision is backed up by years of hunting dog experience and if you are interested why I went for the GSP pm me as some may take offence at what I will say.

 

As for working ability, most dogs will work well and pick things up quickly if they are trained correctly, Labs, Gsp's, Gwp's, Spaniels and a variety of other Gundogs will work well, a Kelpie will match all these breeds also, not sure on the legalities of that though in your Country.

My Pigdogs have Wolfhound blood in them as this does add a nose and a wonderfull nature too them, but the Wolfy blood will cause them to want to tackle the deer.

 

Cheers

[kiwi 4]

gsp be great in that queensland sun good luck clynt.

[Hunting Dachshund 0]

As for working ability, most dogs will work well and pick things up quickly if they are trained correctly, Labs, Gsp's, Gwp's, Spaniels and a variety of other Gundogs will work well, a Kelpie will match all these breeds also, not sure on the legalities of that though in your Country.

My Pigdogs have Wolfhound blood in them as this does add a nose and a wonderfull nature too them, but the Wolfy blood will cause them to want to tackle the deer.

Absolutely! Even tackling deer you may be able to train out of your dog.