Blood Trail Dog In The Box Stand?

Several of my friends are reporting that the yearling Catahoula pups they got as pets/blood dogs are working out real well and are even helping to alert them to the approach of deer. What amazed me was they are bringing the dog into the box stand with them during deer hunting season and the dog hears the deer approaching before the hunter sees it!

So I asked if the dog was spooking the deer by making noise and they told me at first in the pre-season scouts the dog would get excited and start to whine, but soon learned to be quiet and control movement and sound, so later when the hunting season kicked in, allowing the shot to be made without spooking the deer. The key to this interesting scenario was starting the dog as a pup months before the season so the dog knew what to do and not do.

Also important to note that bringing the pup in the off season allowed the pup to prove herself to any resistance amoungst club members who might object to a dog being in the woods during deer season. So allowing the dog to be acclomated before season and thus it was routine, comfortable on the trail, in the stand, and at the lodge before hunting season. Any adjustments that needed to be made could come at a time when mistakes would not cost the hunter a shot.

By the end of the first season the dog was actually hearing the deer approach before the hunter ever saw it and that made me wonder how many times deer may have come and gone without me knowing it.

I have never brought my dog on stand with me because I have mostly hunted out of a climbing tree stand, thats how I like to hunt. But I did about 25 years ago, bring my cur dog deer hunting with me, because where I was hunting in the marsh we had cougar and wolf, and frankly, I was concerned about walking in and out of my stand in the dark without my cur dog for security.



Now is the time to get your pups and started dogs so they are ready to work for you come hunting season.

Common Mistakes Hunters Make Before The Blood Dog Gets There

Below is an article I have copied and pasted here for your convience.

I got it from the site link below.


http://www.hillockkennels.com/Hunter_mistakes.html

I pasted the link in a previous post and I couldn't get it to work.

I believe the author is Ken Cooper.

Common mistakes hunters make before calling in a tracking dog and misconceptions.



These are things that I have run into over the last few years.
This is not an all inclusive list of mistakes as I am sure I will
continue to see new things the more I track for other hunters.

Mistake No. 1: Walking down the middle of the blood trail.
Then when hunters get to where the blood runs out,
they start walking all over the place.

This transfers blood from their boots to places the deer did not go.

When the dog gets there to track and gets to this point on the trail they have to
spend a lot of time unraveling this false blood trail that is now laid out.

Be careful and walk to the side of the trail where possibly,
avoiding any contact with the blood.

Mistake No 2:
Not visually or physically marking where the deer was standing when they shot.

This point can be very important to a tracker in that a lot of information
can be gained by looking at the color of hair at the hit site
along with any bone that might be there.

Mistake No. 3:
Hunters who do not know who their neighbors are,
nor how to contact them in case the deer travels across property lines.


In Georgia it is illegal to cross property lines without permission even to track a wounded deer.
A solution is to go ahead and make arrangements
with your neighbors ahead of time just in case.

This will help when late at night you come to a property line
and you are trying to find out who owns the property.

You will be very disappointed when the tracker and his dog call it quits,
so get permission ahead of time.

Mistake No. 4:
Not being prepared for an after-dark tracking job.

A pen light works fine for walking into the woods,
but when you need to see the most minute sign you need a very bright light.

Bring several good lights just in case your batteries die or a bulb blows.

Mistake No. 5:
Not marking the blood trail.

Marking the blood trail helps the tracker to see that their dog
is following the right blood trail to the point of loss.

If the blood trail is very light the handler may not see any blood as they will be watching their dogs reaction.

By marking the
last spot of blood the handler will know that at that point there might be a lot of false trails; see Mistake No. 1.

Mistake No. 6:
Pushing the deer.

If the deer travels out of site after the shot, give it 30 to 45 minutes before you come down to look at the hit site.

As soon as you start tracking and see that the animal may travel a great distance, or blood color reveals a poor shot,
back out and give it at least four hours if the temperature will allow and you are not worried about coyotes.

If there is signs of
a gut shot wait six to eight hours before tracking again.

Most mortally wounded deer will try to lay down within 200 to 300 yards,
but if they’re pushed out of the bed they can travel great distance before expiring.


A few misconceptions about tracking dogs

"It has been raining so a dog will not be useful."
Actually a light rain helps to hold the scent. Some dogs are even able to
track after heavy rains.

It is always better to call as soon as possible but if you can not get a tracking dog until it 12 hrs or more then do not worry.

A lot of people think that a dog is only good if the track is under a few hours old. Actually a well trained dog will be able to follow a scent trail 20 even 40 hrs old, even if other deer or wildlife have traveled the same trail.

The meat may not be any good if the weather is hot or the yotes might have gotten to it,
but if you want to recover your trophy do not be afraid to call in a quality tracking dog.

Another misconception is that "a tracking dog will always find your animal".

A tracking dog greatly increases your
chances of finding a wounded animal but it is by no means a guarantee.

Dogs have bad days just like people do.
Also many deer survive what hunters think to be a kill shot.

Hillock Kennels

Williamson Ga 30292
770-468-5459
Contact
Ken Parker

A Seasoned, Well Trained, Blood and Bird Dog

I am working with Brian, the owner, to help him place his dog.
Call me at 337 298 2630 if you are interested.
I will refer only serious qualified buyers to Brian.
He is busy with a new job, and cannot deal with the calls.
He is the owner, trainer and guide, you will ultimately do business with him.
The dog lives with him in the Beaumont, Texas area.

I will post photos ASAP

B.B. King is a seven yr old Deutsch Dratthar male.

He will heel, sit, stay, come, be steady to shot, and perform multiple marked retrieves on birds.

He is an accomplished blood trailing dog with two years as blood trail dog for a bowhunting guide service.

He has found numerous deer and even harder to find wild boar shots.

His owner who was chief guide on a Texas Whitetail deer and Quail Ranch,
recently moved to the city and King needs a job.

There is nothing wrong with this dog, like all my dogs he is gauranteed to do everthing claimed or your money back.

His owner is to be commended for realizing the dog will not be happy in the city, and needs to be in a working dog environment.

$2500

I will post a profile photo here as soon as possible,
along with kill site photos too

The Raw Meat Diet

Let's go back to nature.

In the wild a dog's natural diet is raw meat from a fresh kill or aged meat from a scavenged find.

Either way, a dog does not hunt unless it is hungry!

So if you are feeding your dog right before you need them to hunt for you, they are not motivated by natural insticts, which goes back to the wolf.

Furthermore if you are feeding your dog the dried store bought crap most of us are led to believe is dog food, your dog may not know what real dog food is.

Here is Little Ray, double glass eyes, yellow leopard, three years old, notice his lean athletic physique, he was born on my property, and has been eating raw meat all his life. He is a natural when it comes to finding dead or wounded deer or hogs. He will also catch if the deer if it tries to get up and run. Lil Ray handles very well, is house broke, loves to ride in the truck or boat and does not range out very far without checking back when not on a leash. Although I reccommend using a tracking collar on all blood dogs, I don't feel like you really need one on Lil Ray.


This is Bud, he is not my blood line, but in spite of not having any spots or blue eyes he is all Catahoula. Bud was only a year old when the deer season rolled around last year so I haven't worked him as much as some of the older more seasoned dogs. He is silent on the track and works well off or on leash, but can at times pull hard. He has a very good appetite, and if you keep him lean during the hunting season he is very motivated to hunt for you, knowing he gets to feast on raw venison when he finds your lost deer and id the honored guest back at the camp. He may not be the best dog for a lady or child not familiar with handling a strong puller.


Here is Jesse's nose it is at least 10,000 times more powerful than your own.





Here at de la Houssaye's Catahoulas we live as close to nature as possible.


Here is a block of frozen meaty bones that I got from the meat market. These are government inspected raw meaty beef bones.




Here is Jesse in the photo below with a box of frozen, government inspected raw meaty bones thawing out on my driveway.





Here is Jesse unable to wait for the meat to thaw, and pulling off chunks of frozen meat-sicles.





Raw meat is a dogs natural diet. When a dog eats a natural diet it improves the immune system, stamina, and overall health. It also improves the dogs sense of smell, and well being. Many times after people start their dogs on raw meat, they tell me their dogs have never been happier or healthier. My daughter noticed that her dog smell better, after I keep Beauty here for a few weeks, because the dogs coat does not have the same smell as it does after eating the dried crap her mother feeds. Many times people advise me that my dogs do not smell like "a dog". Meaning: they don't stink.

I don't know what animal by products is, but it is the main ingredient in many commercial dog foods, and I don't like the way it smells when it comes out the back end of my dog.

When I feed my dogs raw meat, it doesn't stink like "normal" dog feces.

Here is Lulu, enjoying her first taste of venison on a doe that was located the day after it died.



Unfortunately we can't always find a deer in time to save the meat for human consumption, but it can be salvaged into the dogs and puppies diet to reinforce their appreciation and motivation for being blood trail dogs.

My pupppies begin eating raw meat as soon as they are eating solid food.



Many people apparently fail to realize that the raw meat diet is a dog's natural diet and not only that. It is essential in my opinion to easily start and a train a puppy to be a blood trail dog if it grows up eating raw meat from the beginning. By eating raw meat all thier life, my dogs know that the smell of blood leads to food, because they have been nutritionally satisfied eating raw meat since before they were weaned.

Do not feed raw meat exclusively, it can and should be the major percentage of the dogs diet if you can get it, but always give some dried dog food or whole wheat bread in addition to meat.

At five months old, these started pups have been eating raw beef and venison all their life. I have a friend who de-bones deer during the hunting season and mixes the meat with beef and pork to make custom order smoked sausage for deer hunters.

Guess who gets the deer bone carcasses to feed to his puppies? Yah me. And if you are a member of a hunting club, freeze the deer bones for treats in the off season, the tarsal glands, and some strips of deer hide for pull toys with your puppies year round.


As I research and study the information being presented about blood dogs I am in awe how much misconception and misinformation is in circulation.

Here is a link to a site with a list of hunter mistakes and misconceptions:



www.hillockkennels.com/Hunter_mistakes.html

I am looking for issues which are not being presented that I believe are important and one the biggest points being left out is the diet of a blood dog in training and handling.

Two things to consider here:

Raw meat is a dog's natural diet and a hungry dog is motivated to hunt.