First and foremost my condolences to Ammon McKinney and family!!
Many of you don't know about this superhero of a tracking dog.
Woodrow was a 'superman' when it comes to tracking deer and baying up wounded ones!!
I know Woodrow has 1,000's of fans, however, I must admit I'm ranked up there with the #1 fans.
.
Woodrow is no longer with us anymore as he passed away doing what he loved!!
When we come to help deer hunters, unfortunately, that maybe our dogs last time doing what they love!!
Especially in the states where you can track off-leash, the risk is astronomical!!
Woodrow, you are legendary!!!
I'll miss you and I know everyone else will too...
Thanks for the ride, and helping hundreds of hunters!!
What's is an ideal dog's life? It is all about having a job and a purpose!!
Below is Ammon's post that he published today!!!
~ Robert Miller of Michigan Deer Trackers 1/23/2019
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This story is the last of all the stories shared by me about my little, not so sweet, fearless, heroic, stubborn, hard headed, amazing dog named Woodrow.
When I got Woodrow, it was for the sole purpose of being a deer tracking dog. I got him in hopes that he would find my deer in the case I shot one and couldn’t find it. He was not to be a family pet. He was mine, and I was his. We had a great bond. The others in the family?? Ehhh, not so much.
I had my battles with him personally. Sometimes he needed reminding of who’s sack was bigger, because I assure you, that he thought his were, most of the time.
I had no idea what was in store for us both.
At first, Woodrow was just supposed to find the deer that I shot. Because I needed him to learn, and because I wasn’t shooting deer every day, I made it known to the public that I wanted to bring my dog as a last resort, so he could get experience and maybe help find their deer that they couldn’t locate and recover. Slowly the word got out. I grew with Woodrow during the first two seasons so much. Halfway through the third season I realized that I wasn’t learning as much anymore, but that he was skyrocketing in his ability. On many occasions, he found deer that even left me in awe and totally surprised in how he found them.
One of the things that made Woodrow so special was what he did in spite of his size. If you never got to see Woodrow in action, then you have missed a cool spectacle. A real sight to behold.
Woodrow did more than just find deer. He battled them. Fiercely.
Woodrow bleeding after going into a battle with a wounded, antlered buck
I often told people that Woodrow would rather the deer be alive when he found them as opposed to being dead. Sometimes he would find a dead deer, sit for a minute, and then come back to me before I reached him. He would have this look on his face as if to say, “Uhh nothing to see over there. Just a dead deer. I don't care about it.” I would tell him to go and find my deer and he’d just look at me like, “I already did. Now what?”
Woodrow recovered 118 deer in his life. He “found” countless others that were not injured bad enough for them to fight him. 49 of those were killed after he found them alive. He would run circles around them and bark.
If they ran, so did he. Sometimes he’d catch up and bite them and hold on to the rear legs to get them to stop. I saw him bite and hold on to their heads and they would pick him up and sling him around like a dragon trying to sling off a warrior on its head. He had no fear. Ever.
I would always tell people of the risk that he could be killed one day. I was serious. I knew it.
I almost wished it would happen as a way for him to not grow old and sick and have to live a life, retired at home, and not in the woods. But, I didn't wish for it to be now.
Hindsight is always 20-20. Remember that!
It’s easy to look back and say “this or that could have been done”, but that’s the easy way out. Life happens. While this hurts me deeply, I know that there are worse things in life that could happen.
He made me and so many others so happy. I know that he absolutely loved tracking deer. He took me all over Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and even parts of Mississippi.
I slept in my truck in gas station parking lots, and even the Hardee’s in Jasper on more than one occasion, all after a long night of tracking many deer. He made me lie to my wife, on more than one occasion.
She’d make me promise to not go tracking on a given day, and somebody would call. I’d answer with a hello and the person would respond with something like, “Is this the guy that owns Woodrow?” When they were close enough I’d slip out with Woodrow, go find their deer, and come back.
Early on, not many people knew about Woodrow. In time, his reputation was earned.
After recovering a deer when Woodrow had to go in a phone booth and come out with a cape and mask on and fight the deer to the death, some of my favorite compliments were:
~“Man, I gotta tell ya, when he jumped out of the car, I was thinking, Ok, now the real dog is about to come out.”
~ “Man when I saw him jump out of the car I thought you just brought your girlfriend’s dog or something.”
~ “I figured he could track, but I had no idea he was gonna do what he just did!”
Woodrow finally met his match as he chased after a big buck under a full moon sky.
He found the deer, bayed him, and the deer broke and fled. Woodrow gave chase and unbeknown to anybody he followed the deer into some water that ended up being deeper than he could stand in.
After all the fights I witnessed, where the deer that would tackle him to the ground, or charge while he evaded and took their best shots, I feared that one day, it would not be good if he got into deep water. And so it was.
Woodrow was my buddy. I loved him.
I'm so grateful to those that mentored me.
Tom, Jackie, Matt and Mike.
I'm so grateful to all those in the beginning, who took a chance with me and let him come and try to find their deer.
I'm also so grateful to those that cheered him on and supported him as a fan. It was an awesome ride.
Well done, Woodrow. “Yew dee so gud fin-duh mah deer!”
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Editors note: I recommend anyone wanting a tracking dog for deer season next year, get a puppy NOW. Raise 'em up as a pet, feed 'em raw meat, haul 'em around as much as possible, maybe do a little blood trail dog training, and if they are a natural, like Woodrow, come next season, just watch what happens! Real blood trail dog training does not begin until deer season when wounded bucks will put your dog to school. There is no way you will ever create a man-made blood trail that will be as fun, complicated, challenging, or educational as a wounded, antlered buck!
Also, in light of the demise of Woodrow, I recommend well-bred, large cur dogs, if you plan on working your dog off-leash, and allowing them to bay wounded deer, or worse like Catahoulas are known to do at 2-3 years old, they mature into a running catch dog, just like Woodrow!.
The only difference is a large body Catahoula is well prepared to get in the face of and put the brakes on a big buck, if the deer is not fighting too much. At the very least, if they can't catch 'em, they will stop and bay until you get there.
I use mature dogs and wild hogs to train young pups to learn to survive the charge of a wounded buck
Jesse wearing his neoprene vest providing floatation, visibility, warmth, and padding should he get slammed by an antlered buck.
Catahoula, Blue Heeler, Moutain Cur, Yellow Black Mouth Cur, and Kemmer Cur are good examples of breeds that can actualy protect you, and take care of themselves in conflicts with wounded, well-antlered bucks.
Although I highly recommend Dachsunds as a breed for tracking, because they have a great nose, are easy to handle on leash, and make a great family pet in the off-season, I have to warn you: I want to advise you that they are basically 'dead deer trackers' because they are too small and short-legged to run, fight and/or defend themselves in a conflict with a wounded buck.
The photo above and below is an amazing blood tracking Dachshund named Sypris who has recovered hundreds of deer with Robert Miller of Michigan Deer Trackers 810-240-4891. Sypris will lead Robert to a wounded deer, but if it is a buck that is not dead, he will not engage in conflict because Sypris has been beaten up enough.
If you are new to blood trail dogs and want an 'off-leash' bay dog or a running catch dog, I can say this :
I have had Catahoulas take to the water, and take a beating and survive a highly mobilized, slightly wounded, well-antlered buck as you can see in the photo above.
https://bloodtraildogs.blogspot.com/2013/11/louisiana-blood-tracking-dogs-on-pecan.html
So, don't stop there, because tracking wounded bucks is extremely dangerous for you and the dogs, I highly recommend you wear neoprene waders, and consider carrying a Bowie knife on one side and a large caliber sidearm on the other hip, for personal protection of your dog and your own self-defence.
If you want a Catahoula from my bloodline you can call Chris Garza in Tildon, Texas @ 830 570 2065. He has puppies from four different litters right now, and some will be ready in February.
I suggest you put money on deposit and get them while you can. They won't last long.
I am no longer a resident of south Louisiana.
All of my dogs including Samuel, the purebred wolf below, and running catch dog extraordinaire, are now in south Texas about an hour south of San Antonio. They are on a ranch with a family with children, horses, cows, wild hogs, and big wide open spaces.
Chris is a working cowboy and does not have a lot of time to talk on the phone at this time of year.
To quote him and Rick, they are busier than a one legged man in a kicking contest!
Also... please do not waste his time calling him and window shopping.
So, if you are serious about a Catahoula and over a thousand miles away and are NOT ready to spend at least a couple of days on the road to come down to south Texas and get your pup, try to find something in your area.
We are not shipping puppies and risking their lives in the freezing cold, dead of winter nor in the scorching heat of summer.
All of these puppies will grow up to be great family pets, but you better have a job for them and be ready to haul them around and put them to work. If they don't have a job and a purpose in your life, they will drive you crazy tearing things up such as your new sneakers, or the kid's toys, landscaping, outdoor furniture, fences, etc.
90 pound NALC reg. Diamond W Scudder is the stud of the puppies with Chris.
I am Marcus de la Houssaye, and if you need more info, you can contact me by email: catahoula1@gmail.com
