Blood Trail Dogs

Muy Grande, King Ranch Kenedy county

2012-02-02T18:48:00.000-06:00

Weird, Amazing, and World Record Whitetails

2012-02-02T18:04:00.000-06:00

Best deer shot ever!!

2012-02-02T18:01:00.000-06:00

Remember When?

2012-01-29T23:11:00.000-06:00

Youth Kills Louisiana Giant Buck « Bayou Bucks

2012-01-26T00:05:00.000-06:00

Youth Kills Louisiana Giant Buck « Bayou Bucks

Red Stag and Fallow Deer

2012-01-22T15:15:00.007-06:00

For Sale: 25-50 Trophy Red Stags and Fallow bucks, also hundreds of yearlings, does and hinds.

A game preserve operator has lost his exotic permit due to new laws, and needs our help to move forward.

He has a herd of 400 exotics in a game preserve that must be transported live or culled.

Does anyone know of a large or small preserve interested in buying Red Stag and Fallow deer for breeding stock?

Culling is a last option. My hope is this is a win, win, win situation.

Of course my young blood tracking dogs will get an amazing opportunity to learn to track in this preserve,

but we want to make every effort to find a new home for the stags, bucks, does and hinds if at all possible.

The Whitetail deer can stay, but the exotics have to go.

Your assistance is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much!

My cell phone is 337 298 2630

My email is: catahoula1@gmail.com

I am Marcus de la Houssaye a breeder and trainer of Louisiana Catahoulas, and a professional blood tracker.

Welcome to My Wild Louisiana!

Should you be coming to south Louisiana for a visit, I would be glad to guide you on a Louisiana swamp tour. You click the link here for more info.

Headshots Aren't Always A Good Idea!

2012-01-22T13:56:00.000-06:00

We do not live in a perfect world and no one is perfect either.

Someone decided they would try their luck at being a sniper and failed. Headshots are not a great idea in most aspects of hunting. This poor animal is a perfect example of it. We found this poor girl inside a game preserve near someones house, somebody shot her jaw apart, I understand these things happen but you can reduce the chance by leaving the head alone. The target is to small to get prefection every time.

We tried calling a game wardon to get permission to shoot her inside the preserve and tried to contact the land owner as well but couldn't reach either, so unfortunatly we had to leave the poor girl alone. I wish there was something else I could have done. Remember I could have faced a nember of different charges, adding up to about $15,000, this is why I left her.

I don't like seing anything like this happening to any animal, this poor doe suffered a large amount, because someone thought they were a sniper, it didn't have to go down like that. I want to try to get the word out there, and convince people headshots are NOT the way to go!

Anyone who knows a head hunter should see this video.

Always aim for the boiler room! Much larger target, less room for mistakes!

Roscoe

2012-01-22T04:58:00.004-06:00

I love it when customers send me updates.

This is Roscoe, a son of Dot and C Arrow Patch

"I need to get a newer pic of him . . . he's put on weight and his head is huge! Such a great personality! Thank you for him!" ~ Ruth Brown

C Arrow Patch

Lacy's Trophy Whitetail

2012-01-20T23:33:00.002-06:00

Ms. Sarah Stringer allowed her daughter to hunt her from stand recently and Lacy took home a fine buck that scored about 147. To quote her mom: "I've finally started speaking to my daughter again. Took a few days!"

Lacy was on the state record books until the Tensas Parish bucks started coming in this week.

Soggy Bottom Boys - I'm A Man Of Constant Sorrow

2012-01-20T22:37:00.000-06:00

Blood Trail Dogs For Hire Or Sale 337 298 2630

2012-01-18T21:34:00.009-06:00

Hi, I am Marcus de la Houssaye,

owner and operator of de la Houssaye's Swamp Tours near Lafayette, Louisiana

I also breed and train

Louisiana Catahoulas for blood tracking.

I am available to help you find lost or wounded deer.

And, I also track wild boar 24/7/365. I will travel to the Texas state line with my dogs to work blood trails. 337 298 2630

www.bloodtraildogs.com

Our preferred fee schedule is $65 for showing up, whether we find the deer or not. And if we do find the deer $150 total.

But seriously consider calling us, even if you do not have the money and let's try to work something out.

www.southernbloodtracker.com

We at Southern Blood Trackers Association are in this for the ethics of it.

We will not be able to respond to every call, but we will try to find someone to help you, if we can't make it. I do swamp tours and have a boat that can go almost anywhere in the swamp. But, I don't do many swamp tours from December through February. I will launch that boat, a pirogue or call in an airboat if need be to help you.

There are several factors that you may think makes it impossible to locate a downed deer, such as rain washing away the blood, or tracking across a flooded swamp.

Give us a chance, you will be amazed at the working ability of a seasoned Catahoula to swim bayous,

and cross swamps to follow the scent of a wounded deer.

Just ask Thunderchicken!

Thunderchicken's comment on Bayou Bucks.com: "No doubt his dogs are badass...here are a few pictures I snapped when he brought his dogs look for my deer in Thistlewaite WMA last year.

When we came to a canal and the dogs swam across,

I thought there was no way they were still on blood but 200 to 300 yards on the other side we were back on blood!"

BTW...although rain washes away a blood trail visually for us humans, it actually amplifies the scent trail for the dog and makes it easier to track.

I have a new edit on the Sherburne 10 pt track we made last month.

http://bloodtraildogs.blogspot.com/2011/12/simons-first-deer.html

What if you shot a giant, once in a lifetime trophy,

or it was your first buck,

or it was your kids first deer,
The photo above and below courtesy of:
http://www.michigandeertracknhounds.blogspot.com/

and you couldn't find it because you simply did not have a dog lined up and ready to track for you?

Call me 337 298 2630

Starting Two New Whitetail Deer Blood Tracking Dogs

2012-01-07T23:25:00.009-06:00

Here are a couple of hard working Louisiana Catahoula blood tracking dogs.

The one with the blue collar is one year old, and the one on the right is a two year old and they are learning the ins and outs of tracking blood.

Here is where the one year old was at this time last year.

Bear in mind, being born November 15th, her first taste of solid food was raw deer meat and her and the siblings were helping momma clean up some bones after my first track of the season.

A few weeks after that, I laid out some some blood trails starting at or near the puppy kennel, opened the gate and led the puppies to the point of first blood and here is what happened.

They not only put their nose down and followed the scent trail, they crossed the water, picked up the trail on the other side, and kept right on going!

So... make sure they are involved in the entire process, including being witness and beneficiary of the skinning shed back at the camp.

Don't worry about them getting confused on hogs, rabbit, squirrel, or birds. They will learn to focus on the target in time.

For now they are puppies, and they are curious about everything and all the goings on in and around their surroundings.

Take them everywhere you go, and let them smell and analyse as many different scenarios as possible.

The broader their horizons, the better.

Don't worry Simon, you are gonna get some!

If you have any questions about training or you need professional tracking services, you can call me at 337 298 2630. You can also visit my main site at: www.bloodtraildogs.com

More Important Than Genetics

2011-12-27T11:41:00.003-06:00

Below is a post from Facebook

If you need tracking services in Michigan you can call Rob at 810 240 4891

michigandeertracknhounds.blogspot.com

This my tracking dog Scout. He is a 4 year old mini dachshund and does not come from hunting stock or show lines. His breeder only breeds for house pets. He is a stellar tracking dog with over 30+ recoveries.

He is a very slow methodical tracker very easy to read and does not leave a cold trail to just chase hot game. He has very little prey drive. He simply loves to track and especially loves to please me.

This buck in the photograph was recovered over a distance of 2 miles. The buck was jumped from his wound bed and we continued to push him because we delt it was a single lung hit. After 1.5 miles the buck crossed a fairly deep river and at this point I called the track off until morning. It was 12.40 a.m.

The following morning at 8 am, I started Scout off on the opposite side of the river bank, his nose was already working while I was carrying him and by the time I set him down he knew exactly what game trail to take. The buck bedded down two more times and we found him stone cold around 9:30 a.m.. The buck was shot with a bow and both lungs had holes through them.

So You Think They Are Just A Dog?

2011-12-27T11:10:00.004-06:00

michigandeertracknhounds.blogspot.com

Below is a post a tracker in Michigan made on Facebook.

Notice how this new dog was "unique" in comparison to his other dog.

In this photo is my standard smooth European Dachshund "Sypris". She is 2 years old and she just completed her first official year of tracking.

She went on 17 tracks and made 8-9 recoveries. We struggled in the beginning because I was crating her to and from the tracks and also I was over feeding her and did not change her feeding time for tracking season. So for the most part she was tracking on a semi full to full stomach.

This was new to me because Scout my other tracking dog shows no affect with or without a full stomach. Once I had a feeding routine in place and allowed her to sit freely in my car she was a tracking machine. All her training I used a crate to haul her back and fourth and she showed no problem on my training lines. She has a very high prey drive and very high stamina when it comes to tracking. She is much quicker on a track than Scout, mostly due to her size and her nose is much better.

She for the most part tracks in a zig zag form slightly drifting on and off the scent trail. I have very high hopes with her and for her first year she was amazing and most likely would have made several more recoveries if I would have figured out the feeding routine and the crate issue. She is the type of dog that will punish you for not giving her the respect that she deserves.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So you want a tracking dog? Just my opinion: they should be a family pet and treated
with respect 24/7/365.

But come hunting season...cut back on the food!

How to Train Your Dog to Track Wounded Deer

2011-12-26T15:51:00.003-06:00

Hi, I am Marcus de la Houssaye,

owner and operator of de la Houssaye'e Swamp Tours
near Lafayette, Louisiana.

I bred and train Louisiana Catahoula Curs for blood tracking dogs.

Do I do what you see in this Youtube video below? NO!

But I like to keep it simple: Bring a hungry dog who has been fed and raised eating raw meat, to a kill site, and walk them down a blood trail to a dead deer or gut pile and let them eat.

Repeat as often as possible. But that is just me, you can complicate this "training" stuff as much as you like.

Furthermore: this guy in the video makes some very important points that I agree with completely. Such as: A wounded deer gives off a completely different scent than a hot unwounded deer.

And given time, experienced blood tracking dogs learn the difference.

I like the video, but even though I keep deer legs frozen year round, I doubt this is needed as much as putting dogs on wounded or dead deer blood trails during deer hunting season.

But that is me. I am not the man in the video below, I am just sharing for your learning experience.

I am sure you will find this video interesting.

Simon's First Deer

2011-12-22T13:32:00.008-06:00

After doing 3 swamp tours yesterday, I was ready for a relaxing evening at home. But instead we were called onto the blood trail of a 10 pt buck and Simon found his first deer.

12/21/2011

Pope and Young score of 136 1/8

A very proud, and happy young lady with her first bow kill!

After my older and more experienced dog was unable to focus on the blood due to the fact that he had gorged himself on raw meat and kibble the night before(hungry dogs hunt), I went and dropped him back to the truck and took a 2 year old who had never found a deer in his life.

The 2 year old was hungry, and had found the deer, and was growling in the thicket before we got the big surprise that it was a high scoring trophy. The briars were intense and we were slow moving. The brush was so intense, that after we had found the deer, we had only moved this 10 pt 25 yds in 1 hour!

Everywhere we turned were briar patches, and downed trees. After we found the deer, it was an ordeal for five healthy young people to move this deer the 125 yds to the clearing at the food plot where the going got a lot easier. When we got to the food plot, I asked someone; "What time is it, about 10:30?" And they replied; "12:30!" Ohh well, time flies when you are having fun!

Deer traveled almost 400 yards after the shot according to GPS. Caught liver and possibly 1 lung, no pass through. We found the deer 5 hours later, deer was very stiff. Had been dead a while.

www.bloodtraildogs.com If you need professional tracking services, or you would like to buy or train a blood tracking dog, call me at 337 298 2630

It took several very determined folks on all fours crawling on several occasions to track blood and bring this beautiful deer out of the thicket. The buck first went 200 yards without bleeding a drop! Bullet(a hunters nickname) found the first magic drop of blood, without that, this story could have turned out a lot differently.

Four hours after the shot, there is nothing like the words "There he is".

Awesome!

Blood trail of a 10 pt buck and Simon found his first deer.

Below is Shannon's story, in her own words...

The "OFFICIAL" OTP Sherburne Kill...

Hunting is full of ups and downs; misses, getting busted by deer, buck fever, going several hunts without seeing any deer. One minute you're anxious and pumped up but when one thing goes wrong you question your ability and skill.

I was disappointed in myself for not being able to draw back on a doe I saw while hunting Sherburne WMA. Everything during that hunt was perfect, from going undetected by a doe who I watched for 45 minutes to her standing broadside directly in front of me at 10 yards. The pressure of never killing with my bow made me anxious and doe fever set in. She was granted a free pass back into the woods to live another day and I felt like I was gonna die. Was my hard work and persistence ever going to pay off?

Something about public land hunting fascinates me. It's the thrill of starting from scratch to harvesting a public land deer that keeps my head afloat when I feel like I'm going to give up and drown. Of course, if it would be too easy, it wouldn't be that appealing to me.

3 days after I had that eventful hunt with the doe, I was ready for redemption. I got settled in my stand at 3:30 and sat there waiting for deer thirty. I was praying the doe would come back out. About 5:00 I hear some crashing in a thicket in front of me and heard a grunt. All of a sudden I count 4 deer running around on the treeline followed by another grunt.

One doe decided to walk out and head my way. Excitement was building up because I knew if I had her in range I was going to shoot her this time. As she was down in the slough I stood up and grabbed my bow. I was shaking but mentally talking myself out of getting too nervous.

All of a sudden I hear a grunt and see a beast of a buck walk out the thicket and start hooking a tree. At this point I was elated! This is the kind of stuff I watch on tv!!! The buck started following the doe's path, went down the slough then I saw his majestic head and horns rise about 35 yards from me.

At this point I was thinking if this was real or not and if I should just shoot the doe who was 15 yards in front of me to my right, or see if this buck was going to chance giving me a shot. As soon as he stepped up and turned, he put his head down and walked a few steps, grazing. I drew back with ease this time, surprisingly.

I had turned my limbs down half a turn but I don't think I had needed it. Thought for a second on how to compensate for the draw weight decrease, aimed my 30 yard pin a little high and released my arrow. Words cannot describe the relief and the excitement, when I could see my green fletching sticking out where I had shot him.

It was a little high and a little further back than expected, but I was confident it was a vital kill. I immediately sat down and watched him run off and tried to see where he went to, back into the woods. Then I grabbed my phone to call Ceth and told him to stop his hunt and get over here now with Bullet.... I had shot a monster!!! Ceth told me to get down and find if there was blood where I shot him, and mark it, since dusk was quickly approaching.

I got down and had no flashlight. I couldnt find any blood with just my cell phone light which was about to go dead! Great!

While Ceth and Bullet were coming from their hunting spots I was talking to myself downplaying everything. My 10 point buck shrank to a 6, maybe 8 point. I didnt want these guys let down when they found the deer, just in case I had imagined shooting a buck this large. The three of us were on a good blood trail for about 75 yards into the woods. We came to a stand still and decided to back out. It would give him extra time to lay and we could call for more help.

The woods were thick with briars and there were down trees everywhere. We met up with LSUSlick who offered his services. He wanted to try out some new spray stuff that makes hemoglobin glow in case we lose a blood trail. We also called Catahoula1 who was on his way with some blood trailing dogs. I was begging these guys to please find my deer. I knew it would be worth it, when I found him.

The five of us ventured back down the blood trail. Bullet and LSUSlick were trying out the spray and following a glowing trail when there was no blood we could see. Catahoula1 was letting the dogs work and Ceth was on another path looking for blood. I stayed at last blood. At one point I was thinking I knew this was all too good to be true. The rain was supposed to come, and I didnt think there would be a chance at finding him after that.

Just when I'm feeling disappointed, Catahoula1 hollered, "We got blood!!" Everyone migrated through briars and limbs to see a very good blood trail. We would follow a little while then lose the blood again. One dog veered away from everyone else to my left and I kept looking down the path and wondering. The dog came back after he was called, and I didnt think much of it.

After not finding blood on any paths elsewhere I told them about the dog going that way. Sure enough, there was a very good blood trail and then a pile of blood. We knew we were getting close.... The dogs went ahead and I heard one growl.

LSUSlick and Ceth were on their hands and knees with a flashlight. The relief I felt when I heard Ceth shout, "Oh My God Shannon, you killed a monster!!!!" When I layed eyes on him, his body was a lot bigger than I thought. His horns were even bigger too!! I counted ten points... A first bowkill doesn't get any better than that.

I literally thought he looked like a horse lying there! Now came the hard part of dragging the beast out through all the thick woods. He had ran almost 400 yards and was expired a little while before we found him. It was determined I made a liver shot and maybe caught a lung.

I extend my gratitude to everyone who helped track and get the deer out.

Every one was worn out, cut up from briars, and had fallen down, but everyone was ecstatic to help and had encouraged me that the deer would be found. Catahoula1 and LSUSlick were smashing briars and brush, making a path at one point so we could drag the deer. It was after midnight when we made it to a clear area out of the woods.

This hunt was unforgettable. It's amazing how so many people came together to help find a deer. From the beginning to the end, it was an adventure that I'll relive again and again.

December 21, 2011
Weapon: Bowtech Soldier Bow
Ammo: Trophy Ridge Expandable Broadhead
Huntress: Shannon Beard
Harvest: Ten Point Buck
Sherburne Wildlife Management Area, Louisiana.

Youth Hunter Scores Twice on Public Land « Bayou Bucks

2011-12-21T08:30:00.000-06:00

Youth Hunter Scores Twice on Public Land « Bayou Bucks

Guilty dog

2011-12-09T09:11:00.000-06:00

If it is a good dog, you will have problems with them.

Guilty dog

Union Hill 10 Point Buck

2011-12-01T11:38:00.003-06:00

Got a call on Wednesday November 23, 2011 for a blood track.

I had done four Lake Martin swamp tours, and was feeling strong so I agreed to drive 100 miles one way to look for their deer.

I dropped off the tour boat and loaded 4 dogs, then headed north on I-49.

Of course, I brought Jessie, who is sporting his new blaze orange neoprene vest below.

The plan was to bring a camera, but it got left on the dashboard of the truck, so I don't have any actual pictures of this track to share here.

I arrived there about 8:30PM and found a long line of blood, well dried, and flagged.

At the end of the flagging is a few more sightings of dried blood, and judging by the dogs circling, there must have been false trails everywhere.

Just as we were starting to head back to a point of last blood and refocus the dogs, Jessie started baying. He had found the buck, and with the other 3 dogs walking away, Jessie was left alone and couldn't stop this deer in the dark.

From this point we found fresh rich red blood, a piece of deer meat and watery blood suggesting this was not a vital organ and this deer was on the move 12 hours after being shot. At a certain point you have to consider if it is in our best interest to continue pushing on after this deer. Also considering the deer is wounded, but not dead after 12 hours, the most ethical thing we can do is to stop pushing it.

A New Season Is In Full Swing

2011-11-06T22:37:00.005-06:00

It is not even Thanksgiving yet and already we are getting reports on Bayoubucks.com of record book bucks being killed by Bayou Bucks members.

The three images below were posted on the website this week.

The deer above and below were both killed in the area of Lake Bisteneaux.

The deer below was killed on the weekend of 11/12,13 2011,

by a hunter from Charenton, La. who went to Kentucky for an out of state hunt.

I am getting calls from all over the country for blood tracking dogs, 3 came in last week from Wisconsin, and a couple from Texas,

I do have some started dogs and these pups were born in mid October out of Beauty and Jesse.

I also have another litter out of Rivers and Cutty Dark that were born on November 5, 2011. I will post the pictures in here ASAP.

This is the look I get when I ask Josephine;"Where is the deer?"

Well we are well into gun season in mOST areas, and bow season is in full swing statewide. So it is starting to get busy.

You can call me at 337 298 2630 if you need to hire me for tracking services or to buy a puppy or started dog.

Carolina Camera: The Original Motorcycle Dog

2011-10-20T15:13:00.000-05:00

Why All Enemies, Foreign And Domestic, Want To See Us Disarmed

2011-10-05T02:09:00.006-05:00

Here in the deep south, we are a special, and peculiar kind of people.

We like to live off the land, and on our own terms...

Another thing is, we presently have over 1.6 million Iraq War vets nationwide, and many of the active and veteran military's finest, reside here in the states along the Gulf coast.

But there is something we here in all of the fifty states, need to remember

The world's largest army is......

America's hunters!

And with the help of our dogs and guns we are a force to be reckoned with.

But, it ain't the guns, but the people who carry them, that are the real threat to an invading force or any enemy, foreign or domestic.

I had never thought about this, it is not just us here in the deep south....

A blogger added up the deer license sales in just a handful of states and arrived at a striking conclusion:
There were over 600,000 hunters this season in the state of Wisconsin.
Allow me to restate that number.

Over the last several months,
Wisconsin's hunters became the eighth largest army in the world.
More men under arms than in Iran.
More than in France and Germany combined.
These men deployed to the woods of a single American state to hunt with firearms, and no one was killed.

That number pales in comparison to the 750,000 who hunted the woods of Pennsylvania and Michigan's 700,000 hunters,
All of whom have now returned home.

Toss in a quarter million hunters in West Virginia and it literally establishes the fact that the hunters of those four states alone would comprise the largest army in the world.

The point?

America will forever be safe from foreign invasion,
with that kind of home-grown firepower.

Hunting -- it's not just a way to fill the freezer.

It's a matter of personal and national security, and here in the south, we start them early.

That's why all enemies, foreign and domestic, want to see us disarmed.

And, many of those enemies of the US Constitution,
are in our own federal government!

At this point:
if the federal corporate government is not an enemy of the constitution,
I want to know who is?

Now don't get me wrong, I am 100% behind our troops who are deployed world wide, but I am at a point where we all need to demand of the federal government, that these wars in the Middle East come to an end, and our troops come home. Homeland security should be in home!

A lot of things have happened since 9/11 that are designed to change America.

And I am not blaming the Muslims for that!

I live in Louisiana, and we from the Cajun Country, went to New Orleans after Katrina with our boats to help rescue OUR people, who were trapped in the flood waters, and FEMA wouldn't let us in!

And if we sneeked in the back way, the way some did, we were labeled as renegade rescuers. What does that mean? Outlaws?

Now I realize many of you are not from here, or have never been to the convention center in New Orleans, where people were told to go and wait to be rescued after Katrina.

So please consider this:

The New Orleans Convention Center is on the Mississippi River, and there is a wharf the runs along the entire length of the convention center, and we were not allowed in as rescuers to serve our fellow Americans in their time of need?

Worse than that: the federal government waited 5 days before rolling in large trucks and buses to transport these desperate people who were trapped there not by the flood waters, but by the government who wouldn't let them leave, or let us in to take them out! The proof of what I am saying is in these You Tube videos.

Think about this: American armed forces were used to illegally search homes and then illegally seize weapons.

Not only that, but the whole city was turned into a giant concentration camp, where no one was allowed to leave OR enter!

Bear in mind, this is the same federal government, that promised to provide and protect us from foreign terrorists, that could not protect us from standing water in August 2005 at Katrina New Orleans.

But the worst part was: we who live in Louisiana, who were trying to do the right thing, during a natural disaster, and rescue our fellow Americans, were treated as an enemy combatant and disarmed?

And I don't mean just us Cajuns who went to help, the sheriffs and his employees were subject to the feds too!

If you think Muslim terrorists are the greatest threat to OUR homeland security, then you don't know the corrupt, incompetent, covert federal government that is trying to take our guns away. And as far as I am concerned this not my government, because my government is respectful of people and constitutional rights.

So, if the politicians do not represent the people, nor respect our constitutional rights, who do they represent, and what are we gonna do about it?

Please be aware that the large financial corporations(banks), are often owned by foreign investors who hide behind the corporate veil, and also own the corporate media(news and entertainment), the agriculture, timber, oil and natural gas, chemical, pharmaceutical, and the industrial military complex, not to mention they buy and own the politicians who are put into office to lead us to believe we have power in the voting booth. These same bankers are illegally foreclosing on our homes, and paying lobbyists to influence politicians to create laws to take away our rights.

Now if you think the Patriot Act is here to protect you, guess again.

Napolitano was born in Newark, New Jersey. He is a graduate of Princeton University (where he was a founding member of the Concerned Alumni of Princeton) and Notre Dame Law School. Napolitano sat on the New Jersey bench from 1987 to 1995, becoming the state's youngest then-sitting Superior Court judge. He also served as an adjunct professor at Seton Hall University School of Law for 11 years. Napolitano resigned his judgeship in 1995 to pursue his writing and television career.

In 2004, Napolitano wrote the book, Constitutional Chaos: What Happens When the Government Breaks its Own Laws, a criticism of the American justice system. In the National Review, former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy noted that Napolitano had been a mid-level state judge and questioned Napolitano's knowledge of the federal Constitution, citing what McCarthy asserted were numerous errors in Napolitano's writing on the subject.(One must consider if "the federal constitution for corporations" is now different than the one our founding fathers gave us!)

In 2006, his second book, The Constitution in Exile: How the Federal Government Has Seized Power by Rewriting the Supreme Law of the Land was published.

A third book, A Nation of Sheep, was released in October 2007.
In April 2009, Napolitano's fourth book, Dred Scott's Revenge: A Legal History of Race and Freedom in America, was released.

In March, 2010, Napolitano's fifth book was released: Lies the Government Told You: Myth, Power, and Deception in American History.

According to Napolitano's radio show, he is currently working on a sixth book which will be about President Barack Obama and the current state of America.

www.oathkeepers.org

1. We will NOT obey orders to disarm the American people.

2. We will NOT obey orders to conduct warrantless searches of the American people.

3. We will NOT obey orders to detain American citizens as “unlawful enemy combatants” or to subject them to military tribunal.

4. We will NOT obey orders to impose martial law or a “state of emergency” on a state.

5. We will NOT obey orders to invade and subjugate any state that asserts its sovereignty.

6. We will NOT obey any order to blockade American cities, thus turning them into giant concentration camps.

7. We will NOT obey any order to force American citizens into any form of detention camps under any pretext.

8. We will NOT obey orders to assist or support the use of any foreign troops on U.S. soil against the American people to “keep the peace” or to “maintain control."

9. We will NOT obey any orders to confiscate the property of the American people, including food and other essential supplies.

10.We will NOT obey any orders which infringe on the right of the people to free speech, to peaceably assemble, and to petition their government for a redress of grievances.

What if the Constitution were written not to limit government, but to expand it?

What if the Constitution didn’t fulfill the promise of the Declaration of Independence, but betrayed it?

What if the Constitution actually permitted the government to limit and constrict freedom?

What if the Bill of Rights was just a paper promise, that the government could avoid whenever it claimed the need to do so?

What if the merchants and bankers who financed the American Revolution bought their way into the new government and got it to enact laws that stifled their competition?

What if the civil war that was fought in the name of freedom actually advanced the cause of tyranny?

What if the federal government were the product of 150 years of stealing power and liberty and property from the people and the states? What if our political elites spent the 20th century importing the socialist ideas of big government statism from Europe? What if our political class was adopting the European political culture from which our founding fathers fought so hard to break free?

What if our political leaders no longer acknowledged that our rights come from our humanity, but insisted instead that they come from the government?

What if you couldn’t board a plane, a train, or a long-distance bus without providing documentation telling the government who you are and where you’re going, without paying the government, and without risking sexual assault?

What if your local police department could shoot down a plane?

What if government agents could write their own search warrants, declare their own enemies, and seize whatever property they want? What if the feds could detain you indefinitely, with no visitors, no lawyer, no judge, and no jury? What if they could make you just disappear?

What if the government broke its own laws in order to enforce them? What if the government broke down your front door in the middle of the night and shot your dog, and claimed it was a mistake?

What if you were required to purchase a product that you didn’t need, didn’t want, and couldn’t afford, from a company you never heard of, just as a condition of living in the United States? What if the government told you what not to put in your body as well as what to put into it; and how much? What if the government claimed that since it will be paying your medical bills, it can tell you what to eat, when to sleep, and how to live?

What if the government tried to cajole and coax and compel you into behaviors and attitudes it considered socially acceptable? What if the government spent your tax money to advertise to you how great the services are that it provides? What if the government kept promising to make you safe while it kept stripping you of your liberties and committing crimes in your name that made you a target of more violence?

What if you didn’t have a right to every dollar you earned? What if the government decided how much of your earnings it will keep and how much it will permit you to have? What if the government took money from you and gave it away to its rich banking and corporate friends whose businesses were proposed to be failing?(Yet, it's CEO's still get enormous bonuses at the end of the same year WE bailed them out?)

What if this is already happening, and we are not aware, OR being told of such by a government that promised transparency?

What Trophy Should Really Mean

2011-07-07T03:19:00.000-05:00

My father taught me that killing an animal should never be taken lightly. When I take a life I must be reflective, or I may become callous and develop into a killer rather than a hunter. I risk forgetting the life I took was a gift of the land, and when receiving a gift it is distasteful and rude to criticize or refuse it

What Trophy Should Really Mean

de la Houssaye's Swamp Tours April 17, 2011

2011-07-05T12:19:00.000-05:00

OK, I know you are gonna ask why; so here: Jesse is a professional blood tracking dog during hunting season when he is not baying alligators! Enjoy...

"I Love Hog Meat" Official Video - Killin' N' Grillin'

2011-06-26T06:16:00.001-05:00

In spite of numerous tick bites, I am having a world of fun getting out and running the dogs on hogs.

But...

In about 90 days the deer season opens for most of us.

Get your food plots, camo, ammo, weapons, stands, ATV's etc in order and....

This is a good time to be looking at purchasing a puppy for blood trailing come deer season. Get 'em now and haul 'em to the camp and the woods so they are comfortable traveling and following you around.

I will be publishing my book in a week or two on another site, so be looking for it.

In the meantime let's celebrate our national heritage of freedom and independence and BBQ all that deer meat and hog meat that is still in the freezer from last season.

As the meat thaws, catch the blood and make a blood trail in your yard, or at the park, and work the dog on it. Then when they get to the end of the trail, reward them with a treat and some affection.

The main thing about training a dog to trail blood is get them to put their nose on the ground, and follow a trail.

I am sure you will enjoy this music video.

deer eating a bird

2011-05-19T08:31:00.001-05:00

deer eating a bird

2011-05-19T08:31:00.000-05:00

Molly's First Deer

2011-01-31T12:34:00.012-06:00

Molly at 12 months old, with her first deer was never "trained" to be a blood tracking dog. She is as we say "a natural".

She was imprinted on blood, eating raw beef livers at my house starting at 3 1/2 weeks old for about a month or two before I gave her to Scott and his family to be their family ranch pet.

Below are a couple of pictures of Molly at about six months old, last summer.

Notice the loyalty and devotion in the photo below.

She just found her first deer this past weekend, and I will post those pictures in here along with some of her mother Scarlet which I shot in good light on a track about 2 weeks ago.

But, Molly found her deer after dark, and I was not there to photo, so Molly's owner, Scott, sent the hunt photos to me in an email and I pulled some more off the www.bayoubucks.com site.

The photo below and the other daylight shots are of Molly's mother on a track a few weeks ago in the same terrain. I am inserting those shots in the email for illustration and education purposes.

Scott just sent me an email of Molly's first deer with pictures.

I want to use this email to explain how a Catahoula works a blood trail.

The (enclosed inserts) are mine, to help explain what is happening.

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Here is the email Scott sent me this morning:

Molly’s First Find.

It was a short track, but we lost the blood the last 20 yards(before the deer),

which does not sound very far, but(in the dark), the palmettos were so thick that you couldn't see five yards in front of you.

I tried to let her work on leash, but it was too thick, so I turned her loose.

She does really well. While on track, she does not leave you behind, she will stop and actually let you catch up(check back), then continues back on track.

We are both new at this, but I think with a little time and practical experience, she will be a good asset(blood tracker).

Jeremy was so happy, he was generous enough to give us a third of his deer meat.(better than giving the cayotes a chance)

I have to be careful because, I guess she thinks that since she found it, the deer belongs to her, and she gets very possessive(protective, guarding the kill).

Molly guarding the meat!

I had to put her leash back on, so they could drag the deer out.(She will relax in time, we hope!)

Jeremy Lemieux posted his story on the Bayou Bucks.com forum.

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The link in the last line above will take you to the hunters post on bayoubucks.com(BTW, my forum handle there, is "catahoula1".

Now let's learn something about the Catahoula breed;

What Is A "Check Back"?

For those of you new to the Catahoula breed, you need to understand that a Catahoula Cur, especially a young one, will not go very far without you. If they know you are following them and you are close behind, they will keep moving forward. If you don't keep up, they will turn around on track and "check back".

Meaning, they will come back to you and make sure you are following their lead. When following a blood tracking dog, always trust the dog. If they do check back, do not give up, get anxious or get mad, you should reward them with a pat on the head, and praise them verbally; saying good dog, now go find the deer, blood trail, blood trail, find me some blood, come on dead deer!(get excited, be happy, and start moving forward again), and they usually turn around and continue tracking in front of you. (If they do not check back, they are most likely guarding the kill)

Catahoulas are naturally curious about new scents, and every blood trail is a new and unique scent to be explored and followed. This is natural instinct as a result of breeding, not training. Another natural instinct is protectivity.

Catahoulas Are Natural Protectors

And what that means is, they are by natural instinct, loyal and protective, and are not aggresive unless they feel that what they are bonded to and guarding(such as your family, property, or your deer!) is threatened, by an intruder. I suggest you spoil them rotten as a puppy and provide for and protect them when they are young and they will grow up to want to do the same for you for the rest of their life.

An 8 week old puppy bonding to her "new" momma!

You do not need to teach a well bred Catahoula to be protective or aggresive. It is bred into them and it will surface in a flash when needed. You need to protect your dog from getting himself and you in trouble as a puppy in the first year or two by working him on leash so you have control of him. The first and most important things to teach a Catahoula is obedience and ease of handling on leash, and hope he learns to socialize and warm up to people along the way, so he can be worked off leash, and not be a threat to people.

Now, when they find the deer, Catahoulas are often very protective of the kill. They will growl at anyone(excet their master and family), who gets too close to the deer.

A 10 week old puppy and "her" first deer!(same puppy of the previous photo)

They found it, and it is their deer until the master gets there. DO NOT try to over-ride the dogs position if you are not the owner of the dog. He or she is growling to give you fair warning. Back off, or you will get bit!

And, do not fuss at them for being protective. You(if you are the owner of the dog), should leash them and tie them back away from the deer, before the hunter gets there. If you are using your dog to track for someone else's deer, while tracking, I suggest you stay about 20-30 yards behind the dog, and the hunter about 10-30 yards behind you.

If you(or anyone), beat the dog for eating on or protecting the kill(that's her job), you may cause the dog to be afraid of tracking deer again. You can ruin a good blood dog in one night. Also be careful not to let anyone be too harsh on the dog(verbally or physically), for anything wrong(especially for puppies), anywhere around the deer, at the kill site, during transport, or in the skinning shed.

I advise you to let the dog be present at all of the above if possible. Best to tie them up with a cable lead(they can't chew through it), and let them be there in the skinning shed so they can watch and get treats, without the freedom to get in trouble. If you can't control the dog verbally or by tying nearby with a cable lead, and they continue to get in trouble anyway, and be fussed at anywhere around the deer, remove the dog to a secure area away from the deer. What you want the dog to experience is a totally feel good, positive re-enforcement, team work association, any time it is around a dead deer and receive some meat treats at the skinning and Bar-be-que if possible. Reward and praise them constantly in pursuit of and after the recovery of lost deer. A tracker should always be as close as possible to the dog in pursuit of a fresh track, so the dog does not have to check back too often. Then, in case the deer is jumped and charges the dog with his antlers down, be prepared to defend your dog and yourself with a pistol or shotgun when tracking big bucks.(if legally allowed)

If the deer is gutted at the kill site, give the dog some liver on site and save liver, kidneys, heart, sleen and lungs for later. I always let my dogs eat all they want of any innards at the kill site,

A 12 and 16 week old Catahoula puppy in the skinning shed.

and later, they can have everything including head, feet, skin, deboned carcuss, etc. after the deer is processed.

If your dog eats some choic meat when you are not looking, don't fuss too much, because it is not his fault, it is your fault that you left the meat there, where he could get to it, if he wasn't tied. It is very important that the dog be there in the skinning shed, but be secured by lead or in a crate, so they can't get in trouble.

Being too harsh and punishing the dog around a dead deer, could ruin your dogs motivation to find deer in the future. I have seen dogs be turned off to deer permanently, by someone who did not even own the dog, but was pissed to find the dog's head in their ice chest of meat, or being mad at the dog for protecting and growling at them for getting too close to the kill before the dog owner got there.

Dogs often associate rewards and punishment in a much larger picture than we are aware of. This may not apply to other breeds, but it is an important asset in the Catahoula when properly understood, valued, and handled. Please consider that your Catahoula will guard your kill should the cayotes show up and try to muscle in on the kill before you can get there, and Catahoulas are known for tackling and catching a deer by the throat and killing it, if it tries to get up and run should you jump it while tracking blood.

All of these natural abilities to protect and control the final destination of the meat to the leader of the pack(his master), are due to a Catahoulas' loyalty and grit. This may be a dog breed which is way too "high performance" and "aggressive" for most people, but if you think you can handle them, and you like the idea of having a natural protector around as your family pet, they are in my opinion, the ultimate short range, blood tracking dog.

A Blood Trail Dog Testimonial 2 1/2 Months Old?

2011-01-20T11:48:00.007-06:00

This is Valerie at 8 weeks old, a sister to the puppy Sandy bought from me.

Sandy and his son on opening weekend or there abouts.

I delivered Catahoula puppies to Florida a couple of weeks ago and already, I am getting positive reports that these puppies are trying to find the deer and they are only 10, 12 and 16 weeks old!

If he gives me permission to refer people to him as a reference of my Catahoula dogs abilities, I'll put his email and phone number in another post soon.

I'm sure he will be sending me some more photos and testimonials soon.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is the email Sandy sent me.

A friend shot a doe Tuesday evening and called me to bring the puppies. He said he had blood on the arrow but couldn't find a blood trail. I told him to back off and I'll bring the dogs.

We arrived and took the puppies into the site where his arrow was sticking in the ground. All 3 puppies went straight to the arrow and the little brown female (Tracer) took off with her nose down. The others followed close behind.

We found visible blood after about 50 yards and then it was just a drop here and there. The puppies moved thru the block (very thick vegetation) and eventually lost the trail. I couldn't find anymore blood.

We came out of the block on a dim road covered with grass and leaves, I turned them to the left and walked slow watching them work. After about 40 yards all 3 converged on the side of the road, I walked over and found a single leaf with a small drop of blood.

By now we were over 1/4 mile from where the deer was shot. We never found the deer and never found anymore blood.. But for 2 1/2 month old puppies, I can't be more pleased at this point.

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Wow! GOOOOO Sandy!

After Sandy and his son lost a 10 point at the beginning of the season, he called me about purchasing Catahoula puppies to use for blood trail.

We began to talk about getting him some of my puppies as soon as they were old enough to wean, and then the holidays were rolling in, and the puppies were 8 weeks before I could deliver. In the meantime, I am bringing deer blood and carcusses home to start the puppies and I do this for all my puppies no matter the age. The more blood, in the woods or my yard, the better.

The lesson here: do not under-estimate a dogs tracking abilities based upon age or experience or the lack there of.

Have faith in your dog, trust in their superior abilities and give them a chance

.

Bring them to as many blood trails in the woods if it is hunting season, and make as many in your yard as you possibly can, no matter what the age of the dog, work them.

So, when do you start blood trail training? When the pups are about 3 1/2 weeks old.

Start feeding them raw beef, goat, sheep, deer meat, or raw liver, and start hauling them to the woods or fields where you hunt. If it is not hunting season, bring some raw liver to a new location, and a string to drag and make a mock trail. Don't let the puppy see you making the trail. Change locations as much as possible. Or change direction if you are doing this at your feeder and hunting stand, ideally about once a month. The sooner you can make long trails and increase the complexity of the trail, the better.

Create complexities and increase difficulty as in crossing water and making 90' turns or make an intermittant trail.

Here is another thing. Don't just always put dog food in a feed bowl by the back door. Spread out kibble once in a while around the yard or in a field. Make your puppy use his nose to locate food if he wants to eat! Keep it close and compact when they are young and gradually extend the exercise into a hundred yards or more. Make them hunt if they want to eat! If they don't put their nose down to hunt, and follow a line of kibble, they don't eat! Just think about it. It doesn't have to be blood.

And don't forget about using roadkill in the off season to tune up your pups.

This is Marcus de la Houssaye, and I want to remind you;

Be safe, keep it legal, and good luck.

Learning From Our Experiences

2011-01-17T11:22:00.003-06:00

After only one season as a professional blood tracker, I am convinced we deer hunters need to do a little more practice at the paper target in the off season and study deer anatomy and consider shot placement as a serious issue that needs to be addressed by all of us.

OK, here is yours truly admitting that I missed 3 out of 5 shots so far this deer hunting season. OK? I am not pointing blame at anyone. We are in this together.

Now, that I have confessed my own inaccuracies, the last 4 tracks I went on with my dogs were apparently not mortal wounds. OK, so it is not just me that needs better shot placement. More so, we can all learn a lot about tracking wounded deer. This is a learning process, and we would all do well to hunt with our youth and old timers as much as possible, to share the knowledge these old timers bring to the sport.

Hey, I am happy these people who called me were willing to bring in some help and see if the dog could find the deer. We found one, but problem was it got up and ran like a bat out of hell. I believe this deer will survive!

Later I overheard the hunter talking about putting the cross hairs on the shoulder and I thought, "You are supposed to but the cross hairs "behind" the shoulder.

Anyway, apparently John Jeanneney believes as I do that we need to tighten up and work harder to prevent the loss of so many wounded deer during hunting season.

Below is an introduction to his new book.

Dead On! is written for all deer hunters. They need information useful for killing deer quickly, cleanly and humanely, and they need to know the best tactics for finding deer on their own if complications do arise. The book questions many of the traditional assumptions about how to find wounded deer after the shot. John Jeanneney comes to the subject with a fresh perspective based upon his 930 searches with bow and gun hunters to find their deer. He used leashed tracking dogs to follow wounded deer far beyond the hunters’ points of loss, and this yielded more complete information on wounded deer behavior than has been presented by previous authors. Jeanneney presents this information in the form of clear, practical advice to hunters who do not have access to a tracking dog.

If you would like to order his book as I have just done, you can go to his site at:

www.deadonbook.com

and here is a link to a page in the site titled: About This Book

Below is the content from that page

Excerpt from Dead On!

For 34 years I have been tracking wounded deer on a volunteer basis. By the end of 2009 I had gone out on 930 searches with my tracking dogs to help hunters. They had tried everything to find their deer before they called me. We found many of these deer, 253 to be exact, and we usually learned something, even if the deer was not seriously wounded, and we could not catch up to it. This book is written to share with you what was learned during these many days and nights in the woods. You do not need a tracking dog to use this information!

My earlier book, Tracking Dogs for Finding Wounded Deer, describes what the dogs helped me learn about wounded deer behavior. On many occasions the dog’s work allowed us to figure out what the wounded deer had done. As the dog followed the scent line, it pointed out the widely separated bits of visual sign far beyond the hunter’s point of loss. Most of the deer we did not find provided convincing evidence that they were going to survive. Win or lose, the hunter usually felt better after we were finished. Even if we did not have the venison and the antlers, he knew that the deer was not going to waste.

The tracking dog book has sold beyond my wildest expectations, and many of the readers’ comments have echoed these words by Will Elliott: “The abundant wealth of this book lies in what it can do for a hunter before he goes out hunting and wounds a deer. Once a deer has been wounded, Jeanneney’s suggestions become priceless for identifying wound sites and tracking approaches before making that call to a Deer Search volunteer handler. Chapters 12-14 alone would be worth the $24.95 price of this book.”

This new and smaller book is designed to provide that information, and more, for the majority of deer hunters, who do not have the time or the interest to develop a tracking dog for themselves. They simply need information useful for killing deer quickly, cleanly and humanely, and they need to know the best tactics for finding deer on their own if complications do arise.

As you read this book you will see that my work with tracking dogs taught me many lessons that contradict the traditional lore about finding wounded deer. I had the advantage of learning what happened beyond the hunter’s point of loss.

I love to tell and write “deer finding” stories, but too many of these tales can get in the way of presenting clear principles that can be applied in the woods. I want this to be a small book that you can read on the deer stand after 10 AM, once your fingers have warmed up enough to turn the pages. As a former student, and later a teacher, I learned that it is easier to retain information, if you understand why it is true. Without getting into a lot of technical details, I plan to explain the “whys” so that you can remember them, even if your ears are tuned into the forest sounds as you read.

For Those Who Do Not Hunt

This book is written for hunters, but some of those who read it may not be hunters, or may even be anti-hunters. It should be understood that this book does not describe what is typical or routine in deer hunting. The experiences upon which it is based are drawn from 34 years of tracking wounded deer over a region of many New York State counties.

This book deals with the exceptional, unfortunate cases in which deer are wounded and not found. The information is provided in order to help reduce the sad situations described to an absolute minimum. It may seem strange, but sometimes waiting before the tracking begins may actually reduce suffering in the long run.

Those who would use this book as a basis for attacking hunting should realize that an equally disturbing book could be written by an emergency room physician describing about the horrible consequences of automobile travel. In the real world things do go wrong.

Be safe, keep it legal, and good luck in the last few weeks of the season.

A Blood Trail Dog Training Book

2011-01-15T15:59:00.004-06:00

I have been using blood dogs for over 20 years, but only began to look at this as a business a few years ago, with the belief that I could sell blood dogs, as in finished dogs. But too many people are coming with the mistaken belief they can buy loyalty, devotion and servitude which is what motivates a finished working dog to function. So, I began to push started yearling dogs with the belief that a step down from a finished dog might be more marketable to the public.

The truth is my most satisfied group of customers and the easiest for me to deal with is the people who want to come and buy a puppy. These people understand the importance of bonding and building a relationship over time, and plan on having a started dog next season. Although my dogs are well bred, well raised, and experienced on blood, you will never get the service I get unless you earn the dogs trust and loyalty. That takes time and dedication on the part of the deer hunter.

Unfortunately the vast percentage of people who call me inquiring about blood dogs already have a dog that is not getting it. Some of them want another dog as a solution, others think another breed my be an option.

I can't analyse their problem over the phone and be certain that I have a solution, but most people are very pleased to have spoken to me and thank me for the information I shared with them.

This leads me to the present. Perhaps the most important contribution I can make to
fill the void of blood dogs, and bring more working dogs into service is to sell information.

As I am writing this, my website designer is working with a new hosting company, and is creating a new template for www.bloodtraildogs.com and I will be selling a book to teach people how to train a blood tracking dog. Starting with a chapter on raising and early training for puppies, then a chapter on proven blood dog breeds, and I will also sell individual chapters for diet, socialization, how to handle the finished dog in the woods, and advanced training.

Each chapter can be bought individually for $3.95 by electronic download, or you can buy the entire book for $12.95.

All you need is a credit card or Pay Pal account and a computer.

I will also offer to ship a printed copy of the book if that is your only option.

8 Point Down In Palmetto, Louisiana

2011-01-11T12:54:00.002-06:00

1/11/20

I just got a call from a hunter whose wife shot a buck yesterday evening. He was establishing communication with me in the event that he needed me and my blood trailing dogs to find the deer.

She got off 2 rounds before the buck left, and there was evidence of a gut shot and the deer was dragging a leg, which was evidence of a broken leg bone. Looked like this was a terminal situation, but a gut shot is a slow death and the best and most ethical thing you can do to insure that you find the deer in the end and salvage the meat is to give it 12-18 hours to bleed out and die.

This hunter did the right thing: he and his wife walked away, and went home to let the deer die, then returned in the morning to follow the blood trail with 2 locations of laying down with good blood pools and as they followed a good blood trail, for over 150 yards, it appeared the deer had finally went into a thicket.

At this point before he entered the thicket, he called me to discuss and plan on possibly bring in a dog if need be.

We talked about the evidence of a gut shot in the blood trail and I told him I was available if he needed me, and I could be there in about an hour.

But based on what he shared with me I told him that the deer was most likely in the thicket and dead or very weak and be ready to shoot it again if the deer got up.

I aim for a spinal cord shot if possible to drop the deer in it's tracks.

He called me about a half hour later and informed me the deer was found dead about 20 yards into the thicket.

This hunter did everything right.

He flagged the point of impact, analyzed the blood trail, found evidence of a gut shot and backed off to NOT put pressure on the deer and cause it to move.

18 hours later, the deer had died within a reasonable distance from the point of impact, and was actually easy to find, but just in case, he had a professional blood tracker with a dog ready and waiting on call.

He sent me a picture in my phone and if I can load that into the computer, I will share it with you here later.

If you have a large hunting club and plan on killing several deer on the weekends, and anticipate needing a tracker on the lease for a day or the weekend with dogs ready to go, call me and let's get these Catahoulas on some fresh blood.

I would be willing to be there for some gas money and meat. I am not a just a tracker with only one dog. I am a breeder and a trainer, and I have 6 yearlings who are on their first deer season, and need all the experience they can get.

Catahoulas are not hounds with long range and a mouth. Silent on track, and short range runs, checking back often with me if off leash.

Help me get these dogs on as much blood as possible while the season is open.

I am available 24/7 through the archery season which for most of us runs into February. If you plan to finish filling out the doe tags before the season closes, I would love to be there with a couple of my professors and some of the pups. (I use the older dogs to train the pups)

Also call me if you have carcasses to donate to help train my started pups. The more raw deer meat we can feed to them, the sooner they are seasoned, finished trackers.

If you find a deer a day or two later, and the meat is not good, call me and I will go pick it up. I am also interested in any part of the deer you don't want. The more my started dogs are exposed to blood, meat and hides, the better will be their ability to trail, in the future if you need a tracker.

Blood Tracking Dogs Are Not Hard To Find

2010-12-25T16:11:00.000-06:00

Not really, because I am a member of an association of trackers for hire, and I have a yard full of dogs ready to go! I am a breeder and a trainer, so I have dogs of all ages, but I don't sell them in my yard, I train them in my yard, and I sell them in the woods.

I have people calling who want to come to my house and tour my yard, and "see" my dogs. What is the point of looking at dogs if you want a working dog? You need to see them on the job.

Sorry, I don't sell dogs out of my yard, only puppies.
And if you would like references from my many satisfied puppy customers, please ask.

So if you are interested in a started or finished dog, invite me to your lease or hunting camp during deer season, on a weekend when there are several deer being taken and I will show you some blood tracking dogs in action. I will bring finished dogs in case we have a tough track to work, and some started dogs who need to get on as many blood trails as possible during the open season, and puppies. I always have dogs in training, and need places to work them where they can get on multiple tracks even if the deer was already found. Because the deer season is short term, we need to get on as many deer blood trails as possible during the hunting season, and give the new dogs active experiences in as many areas as possible. I also have experienced ready to go finished dogs if you don't want to buy a dog, but need tracking services for hire.

For the most part, I do not sell finished dogs because it gets complicated after a dog is several years old, and is very attached to you.

Just like my experiences with hog dog shoppers, most people(about 95%) call me wanting a finished blood trail dog, assuming they can buy a ready to go, all you need to do is invest money, and voila: you have a working blood tracking dog.
These finished dog shoppers fail to understand the importance of a mutual relationship in the dogs’ functionality. No matter what breed, how well bred, raised, trained, or experienced, a finished dog will always have a big adjustment, going from one person—who they have known and loved all their life—to someone new.
And if they don't know, trust and love you, they won't work for you. If you want to buy a finished dog understand that it will require a lot of time and personal input on your part to develop a relationship of trust
before you will ever get that level of service the dog performed with the original owner.

Not only does that relationship factor make selling finished dogs damn near impossible, I have people calling me who think they can get my 4 year old finished dog for the price of a puppy.

I am telling you here and now: you want a finished dog and you call me with that in mind, please advise me in advance as to how many thousands of dollars you are willing to spend so you are not wasing my time or yours. I put years into a dog, and it is worth thousands. If you don't believe that, you put years of your time, vet bills, and food expenses into a dog and get back to me on this one.

This brings us back to my most satisfied group of customers—the ones who are getting a puppy and raising it, and working on developing that long term relationship early on, and then having a dog that gets better and better year after year.

Apparently common sense is not as common as it once was, and that may be the biggest issue causing people to think finding a blood tracking dog is a hard thing to do. Most people are not looking for a puppy or started dog, because they are accustomed to buying and using complex, ready to go, high tech machines to serve them, and all that is required is a purchase, then you turn it on and it is working for you. But a dog is a living breathing animal with feelings and complex emotional needs, that wants to be loved and accepted, and on a regular, if not daily basis. Dogs want to be part of the family, go where you go, do what you do, sleep in the house, guard you, your wife and kids, and your territory, and that's why, of all the domesticated animals out there, dogs are referred to as man's best friend.

Another thing is every dog has his own style of hunting and unless you know the dog and understand what it is doing, you might try to interfere and make the dog do what you want instead of trusting the dog, and letting it do what it knows it needs to do to find your lost deer. For instance some dogs hunt in circles, cover a lot of ground and should be worked off leash. Others are more straight line and on the blood track, and would work much better on leash if that is a restriction relative to your particular lease or management area. For you to trust your dogs actions in the field you must spend a lot of time getting to know how that dog hunts. As much as you might believe you need to train your dog to trail blood, if it is bred right, and raised properly, as mine are, obedience is the most important part of training, and after that, I suggest you let your dog train you to track blood. Where did we ever come up with this concept that we are smarter than them? You might be surprised how much a dog can teach you.

I have joined the Southern Blood Trackers Association, and we are discussing ways to get more dogs and tracking people into service.

Obviously, hiring us to come out with our experienced blood dogs is the most immediate and practical means for most hunters, to get a dog today. But we need to look ahead, and really plan on having one, or more than one for next season.

By that, I mean getting a puppy now, during hunting season, allowing it to be there in the box stand, and in the skinning shed, and raising it for a year and having it well started by next season. Buy a puppy from me, and I am available for consultation and training exercises in the off season to keep you on track.

Or getting a started dog, and working with it on leash now during the hunting season, and gradually training and evaluating during the off season, so you have one well advanced for next hunting season.

. We, in the blood tracker association, have obstacles that must be overcome to get more dogs into service. We need your help and want to work with you, the deer hunters, hunting clubs, and with government entities to raise the level of public awareness and the importance of the ethics involved with using working dogs to serve as the blood-tracking experts and minimize the effect of lost and wounded animals.

So, many people come into this looking for a finished dog and end up walking away from that pursuit assuming that blood tracking dogs are hard to find. If all you’re looking for is a finished dog, I agree—it’s going to be hard to find, because there are not that many of us breeding raising and training who are willing to sell our best dogs.

Started dogs are very much available, from me personally, but you’re going to have to come up with more than money—you have to prove to me that you qualify to get one of these started dogs.
And what I mean by that is; I am very protective of my dogs who have been with me for a year or more.

Your best bet is to get a puppy and invest time and money—and build a relationship—and as this dog progresses, I am available for consultation, training exercises, and will do anything I can to help bring your puppy into a point of service some day. Send him back to me for a 1 week boot camp at 6 months, for an evaluation and training exercise. Schedule a private class here at my training facility or better yet at your hunting camp or lease for me to work with you and your dog.

If you need blood tracking services for lost or wounded deer, you can call me at 337 298 2630.

Southern Blood Trackers Association

2010-12-19T02:24:00.003-06:00

I am pleased to announce that I have joined a fine organization called Southern Blood Trackers Association.

Scott Hill and Remmy, a Hanovarian Scent Hound, preparing for for a track

Southern Blood Trackers Association was formed by Kevin Lang in Denham Springs, La. to promote the availability and ethics of using blood trailing dogs to find lost and wounded deer. As an avid deer hunter, Kevin has for many years witnessed the wonderful benefits of finding lost and wounded deer with blood trail dogs.

The genesis of this organization arose from the reality that most people who need a blood tracking dog, do not know how to train one nor do they want the year round maintenance of a blood tracking dog, and would prefer to call in an experienced tracker when the need arises.

We have several members who are available and on call 24/7 to drive to your lease or club and locate your deer. Also for the first time in the 2010/2011 hunting season, we are legally allowed to bring blood dogs onto state management areas in the state of Louisiana.

We use Blue Lacy, Catahoula, Lab, Hanoverian Scent Hound, and Bloodhounds for our tracking dogs.

Congratulations to Cliff Weems of Walker, LA for bagging this magnificent buck

Not only is it ethical to use a blood dog to locate lost and wounded deer, you can save time and heartache. Imagine the frustration of a young hunter, taking his first buck and losing it all in the same day.

Below is a true story of one such event that may not have had a happy ending if it wasn't for a blood tracking dog.

Dakota was 13 years old last year when he took this, his first buck, and has been hunting since he was about six having taken many does. But, last year he decided he wanted a buck, and started letting does walk by.

On December 23, 2009 at 5:00pm he took this buck, but was unable to find any evidence of a hit, no hair, no blood, nothing, and was getting aggravated when his dad told him to go get the blood dogs, and things started looking up for Dakota.

Tee Boy and Jazz started hunting for the deer, and after about 15 or 20 minutes, Tee Boy started slowing down, and his dad asked Dakota; "Are you by Tee Boy?" "Yes sir, HERE HE IS DAD, HERE HE IS DAD, Tee Boy FOUND HIM DAD, GOOD BOY, Tee Boy, GOOD BOY, Tee Boy". Good things come to those who wait and have the availability of an expert tracking dog to save the day in the end. CONGRATULATIONS DAKOTA

You can get the whole story as told by his dad, Kevin if you go to the brag page here:
http://southernbloodtracker.com/Bragging_Rights.html

I Marcus de la Houssaye, am located in the Lafayette area and will travel to the Texas state line, and available throughout the deer season for tracking services. I can be reached at 337 298 2630.

Ruby, and Bubbles a Catahoula puppy on her first deer

If I am not available, you can contact Kevin at 225 963 0027 and perhaps he can dispatch one of the other trackers to serve you such as:

Scott Hill and his dog Remmy a Hanoverian Scent Hound

Good luck, keep it legal, and please make every effort to be safe while on stand and anywhere in the woods.

A 6 Point Down With A Good Blood Trail

2010-12-18T05:53:00.001-06:00

Got a call from a hunter just up the road who needed a blood dog to locate a deer downed with a good blood trail.

Problem was the blood stopped after about 100 yards.

Got there about 3 hrs. after the shot, and my dog jumped the deer, led us across the cut over, through a dry swamp, across a large hayfield, another dry swamp, and after about 1 mile, going into a thicket where we knew there were hunters on stand.

I then discovered my dog got cut on her paw and was bleeding real good. Took her back to the truck, got another couple of dogs out,
and worked the area around the shot and went on past the blood trail, just in case the deer we jumped(which was really moving) was not the same deer shot that morning.

It would appear that in spite of good blood sign, after six hours down and the fact that this deer moved more than a mile after we jumped him, this was not a mortal wound.

No luck, and tomorrows another day.

If you need a blood dog, I am willing to travel about 100 miles one way, I live in the Lafayette area, my cell phone is 337 298 2630.

Staying On Track

2010-12-16T20:41:00.002-06:00

I got an invite to hunt in St. Francisville, La. this week and brought a truck load of young dogs to allow them to run down some blood trails and learn the ropes. Along with the young dogs who were learning, I brought along a few of the "professors".

There appears to be a lot of articles and forum posts coming out on the internet with a lot of different opinions as to "How to train a blood tracking dog". And for someone researching the internet to try to learn from all these conflicting opinions, it can get frustrating to know which way to go. Now bear in mind, I have a lot of dogs of varying ages to work with, so I know that what I am about to propose doesn't fit as a solution for most peoples predicament of starting a training program for a new and unexperienced dog.

Very important to get young dogs on a hot fresh trail as soon as possible because there is a long and steady process of becoming a great dog someday. And I am talking years, but why not use the years already in an old dog to set an example for a young one?

As complicated as it is for us to follow a blood trail visually, it is much more complicated for a dog, because their ability to scent is so profound, and a young dog can get distracted and confused easily by so many different scents in the woods. Laying blood trails in the yard, can get too easy and you need to take them to the woods as soon as possible, and with an older trained dog if you can.

The more experience they have the better to learn to differentiate and unravel the puzzle leading to the dead deer.

Experienced dogs learn to follow the deer with the "blood scent" and not get side tracked.

Good idea to use an old experienced dog to set a good example for a young dog. And on that note, I must admit, "I" don't train my young dogs as much as my old dogs do.

I take young started dogs to kill sites and let them discover the blood on their own if possible, if not, I lead them to the point of impact or "first blood" as we say and get them started, but try to stand back as much as possible so they are not following me.

If they are interested, I give them as much time to anylyse the scent as they need. Never try to rush an upstart on a new location! Dogs are naturally curious about scents. We "see" the world, and dogs "smell" the world.

I like to turn out a young dog, and evaluate their progress, and if they find the deer, great. If not, I then go get the older, more experienced dog to show them how it is done. As much as we might like to take credit for training a young dog, there is no better teacher than an old dog to take a blood trail to the next level and teach a young dog to not quit!

But... it can get much more complicated than that, as you will see in the article below.

Here is an exerpt of an excellent article in a great website at United Blood Trackers.org

The title is: Staying on the Right Line
written by By John Jeanneney © 2005
It is copyright protected and shared here for your pleasure,
I sure enjoyed reading it and I hope you do too.

I remember once we were tracking or trying to track a leg-hit deer in dry, dusty snow. We could see the tracks all right, but it was an averaged-sized deer running with a small herd of other average sized-deer; there was not enough track definition in the loose snow to tell which deer was which. Clary the tracking dachshund was the only one who knew what she was doing.

The tiniest drop of blood would have shown up on that pristine white snow, but there wasn’t any blood at all. One deer cut off and left the rest, and that was the one that Clary followed. Trust your dog! We followed and the long tracking leash kept us together. After a hundred yards we saw one drop of blood. Of course the dog knew the scent of that individual deer.

A tracking dog often has to deal with cross trails where a deer has been dragged out of the woods. Even young dogs learn to handle this pretty well. There was one case last year that was tougher than this.

Aunt Sabina dachshund was tracking behind her young nephew Alex. There was some tidying-up to be done, but basically we let the young dog do the work. I wrote a year ago about how disappointed Alex and the hunters all were when we tracked up to a still-warm pile of guts. It was from a paunch shot deer just like the one we had been tracking. The only one in our group who understood the situation was Sabina. She trailed past the pile of guts, went another 50 yards into real thick stuff, and there was the deer we had been trailing, also shot in the paunch.

If you would like to read the article in its entirety the link is here:

http://www.unitedbloodtrackers.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=68&Itemid=8

If you need to call me for blood tracking services, to purchase a dog or puppy, or for consultation, my cell phone is: 337 298 2630

Good Time To Buy A Puppy For Next Year's Deer Season

2010-12-10T11:30:00.002-06:00

Plan to hunt next year? How about be ready to have a blood dog working for you by buying a puppy now.

This is Scarlet and Cutty Dark's puppies. Born 11 15, 2010

Are Blood Dogs Becoming Deer Hunters New Best Friend?

2010-12-06T13:20:00.006-06:00

As a hog hunter, I am painfully aware that dogs will serve us no matter what we ask of them, even to the point of putting themselves in harms way and risking their life. But that kind of service comes only after we have developed a good relationship with them. Hog hunting the way we do it is not a chase and shoot scenario, but a catch and tie, and that requires teamwork with a man and his dog.

I hunted federal lands this past weekend where dogs are not allowed during deer hunting. I needed to go there to hunt with a friend of mine who lives nearby and I wanted to speak to the enforcement agents about the use of blood dogs on management areas.

Turns out this year, the state of Louisiana has passed a new rule about dogs being allowed on state areas, but that didn't apply to this federal owned property we were on this past weekend.

So the blood dog stayed in the kennel, in the truck, while I walked in with my climbing tree stand on my back.

I found a real nice spot which was flooded this time last year, but was now a dry slough. You can see the dark high water mark on the base of the trees.

Didn't need to look very far and found fresh sign.

Buck and doe tracks, and real fresh droppings,

so I set out some scent wafers and started looking for a tree to climb.

Turns out I didn't need to pack in my climbing tree stand, because I found a large Live Oak tree that had fallen over the slough and I was able to easily climb into it and have a natural stand up in the branches with a great view of the slough on both sides and be very safe and comfortable.

I have done this type of hunt many times in the past and always enjoyed the solitude and oneness with nature. But I must admit that I am getting spoiled and really do enjoy hunting in a box stand a lot more with a dog in the stand with me. Not just for the benefit of his nose being there when I need it, he is companionship, during those long hours we sometimes spend in the course of still hunting, it is nice to be there with a friend.

Now, to be in a box stand with a dog and be effective in bringing home the venison, this is not just any dog, but one that is very cooperative and calm while waiting.

It can't be a dog that is begging for your attention or is moving around and making noise. It has to be a dog that is accustomed to being in your presence on a regular basis, and is well behaved.

Jesse was with me on opening day, in a box stand when I had a shot at a doe and missed. At about 125 yards, I had a pretty good idea where the deer had passed between two points and when I got down with my dog to look for blood, I knew exactly where the trail was, because the dog went on up in front of me and made a 90 degree turn on a game trail and was real excited when he hit the fresh deer scent. So I examined the area along this trail for about 50 yards and no blood. I didn't have to waste time looking for blood, and wondering if I was on the right trail. I knew by the dogs behavior that I was on the hot trail, and I had missed the shot.

So we went back to the stand and settled in to wait for another opportunity.

To be in a stand with a blood dog is a whole new way of hunting for me and a lot of people are immediately resistant to the very idea, as was I when my friends told me they were doing it, but it is a great way to really get your dog tuned in to what his job is as a blood dog.

It is also right where he wants to be, sleeping at my feet, ready to serve me. That time spent in the blind, builds relationship. I suggest you spend some time there in the off season with the dog to evaluate if he is ready to be a part of your full time hunting team.

Work with him in the off season to acclimate him to the program of being quiet and still while on the hunt, so he doesn't disrupt your success during hunting season.

You may believe that you can find a finished, ready to go blood dog and be ready to use him to find deer without investing time in him, but you cannot buy a relationship and the service that follows, you must earn it.

No matter what breed, how well raised as a puppy, and even more important than the training and past experience, the success you have with your blood dog will be in relation to the bond you share as best friends.

The quote below says it all.

A TRIBUTE TO A DOG:

The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog.

A man's dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness.

He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master's side.

He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer; he will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounter with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince.

When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the Heavens. ~ George Best, 1870

If you need a good blood dog,

I suggest you consider the wisdom of buying a puppy now, and by this time next year, if you are worthy of your investment in the dog, he will work for you.

There is no excuse for us to lose so many dead and wounded deer during hunting season as we have in the past. New laws are allowing the use of blood dogs in about a dozen states just this year, which until now forced us to accept that we would lose more deer than we found. We can now save time, and be much more conservative with our wildlife resources, because the law allows it.

All we need is man's best friend.

www.bloodtraildogs.com

If you want a telephone consultation to talk about it,

I can be reached at 337 298 2630.

You Can Teach An Old Dog New Tricks

2010-12-02T21:29:00.002-06:00

I have been finding a lot of very positive news and info about the growing interest, acceptance and use of blood dogs.

For instance where I live here in Louisiana this is the first year that we are allowed to bring blood dogs into a state management area during deer season. I thought I would have to go to the capital and fight for that one! Wow!

Also about a dozen states just lifted the ban on using dogs to track wounded and lost deer. This is exciting.

A great online magazine called Whitetail News is the source of a lot of real good info on hunting, and excellent products like food plot seed and mineral supplements. In there I found a great testimonial of a six year old Labrador Retriever trained by Michael Veine, who went on his first real trail after rain had washed away all sign and went right to the trophy buck in a matter of minutes. You can read the entire article if you click on the link here:
http://www.whitetailinstitute.com/info/news/nov05/4.html

Or...

In case you can't go there via the link, I will give you the testimonial here:

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I put Shrike’s tracking skills to the test for the first time when I arrowed a huge buck in a remote, Upper Peninsula cedar swamp. The buck was hit just before dark and unfortunately it started raining soon after the shot, so the visible blood trail was washed away and I couldn’t follow it. I knew the hit was good, but the area was so infested with coyotes, wolves and bears that leaving the deer overnight would have been extremely chancey.

Returning later with Shrike, I really didn’t know what to expect. I led him to where I hit the deer and commanded to him, “Find the deer.” With his nose to the ground, he immediately started pulling me in the direction where the deer had run off. He progressed steadily and, in just a couple minutes, Shrike was sniffing my dead buck. Shrike died last summer but he left a legacy of recovering many deer for me and other hunters. I now have a new lab pup named Harry. He’s being trained to hunt birds and recover deer just like his predecessor. With any luck, Harry will aid me in my deer hunting successes for years to come.

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Important to note that this dog was a bird dog and a blood dog too. So many hunters mistakenly believe that a working dog should only do one thing in order to not be confused. I believe the more things a dog can do the better, because deer season is a short season and a really intelligent hard working dog, kinda goes nuts in the off season, if they are not focused on a regular job allowing them to express their working abilities on a full time basis.

As evidenced by Shrike's first time success, you too may be surprised to discover that you already own a dog that is very capable of being your best friend during deer season. Given a little training and a chance to help, your bird dog, guard dog, or maybe even Momma's little lap puppy may be waiting for a opportunity to learn a new trick.

How Important Is Breeding?

2010-11-30T12:09:00.004-06:00

A couple of years ago I bought www.bloodtraildogs.com as a domain name and built a site to sell my Catahoulas as blood dogs. And because the Catahoula is versatile, has a good nose, is a hard working, eager to please it's master kind of breed, they are an excellent candidate for a blood dog.

What I learned from talking to people who called me through that site was that most people who want a blood dog, don't know how to train and handle working dogs, because we have become mechanized and industrialized in the last half century, and thus lost touch with working animals like horses and mules. Most people who called me about dogs they already had, were using bird dogs, such as pointers and labs, hounds and curs, and as breeds these were good dogs, but they couldn't get them to fire off, and thought that maybe they needed another breed. I think a lot of their problem was expecting too much too soon and the dogs just needed more time.

Now on the other hand, I have seen puppies six months old that were getting it, but they had been running training drills since they were weaned.

If you think you are going to find a breed that is a natural and not need time to repeat the drill again and again in training, good luck. No matter how well breed, you will need to put time into training. Some are easier than others.

I am a breeder and trainer of the Louisiana Catahoula, and as far as I am concerned they are the ultimate blood dog, so you could assume that I am prejudiced to that breed, but the truth is, I believe that most people do not need an elite, high performance breed of dog like a Catahoula to do blood trail work, because if you let the wounded deer bleed out and get weak or die before putting pressure on them your blood dog is usually following a trail that is only a few hundred yards long, and most breeds are capable of following blood if the circumstances are not too extreme.

By extreme, I mean crossing rivers, and going long distances like a mile or more. So if you are hunting in a place with a lot of water, or looking to buy a dog for a hunting club where you will encounter a lot of variables, a well bred working breed such as a lab or a cur, makes a lot of sense.

I believe based upon my experience as a breeder, in dealing with the public, most people cannot handle an elite, high performance breed of working dog, unless that dog has a regular job, to consume it's naturally high level of energy and so the best dog for most people who are shopping for a blood dog is quite possibly the dog that is already at their house as the family pet, and I don't care what breed it is. You might consider giving your lap puppy a try. I am not trying to talk you out of buying a started Catahoula if you think you can handle it, but a lot of people think they can buy a well bred, finished dog and invest no time in it and it will work for them.

Catahoulas are especially sensitive to the relationship factor, and that often takes time for a dog raised by someone else, to warm up to a new owner.

I say this because no matter how well bred, raised, and trained a dog is, especially if it is a Catahoula, that dog may not hunt for you until it knows you or as we say "warms up to you". For some dogs it may take months to relax around certain people.

The dog you have at home, already should be obedient to your program, want to go everywhere you go and travel well. To get a new dog that is already trained and experienced, or a new breed of dog, as a solution for finding lost deer, may be a very good idea, but finding one that is already well bred, raised, trained and experienced, will none the less, still need to be socialized and all this not only sounds expensive to me, and you will still need to invest time too. Finished dogs requiring no input of your time, quite frankly are, I am sure, hard to find. The high performance working breeds such as pointers, labs, and curs, are by their very nature, going to require and need more time being put into them in training and socialization, to make them easy to handle and not diminish that high level of hunting performance when on a leash. Although some dogs will drag you down a blood trail on leash, others for some reason will not hunt until unleashed. Ultimately, after years of experience, the dog should be able to be off-leash and work with you.

I prefer to work off-leash, but there are times when you are in an area with restrictions and you must have the dog on leash and certain breeds have so much hunting abilities and drive that you can't turn them loose, or you will loose them.

Just like certain breeds have unique qualities, also certain dogs no matter what breed, are in their own way unique and should be treated with respect of individuality.

Too many people are operating under the assumption that breeding is everything, and given the right breed, with a good nose, the dog will hunt. Well, maybe.

I have had several calls from people with Bloodhounds, who were still shopping for a blood dog because the bloodhounds were not getting it. A couple of the customers had young dogs, and I believe were expecting too much too soon, but several had mature dogs that were trailing blood just fine and finding deer, but...were too big and hard to handle, or too aggressive and prone to running live unwounded deer.

In essence, because of the breed, they had too much dog for the job. Think about it, do you really think you need or, want a 120# dog dragging you through the briars on a deer's scent trail that is not even the wounded, bleeding deer you shot? Another thing about a bloodhound; you better keep them on a leash so you can keep up with em, and if you have to turn them loose, never turn them loose without a tracking collar. I like a dog that works close and repeatedly checks back with me if it is not on a leash.

That is common with a Catahoula, but the hound breeds, tend to range out farther and have a drive that can go on for hours and for miles without looking back. And on that note, no matter what breed you go with, I recommend you invest in a tracking system, and always work your dog with a tracking collar, in season and off, so no matter how far, how fast it is moving, or what direction your dog takes, you know where the dog is, and can determine what plan to follow. No matter what breed you go with, tracking collars will save you a lot of time and guess work.

Another thing about certain breeds, and proper handling, is for the aggressive breeds such as Catahoulas and Pit Bulls which are short range and prone to catch and fight with a deer if it is not dead when they catch up to it,
I recommend you work your dog with a tracking collar and a protective vest.

The dog above is wearing a protective vest which was orange when it was new and clean. Not only is blaze orange easy for you to keep track of, but for the safety of your dog, just like us, don't you think a dog should be wearing orange during rifle season for deer for the same reason we do? The plastic coated wire sticking up behind the dogs head is the antenna on the tracking collar. If you hunt around as much water as we do here in south Louisiana, you might also consider buying a vest that is not only orange in color, but has floatation built into it. A good blood dog will not hesitate to hit the water in pursuit of a bloodied deer. I have driven the swamp in a boat, in the middle of the night, and picked up dogs on huge floating cypress logs that were a mile or more away from land. A floatation vest also has the benefit of insulation against the cold of winter.

Now does breed matter? Yes, of course it does, especially if you don't have enough hunt in the dog to cause it to work off of natural instincts to start with. But it can go the other way, and also have way too much hunt and be a pain in the ass to handle in the woods, because it is dragging you around on a leash, or if you turn it loose, it is gone because it is a too long range a dog to be a blood dog. Not to mention the problems that comes with keeping a working dog happy, healthy, and under control when it is not hunting season.

I like a dog that not only has a lot of hunt in the genetics, but is also easy to handle in the woods come hunting season, and is not a pain in the ass to live with all year.

No matter what breed, to have a good dog come hunting season, you must spend time, and haul this dog around with you during the off season. If it is a working dog, it needs to get out and do things with you so it can just be a dog in the woods with no pressure on it, and so it does not go crazy on a chain or in a kennel full time during the off season. Not only to fine tune the dogs obedience, and ease of handling, but to allow the dog to be evaluated in the woods, and get comfortable with the routines and program. Especially when you go squirrel hunting in October or scouting for sign, and to mow grass on the lease, or to fill the deer feeders. Bring the dog, and allow it to get to know the place where you hunt, the truck, the boat, ATV, horses, other hunters and the routes to and from, so they can get comfortable in the pre-season and know the routine when it is time to get to work.

No matter what the breed, you will need to get to know that dog individually, as a unique personality, and try to work with the dogs personal nature. All dogs, no matter what breed are neuvophobic, and what that means is; they are scared of anything new. They need to visit a new place a few times to get accustomed to it.

I like a Catahoula that pulls, because as a breeder, I am looking for a dog with natural drive, but there is a limit or balance of qualities that makes a dog a great one when it comes to working a blood trail. You not only want a dog with natural hunting drive, you want a dog that is easy to handle, and ultimately can work with you off-leash and on. For a dog, to effectively work off leash they should be checking back with you from time to time, and know to bark when they find the deer, but be silent on track the rest of the time. Most hound dogs do not check back, and can't keep their mouth shut if on a scent. I like a dog silent on track because it does not alert the deer to our approach. And... if the deer is not dead when we approach, and I can get close enough to get another shot without the deer getting up to run, great! Then again if the deer does get up and run, a pitbull or Catahoula often will try to stop a deer on the move by biting it on the throat and taking it down. Although some people use open mouth hound dogs to trail, I prefer a silent on track dog for the simple reason that I do not want to alert everyone in the woods when I am trailing.

A Catahoulas short range, intelligence, adaptability, devotion, and diversity of service can be a good standard or measure of a great blood dog, but extreme patience is required on your part to get them there, and that may take years to achieve no matter what the breed. But a Catahoula should not be the standard by which a good blood dog is measured, because the standard should be based on performance not breeding.

The standard, no matter what the breed, should be a balance of hunt and handle, and by handle I mean the hunters ability to control the dog by leash or verbal commands. Many people are intrigued by my ability to verbally handle so many dogs and so effectively. But I know how to talk to a dog and relate to them through their body language, and if I raise them up from puppies, and we have plenty of time to develop a relationship allowing me to work my dogs off-leash and have total control. If you are not familiar with high performance breeds like bird dogs and curs, you may need to consider finding an easier breed of dog to train and handle, and focus on training and diet to fine tune the dogs natural hunting abilities.

Far too many people are overlooking the fact that they have a family pet that already has a relationship with them and may work just fine given the right diet and training to figure out that following the blood is the name of the game.

A Blood Trail Dog Testimonial

2010-11-22T17:06:00.005-06:00

I just got a call today from a hunter who shot and lost a 10 point buck and searched on his hands and knees in a cane patch for over 8 hours and then came back the next day with a experienced blood dog and the dog found the deer in a half hour after he started looking.

Most interesting part was after over 24 hours the meat wasn't good, but the very impressive mount was found and salvaged because a day and a half after the shot, the extended time frame didn't diminish the scenting ability of the dog to do its job.

I will get his story in his own words and post that testimonial ASAP.

After we have given up and gone home, thinking there is no way; a dog can come behind us and save the meat and make it a good day.

With a blood dog you will not only save meat, you will save time. We track visually, and it is very time consuming and easy for us to lose a blood trail visually and ultimately, to lose a deer. Even one stuck like a pig and gushing blood, can suddenly stop bleeding or go to water and start to swim and stop the visable blood trailing, making it nearly impossible for us to continue to follow via a blood trail.

But a blood dog is not hurt by a little rain washing away the visual trail or even a deer swimming often doesn't stop a good dog, because a dog is scent trailing not sight trailing.

If you would like to learn more about how I train my Catahoula dogs to trail blood, you can visit my site at:

www.bloodtraildogs.com

or to learn more about the Catahoula breed, you can click the link here to my Catahoula site: www.catahoula.ws.

If you would like to call me, my cell phone is 337 298 2630

If you like what I am writing here, check back, I should have a book published soon.

And next time you or your friends are skinning out a deer, catch some fresh blood in a bucket or tub, and lay out a trail nearby, then see if your family pet is interested in finding out what is at the end of the trail.

You may be surprised to find your family pet is a natural born blood dog.

Breeding, raising, training, socializing, handling

2010-11-17T08:43:00.004-06:00

For as long as I have hunted White tailed Deer, I have had blood dogs, because I had the dogs before I started hunting in 1986. What I didn't know at the time I started hunting was that my dogs were going to be very useful in terms of increasing my success compared to people who didn't have dogs.

A couple of years ago, so many people began buying my puppies to raise them up to be blood dogs and people started calling looking for started dogs, that I considered there might be a business niche in blood dogs. So I began to research the market and discovered that there was a serious problem out there that most people accept as "that's how it is".

The problem is we are shooting and losing more deer than we find. I first got that "estimated" proposal from state Wildlife and Fisheries biologists, and I didn't believe it. Then I set up a website at www.bloodtraildogs.com and started getting calls from people all over the country, and they confirmed the problem of lost and wounded deer as being a "major" problem.

I believe my reluctance to accept the proposal was based upon the fact that "I" have lost very few deer in my life, but that is me, with my dogs. When people started calling and sharing their failures of the last hunting season, I could see the problem was big, but not unsolvable. The real problem at this point as far as I can see, is people have accepted that shooting and losing more deer than you find is "how it is". But it doesn't have to be this way, not if you own and know how to use a blood dog.

I don't care if the blood stopped or the deer crossed water, a blood dog will 9 times out of 10 amaze you at how persistent and effective they can be when it comes to finding lost, wounded, and dead deer.

Breeding, raising, training, socializing, handling and the last aspect of major importance is diet. All of these are important subjects to study in using and training blood dogs, but the most important is diet, which could be in the category of handling, but is so huge, I want to put it in a category all its own.

The handling of a blood dog in the woods, on a blood trail, is very critical, but more importantly, how you handle or relate to the dog in raising as a puppy and obedience in everyday situations will determine how well that dog ultimately performs for you in the woods when on a blood trail. So, handling will be broken down in two parts; the handling of the dog leading up to the blood trail, and the handling after you get to blood.

If your dog is not obedient and submissive to your authority before you get to blood, the dog may not work at all on blood, because it may be rebeling and acting up and want to play. You should teach your dog to be obedient and well behaved before you ever get to blood, and know the difference between work and play. The puppy or dog should understand when on leash, it is time to work, and when off leash time to play. In time, an experienced dog can be worked off leash if you have verbal control of them.

As much as I prefer to work my dogs off leash, I have to advise you to train and start to work your dogs on leash because you have total control, and there will be times when that is the only way you can use them and the dog needs to be comfortable with that application too. In time, as you have a better verbal handle on your dog, you can start to work them off-leash and evaluate what works best for you and your dog.

The thing about a leash is it puts the dog in a relationship with you in which it is completely subjective to your control. Ultimately if you develop a relationship where you can effectively control your dog off-leash like I do, you can use your dog that way too, but for now, I am writing this as if everyone reading it, is a novice and is just starting out training a puppy or completely green and unexperienced dog.

There is two sides to handling a blood dog. Obviously, what you do in the woods on a blood trail is important, but the relationship you build with the dog before you ever lead them to blood is more important than the handling of the dog when you get to the blood trail. It is more important for the simple fact that no matter how well bred, raised, trained, and experienced a dog is, if you don't have a relationship that motivates that dog to serve you, they may not hunt for you.

About half the people who call me for blood dogs want a finished ready to go dog, that will not only find deer, but be perfectly well behaved. The problem with that perception is that I can train a dog to listen to me and it does so because it is obedient based upon our relationship, not the training. If I train the dog it will listen to me and most likely only me. If you want the same level of performance from your dog as I get, you need to invest time. No way around it. No matter how smart, obedient and well trained a dog is, the performance of that dogs working abilities is based more upon a personal relationship with you than training or breeding.

many people think, that a good dog will work for anyone, anywhere, anytime, and if it doesn't work it is not a good dog or may be it was not properly "trained" or experienced enough.

Now I know what they are thinking, if you spend enough money, you can "buy" loyalty, trust, devotion, motivation and love. But the truth is these things can't be bought, they must be earned. And it is between you and the dog. You must prove that you can be trusted to back the dog up. Now this is why raising a puppy is such a good idea, because you have to invest time, no way around it. The problem with raising a puppy is so many people who want "fast food" results when raising and training a dog is expecting too much to soon. I say let the dog be a puppy for two years. Meaning don't expect a puppy to act, think, and perform on the level of a seasoned dog.

I get this with my hog dog customers so much, that it shouldn't surprise me here with the blood dog business. People want to invest money and "no time".

They want to buy instant gratification, but fail to grasp that a working dog is part of a team that functions as a unit, and that unit or tribe, or family, or wolf pack, must be formed over time. You will get out of your dog relative to what you invest in time.

It seems that American consumers are programed to buy what they need and have lost touch with the reality of using working animals. Dogs are not tools, games, or machines designed to entertain or serve us, and then be left hanging on the wall or sitting on the shelf, or stored in the backyard shed until until we need them again. They operate on a natural instinct to be part of a pack of wolves and want to go everywhere you go and be there to help with any problem that arises.

If you spend time socializing your dog and developing a relationship of love and trust, then feed your dog a raw meat diet, and finally bring your dog to a blood trail, "when it is hungry", your dog may be a "natural" when it comes to blood trailing. Now I will discuss the handling of a blood dog on trail later, but if you do not connect with your dog as a friend or "pet", and properly handle(relate) to them "before" you lead them to blood, don't be surprised if they won't hunt for you, when you get to the woods.

Too many people are calling me, needing a dog to trail blood, and they already have Bloodhounds and Labradors that aren't working, so they think the solution is to get another dog, or mabe another breed. A lot of this appears to be the hunter is expecting too much too soon because the dog is still a puppy. But what do you do in the meantime, when you got a deer bloodied and down somewhere and the dog is not going the distance?

Maybe what they need is a new plan from the get go. Maybe the deer hunter needs to be trained, and not the dog. So that is where this publication comes in. I am offering deerhunters an opportunity to increase their hunting success by finding more deer with the help of mans best friend; the family dog.

In the mean time before my book is published, I may be able to satisfy your short term needs of locating lost deer if you can call me and we can get together for a hunt so you can see how these dogs work and maybe match you up with a started dog.

If the drive is not too far from Lafayette, LA where I live, I would be glad to go with some dogs and help locate your deer. If you are frustrated that you don't have a blood dog this season and can't afford a started dog, buy a puppy now, and be ready for next season.

I can be reached by cell phone at 337 298 2630. I am Marcus de la Houssaye.

Hunting Season Is In Full Swing

2010-11-09T03:13:00.008-06:00

It is Friday afternoon, and time to drive across the Mississippi River,

and into Baton Rouge to pick up my daughter after school.

Tomorrow will be her first ever deer hunt and she is excited.

Last weekend, while in north Louisiana, I got a shot at a doe.

This weekend, we look forward to doing it again, and maybe even better than opening day last week.

My Indian girl is already at my house to dog sit the animals while Christina and I are out of town. This may turn into an overnighter.

The dogs are exited too, because they know what is about to happen!

After a long and pleasant drive into north Louisiana, we drive through Gibsland,

the home of The authentic Bonnie and Clyde Museum.

We are hunting on a lease in an oil and natural gas field, and what that means is there are great roads and shooting lanes everywhere.

Jesse and I put out the scent wafers and have a look around.

Looking pretty good!

Interesting tracks in the peas, chicory, and rye. My bet is they will be visiting this again soon.

Time for us to get in the box stand.

It is isn't long, and I am talking about 15-20 minutes, and I let two does go by, and then a herd of pigs line up to eat at the corn.

Toward the end of the day this nice yearling buck came out and stood in the rye grass.

Then back to the house, and hang him up and start catching some blood!

Although I didn't need the blood dogs to find this deer because it didn't run far, that is usually not the case, but this one was a knockdown. He died less than 40 yards from the rye grass where I shot him.

As I skin and wash the carcass, I like to place a bucket or tub under the deer and catch the blood and water to lay out a mock trail on the back of the property, and into the woods.

This is a good time to let the new puppies who were born after deer season earlier this year become acquainted with fresh deer blood and hang around and get some treats.

Always allow new puppies or started dogs to explore new things on their own. Never try to force a puppy or started dog to get into blood unless they are motivated by natural curiousity or better yet hunger.

Allow them to have a taste of the innards,

and begin to use some of the bloody water to lay out a mock trail right there near the processing.

You want a young or started dog to get very comfortable and relaxed around the smell of blood. For this reason, never let a puppy explore a processing site unless you are certain there are no dominate dogs that might be guarding the kill, and jump on the new dog. That would cause the new dog to be on guard around blood, rather than going to look for it. Remember: Blood trailing is a process, where by, the dog uses it's nose to end it's hunger. A blood dog is not looking for blood, they are looking for meat, and they are going to use their nose to get there. Puppies are always hungry, so start them young by sharing in the kill and giving them some little treats when it is skinning time.

What you want to instill in a new or started dog is the understanding that blood trails lead to food. And believe me, a blood trail that leads to a belly full of tasty tender venison, leaves a very strong impression, when that young dog gets there and his belly was empty to start with.

Initially, in training and motivating a young blood dog, you can use their hunger to drive them to follow a blood trail. In time, even if your five year old, finished, and well experienced blood dog has a full belly, they will hunt for you because they know the drill, having done it again and again for several years.

If you would like to call me for consultation, my cell phone number is 337 298 2630.

I am a breeder and trainer of The Louisiana Catahoula. If you are interested in learning more about the breeds natural working abilities, visit the link below:

www.bloodtraildogs.com

If you think the Catahoula breed is right for you,and are maybe considering buying a puppy or a started dog, you can visit my main sites and get more information about the breed and my dogs at:

www.catahoula.ws

Please be aware; a Catahoula is versatile, intelligent and adaptable. They were and still are, being bred to work. If you need a blood dog, you couldn't ask for a better breed, because they are short range and eager to please, but you better be ready to find work for them in the off season, because they will go nuts if you try to lock them up for months on end. Or worse, you give them too much freedom, and they drive you nuts, dragging off your shoes, or the neighbors trash, or just being puppies and tearing up landscaping, fencing, lawn furniture, and your kids new toys!

The "old-timers" have always warned me; the best dogs you will ever have, always will be the ones that gave you the most trouble as puppies.

Haul them around early on to the camp, fishing, trail rides, camping, etc. Get them as acclamated to every facet of deer hunting as possible, including bringing them into the box stand as a puppy.

And haul them to aged blood trails, seasoned kill sites, gut piles, and if your nieghbor or family is skinning a deer, ask if you can bring your puppy or started dog in for a taste of the blood, even days after the blood was left there, and evaluate your dogs interest. The smell of blood lingers for days even after a good rain washes away all visible evidence of blood, a strong scent should linger. So to get your dog accustomed to distinquishing between old blood and new blood, visit places where blood may have been left a few days or even a week later and observe your dogs reaction to this area where you know there was blood recently. This not only reinforces your dogs understanding of what you want her to do, ie; find blood, it allows you to evaluate where your dogs progress is at, if you are in training.

Bear in mind that it is very important that your dog know the difference between a seasoned trail and a fresh blood trail, because you may kill several deer from the same stand in the same week. That means there may be several places where a fresh blood trail crosses a seasoned trail, and unless a dog is well experienced and a seasoned or as we say "finished" blood dog, they may get confused, and lose the fresh trail, by jumping on to the blood trail left there a few days before.

No matter how much money you spend on a finished, well experienced dog, you will need to invest some time too. A "finished dog" is never finished learning and is in my opinion, always getting better over time. However, like the hog dog business, it appears most people think they can just up and spend money on a dog and invest no time what so ever and the dog better hunt or "it" is no good. What is no good for serious breeders and trainers is dealing with customers who have unrealistic expectations such as expecting a dog to work for them that does not have a relationship with that person. Dogs are not a machine that you can turn off, or a tool you can hang on the wall until you need it. They are living, breathing, creatures who get their feeling hurt if they are neglected for too long of a period of time.

Perhaps it requires too much patience or even too much planning on your part, but you can't get around spending time, with a puppy. And you may never be able to buy the bond that comes from raising a puppy from weaning.

Do you want to have a good blood dog by next season and don't have a lot of money to spend, buy a puppy now. Don't have a blood dog now? And can't afford to spend thousands of dollars on a finished dog? Well let me ask you this; do you plan to hunt next year? My puppies start at $150. The ultimate performance of a blood dog is not so much the result of your training abilities as much as genetics and being well raised as a puppy. A dog who is bred to hunt, does not need to be trained to hunt. They are natural hunters, and usually start young at about 3-4 months. The blood trail dog experience starts with the right genetics. And if there is anything more important than teaching your dog to hunt,it is teaching your dog it can trust you and always count on you to back him up, even if you think he is wrong sometimes.

Spending time with you in the off season as a pet, watch dog, or your childs best friend, is what relationship, loyalty, devotion, and service are built upon. You want your blood dog to help you find more deer than you lose? Then I advise you to invest some time into being his best friend, and come hunting season he will do the same for you.

Are You Ready?

2010-08-25T14:46:00.008-05:00

Simon, a one and a half year old son of Angel and Handsome

I am Marcus de la Houssaye, and I can be reached at 337 298 2630 if you would like to discuss the purchase of one of my dogs, or training of a dog you already own to be a blood trail dog.

Archery season opens here in about 5 weeks and in some states, it is already open.

Mark Twain once said, "Twenty years from now, you will be far more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do."

And if you don't invest time in a blood trail dog right now, in order to have him and his nose there and ready to help you find a lost deer, what do you think are your chances of finding a blood dog on the day when you need it, like when the deer season is already open and every good blood dog is already right where he needs to be?

Luke Skywaker, a three year old son of Handsome and Lady.

There appears to be a great myth that good blood trail dogs are hard to find. That is a negative assumption, and I believe this myth grew out of the desperation that resulted from shooting a deer, and then trying to find that deer, without the help of a dog.

Realizing the search was futile and a waste of time without a dog, that hunter then set out to find a dog at a time when he was least likely to find one; during deer season! After losing a deer and desperately trying to find a dog at the last minute, proved hard to do, he concluded good blood dogs are hard to find.

Rock, a one year old son of Luke and Angel

Finding a good dog may take time, invest that time in the pre-season when you are making your other preparations.

Another myth is that a dog that is not bred to be a scent dog, and then trained can't be much help and the result of that kind of thinking is that many very capable pets are never given the chance to help find what we have given up finding until the dog got there.

That same kind of thinking or over-analyse causes people to think they need a dog bred for scent trailing such as a blood hound, walker, or Plott. The problem with these breeds is that a bloodhound for instance, has such an acute scent trailing ability, and a long distance, high endurance of drive, that they want to start chasing something live, because a dead or wounded deer is not really what they want to hunt or were bred to hunt.

They are bored if you want them to be a blood dog only! And what does that lead to? The dog might start running non-wounded deer if given the chance.

This forces a deer hunter to work this kind of dog on a leash, and causes the hunter to be drug through briar patches and over hill and dale before realizing the dog is not on the blooded deer, but running another unwounded animal.

Hubig, a three year old, NALC registered male

On the other hand a Catahoula is a very smart, close range, adaptable, and gritty working dog that will usually stay close by the hunter, even if it is not on a leash. Also the nature of a Catahoula is to check back with you often to make sure you and he are on track. A Catahoula lives to please a master he is devoted to. Not every dog is the same, but most Catahoulas want to figure out your program and once certain of what it is you want them to do, they do their best to do it again and again to receive your praise.

Bobbi Girl, a one year old daughter of Bobbi Girl and Cutty Dark

Often they are totally silent on track, and will bay when they get to the downed deer if it is not dead yet. Best part about a Catahoula as a blood dog is they will often "catch" and hold or even kill a deer that tries to get up when they get there. The only draw back here is: a wounded buck may kill your dog that catches, by sticking him with the antlers, and that has happened.

Jessie, a three and a half year old son of Angel and Bob

To protect your dog during a battle with a buck you can run him with a cut vest as seen below.

This cut vest was actually blase orange and very visible before being subjected to repeated dirtying in the mud of the marshland by this pit bull, hog hunting, catch dog.

You can see in addition to the cut vest this pit bull is also wearing a radio tracking collar.(notice the antennae)

And on that note, I highly recommend you use a tracking collar also on your dog so no matter what happens you know where your dog is at all times.

The best plan for using a blood dog is to have one with you at the camp or in the box stand when you shoot the deer. Too many people are trying to find a blooded deer visually, without the help of a scent dog, after they have walked up and down the blood trail, got blood on their hunting boots, came to the end of the visual blood trail, started making circles, and thus transferring blood everywhere they went, making what we call false blood trails, and then giving up on finding the deer visually, they went to call in the expert with the nose for blood, to try to unravel the mystery of what happened to the deer they shot 4 to 10 hours ago.

Now that time frame is not detrimental to the dogs ability to find the deer, but the fact that they have transferred blood over a large area where the deer did not go, "is" detrimental, because a "blood" dog is following the scent of blood, not deer. Think about it, if a blood trail dog were following the scent of deer, it would be very easy for the dog to lose track of the blooded deer, because there is deer scent everywhere, on account of most people are hunting in leased clubs were deer are thick around feeders, and tree stands and the result is, the scent of deer is thick, and for a blood dog to to be most effective, it needs to follow blood and only blood.

Napolean, a 5 year old well experienced Half Blue Heeler and half Catahoula

Now if the dog was already there when or before this ordeal started, they would have immediately employed the dogs nose and eagerness to serve in the quest to locate the lost and hopefully by now dead deer. Had the dog been on the job before the scent of blood was transferred everywhere on the hunters boots, the location of the deer would have been easy to pin point. Blood trail dogs are not hard to find, I have a yard full of them eager to work and for sale. Go to my main blood trail dog site and see how I train a started dog. You can get to blood trail dogs.com by clicking on the link.

Here is Samuel, a full blooded wolf, with great natural tracking abilities, and a great fur coat for climates colder than Louisiana.

And if you are investing thousands of dollars, countless hours and a great deal of energy to prepare to shoot a deer this fall and you do not have a blood dog, you may be a typical statistic of shooting and losing more than you find, rather than a success.

When I first started researching the use of blood dogs, I could not believe what the stats were revealing. We shoot and lose more deer than we find? This did not make sense to me, because I had never thought about it due to the fact that I always had a blood dog nearby when I hunted. Simple solution for me who always travels with a Catahoula dog. If I could not follow the blood trail because of standing water, or rain washed it away, I went got a dog and usually found my deer.

If you are serious about hunting deer, prepare now to find the deer you shoot rather than lose by the simple acquisition and use of a blood trail dog.

Here are a couple of long distance scent dogs wearing tracking collars.
I highly recommend you use a radio tracking collar on your blood dog.

Many people want to call in a blood tracker after they wasted hours looking for their deer. A blood dog will not look for your deer. They will find it by smelling it. And a wounded deer leaves a blood trail we often cannot see, but a blood trail nonetheless, and an experienced blood dog who knows the drill, can smell blood even after a rain, across water, and many hours later.

What is so interesting about using a blood trail dog through water, is that it looks like the standing water that absorbs the visual trail, does the exact opposite of what you think would happen, It makes the scent 'stronger". Keep this in mind too; and the same with falling rain that washes the trail away visually, it "amplifies" the scent and actually helps the dog to locate the deer.

I know this sounds nuts, but remember, we see the world, but a dog smells it.

Now running water, in a creek or river will obviously carry the scent away, and rain on a hillside can have the same effect. But where I live in south Louisiana, it is totally flat, and if water moves, it usually doesn't move very fast. So a slow rain that does wash the trail away visually, can actually help you to "hold" the scent longer, and thus help the dog in the long run.

Of course there is a limit as to how much rain can fall before becoming detrimental. But you might be surprized if it rains and you think there is no way that the dog can find the deer, but you let him try anyway, and lo and behold, he takes you right to it.

Be ready for the worst case scenario, come opening day with a well bred, well raised, socialized dog who has eaten raw meat all its life, knows the scent of blood, and has lived in a social setting with you, your hunting buddies, and in the wild as much as possible, operating on natural instincts which motivate the dog to find your trophy and meat.

I am available for consultation, I also offer started and trained blood dogs for sale and if available during deer season, I can and will drive to your lease to help you find a lost deer. I can be reached by cell phone at 337 298 2630.

Chibeahoula

2010-08-02T18:03:00.004-05:00

Born on 10/07, she is a mixture of 1/2 Chihuahua, on her daddy's side and 1/4 Beagle, 1/4 Catahoula on her momma's side. Will make an excellent pet for the kids year round, when it is not deer season and you don't need a blood dog. She is fat and healthy at the moment, because she roams freely around my property, and can eat as she pleases. And speaking of eating, she weights around 18-20 pounds so she doesn't eat much, or require a lot of space.

She has eaten raw meat in my yard, all her life, and run numerous training exercises as a puppy, so she is very familiar with the smell of fresh blood and knows what the drill is: at the end of the blood trail is raw meat, then a bar-b-que, ending with her being the most honored guest, and getting to sleep on the couch in the camp, as a reward for saving the day.

She is mostly a very quiet and reserved dog, and can be a watch dog, although not nearly as aggressive as a full blooded Catahoula.

She is not fat in this picture, as she is at the moment in my yard, because this photo was taken in November, 09 when she was hungry and ready for business to commence at the deer camp. Unfortunately, I got sick with the flu in December, and most of my dogs did not see the woods this last deer season as I had planned. Nonetheless, she has been on blood trails since she was a puppy and was always focused and hunting when meat was on the ground, whether, it was a deer, or a hog, or a wounded rabbit, she was working that nose, and eager to please.

I suggest you restrict her diet as with any blood trail dog leading up to the time you need them to trail. In nature, a hungry dog hunts, a dog with a full belly is not motivated to hunt, and so, what makes you think it is any different for a domesticated dog?

I will not be surprised when deer season rolls around, and so many deer hunters start calling me because they just bloodied a deer and couldn't find it. And I will ask them; "Why didn't you plan on having a blood dog there already, accustomed to you, your camp, the woods where you hunt, and be ready to find your lost deer the day you hunted?"

Don't you shoot deer every year and can't find them because, it rained, the deer crossed water, the bleeding stopped, etc, etc, etc.?

No, thats not why you couldn't find your deer, you couldn't find your deer, because you failed to have a blood trail dog available to help you when you needed it!

No problem for a well bred, well raised, well trained blood dog who NEVER found a deer in its life. Just because you "think" it has no experience and won't work, doesn't mean it won't work! They do it with all the time, just like a walk in the park.

I have done it time after time. Brought a young dog out to a kill site and turned it loose, the day after the deer was shot, gutted, and moved. Guess what the novice, inexperienced young dog did? It found the blood trail, now 24-36 hours old and went to where the deer had went down and started to eat on the gut pile.

Now I know you are here looking to buy an "experienced", or fully trained and finished blood trail dog because you think it might not work, if it has not already found deer before.

Yet here you are "thinking" you are going to find someone, who has an experienced blood dog for sale, during the deer season, at a price you can afford, and then you are going to take this dog straight out and it will work for you, without any warm up period allowing the dog to bond and trust you.

Like so many people I talk to: you want to invest money in a dog and not time.

Here is my advise to you: Don't call me later and waste yours and my time! Get a dog now before you need it, and invest some time into it.

No wonder you are in a bind on opening day, and need to find a blood dog, you invested thousands of dollars on lease fees, permits, licenses, weapons, ammo, scopes, slings, camo, scents, corn, cameras, automatic feeders, climbing tree stands, box stands, ATV, trailer, gloves, hats, knives, bug repellent, hunting videos, boats, camps, food, beverage, fuel, generator, boots, ice chests, freezer, etc, etc, etc! And here is the irony, you probably have failed to realize you already have a blood dog candidate at home who knows you and would work for you given the chance.

So it is opening day, and the deer that was shot this morning is lost and you want me to drive a hundred miles to possibly help locate your deer, but why didn't you bring Momma's little lap puppy to the camp, and give it a chance to be more than a pet? Ohhhh....you think it is hard for a dog, any dog, to trail deer based upon your past failures at trailing blood visually, but truth be told, we see the world, a dog smells the world and has a nose about 10,000 times more powerful than your own.

Here is Jesse's nose

So stop judging dogs based upon the criteria of a human being and start realizing you are handicapping your dog based upon limited, negative, fault finding assumptions.

Now, before you start considering the cost of purchasing a finished blood trail dog, I want you to calculate the cost of not having one. Just think about how hard it was to go sleep the night after you shot the 12 point of a lifetime and couldn't find it because you didn't have a de la Houssaye's Catahoula ready and waiting to serve your every need. Let me ask you this; can you afford to not have one?

Here is Elijah, born 5/05, a blue leopard son of C Arrow Patch and Ruby,

he is for sale as a blood dog or cow dog; price: $5,000, and you wonder why so much? You put 5 years into a puppy which I'm selling for $800-$1,000 and tell me that it is not worth $5K

And the fact that all of my dogs eat a natural diet of raw meat makes them excellent candidates for blood trail dogs like Jesse below.

How about we change the course of history and start using blood trail dogs to help us find lost and wounded deer?

When I first started researching the statistics of deer hunting, I couldn't believe the wildlife biologist were estimating and proposing we shoot and lose more deer than we find. Is it any wonder that the anti-hunting activists want to ban deer hunting?

Getting a blood trail dog does not guarantee that you will find your deer, but it does stack the odds in your favor.

Blood Dogs Are Not Hard To Find

2010-07-21T12:07:00.007-05:00

And neither are lost and wounded deer if you have a good blood trail dog!

If you are getting ready to take home a trophy buck or meat for the family this coming hunting season, and you want to push your game plan to a whole new level of success, you won't want to miss out on the opportunity to be fully prepared for avoiding the most difficult aspect of deer hunting; losing a wounded or dead deer because of not having a blood trail dog. There will be lots good times ahead at the camp this season, and lots of hours of waiting patiently on stand. Make sure you don't forget to have your best friend close by when you need him most.

Elijah, a five year old son of Patch and Ruby, and he will trail.

Many people not aware how simple it is for a dog to find wounded deer, because they have never used a dog for trailing blood. Many times we are not allowed to use a blood dog because of state legal restrictions or hunting club rules, but we need to lobby the law makers and rule makers to open the opportunity for us as deer hunters to make every effort to find and take home the deer we shoot.

For me, I have for the most part always hunted state land in Louisiana where there is no restriction on me using a blood trail dog. And because I hunted close to home for the most part it was never an issue to go get a dog out of my yard if I needed to.

Little Ray, a double glass-eyed, yellow leopard, house broke, well travelled, and eager to please.

Also the fact that my dogs eat a raw meat diet all their life, made them naturals that did not need any special training to figure out that a blood trail led to a tasty meaty meal.

Jesse guarding a frozen block of raw meaty bones as it thaws on my driveway.

Most of the people calling me about blood dogs are shopping around, and it seems they think they can call me at the last minute during deer season, and find a trained dog and the dog will work a blood trail, if it is trained to do that.

And I say yes, if it is trained by me it will work for me, but if it doesn't know you, and that takes a few weeks or maybe even months for a dog to get warmed up to someone, it may not work for you come hunting season if you have not bonded and warmed up the dog prior to the day when you need it to find the deer you cannot find.

Bud is a two year old, black and white, neutered male, house broke, very quiet and shy, but eager to please and gamey, when there is blood on the ground.

And in my opinion, a good blood trail dog should ideally be a loyal, obedient, well socialized member of the family or even better to be working in some way and feel usefull year-round.

Just like you prepare the stand, feed plot, camo, boots, ammo, weapon, scope, ATV, boat, etc you should be planning to have a dog that is familiar with you, the people you hunt with, and your style of hunting, your camp, other dogs, etc, so come deer season, the dog is not only trained to trail blood, but also not distracted by anything new. Because dogs are neauvophobic any new smell, sound, person, animal, or locality,is a cause for fear. And if a dog is worried about anything but finding what is at the end of the blood trail, his performance is diminished.

So to get the elite high performance you need from a Catahoula blood trail dog you need to get the dog months before you need it and haul it to the camp, ride it on the ATV, or boat as you scout and fill your feeders in the off season, allowing the dog to know your routine, locale, and hunting buddies.

Big, a three year old, glass-eyed, red leopard, neutered male, house broke, well travelled, in boats, around horses, has a great nose, and like most of my finished dogs will catch, if your deer gets up and tries to run.

I have several started dogs at all times that are almost a year to 3 years old that are well socialized, obedience trained and are gamey and ready to hunt for you should you have a situation where rain washes away the visible trail of the deer, or it crossed water, or worse stopped bleeding externally.

All of the above are no obstacle for a well bred, and well started blood dog, because the smell of blood is so powerful to a hungry, raw meat fed Catahoula from de la Houssaye's Catahoulas.

Always feed your dog raw beef as much as possible and any venison from last season, that may have got freezer burnt.

If you would like to contact me to discuss any questions you may have about specific breeds, or raising, training, or handling a blood dog, I can be reached at 337 298 2630.

Training A Blood Trail Dog; just do it!

2010-06-14T15:24:00.004-05:00

If you buy a dog or puppy from me I am available for consultation for the life of the dog. You are not on your own.

Training a bloodtrail dog is easy, but the real challenge is training the hunter who thinks it is hard to find a lost deer, and assumes the same applies for a dog. It may be hard for us, but for a dog, it is a simple walk in the park. Problem is we don't know what the dog is doing most of the time and we want him to do what we think he needs to do and won't let him work it out on his own.

We see the world, but for a dog, they smell the world and if you allow them to be free in that respect, you will be amazed as I often am.

Here are some threads I copied and pasted in here and my review of their post.

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What kind of dog you got?...hounds and labs are the best for deer tracking imo. It just takes time & effort but its not hard to do.
1st you got to have some sort of blood to lay out a trail..check with slaughter house for that.
you lay out easy & obvious trails and work dog with a leash...go from easy, hot trails to working into faint colder trails as he gains experience...you help keep him in line in the beginning but make it fun and exciting for him...always reward him and brag on him when he finishes each trail.
during hunting season you will switch to deer blood...hopefully you have some buddies that will also let you help them track their deer..just to give the dog plenty of experience.
once this dog gets to tracking deer, he'll know thats his job...

My review: the most important thing here is repetition and a relationship with the dog. As the writer pointed out, any kind of blood, then repetition, and make it fun and rewarding. and very important come deer season, go onto every kill site you can even if the deer is already found.

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Can't disagree with JB, but what I have learned to do is to lay a trail of beef fat (by dragging a piece of fat cut from a steak) across a lawn with a bend in the trail and then hide the dog's supper bowl out of sight at the end of the trail. Take the dog to the start of the trail and let him smell what you dragged for the trail on your hand as you move your hand to the start of the trail and say 'find it' or something else of your choice. Make sure that the dog is trailing downwind and after about three nights my labs were trained to put their nose down and trail whenever I just said 'find it' They would trail a wounded pheasant, duck, my daughter or son or whatever had a scent at the spot where I started them. I would just substitute the blood for my fat and give it a try for your plan.

My review: simple, easy, just do it, get a dog and train it!

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Daschunds are great dogs for trailing deer from what I know...I snooped around a bit and found this info...some of you Daschund lovers might enjoy this...imo, any dog that keeps his nose to the ground can be a good tracker... labs stand out a lot in my mind because I had a best friend that had one that would find a deer or just about die trying to! He was an incredible tracker. I have been around hounds most of my younger life and I have seen dogs that would swim a river and stay on a deer trail, but that lab was one in a million!! Anyways heres some more info about the subject of training and the Daschund breed...I think this is a cool thread and very cool subject. Can be a bit controversial but I think it to be a good thing to be able to recover an animal that you might not have gotten without the dogs help...or getting to the animal quicker so the meat dosen't spoil or coyotes get to it...lot of pluses...main thing you try not to do is foul up the woods for someone else...or have a dog running to loose out there...

My review: Most people think dogs are as stupid as humans are. Took me years to learn my dogs are smarter than me.

http://www.deersearch.org/dog%20training.htm

Finding Wounded Deer Is Very Simple

2010-06-06T01:23:00.002-05:00

Below is a discussion thread amoung deer hunters and note that the point is made that the solution is simple: get a dog - any dog!

Most people who are shopping for a blood dog fail to understand how simple it is for a dog to find down and wounded deer.

In my opinion, many people have a good blood dog at home, and have never given it a chance to help them find a deer. We see the world, dogs smell the world. This applies to lap puppies or working dogs like a Catahoula.

I am realizing most people who call me who are shopping for a blood dog are convinced that it is hard for a dog to be a blood dog and are completely inexperienced as to how simple and effective it is to find down deer with a dog.

Read the discussion thread below.

Thu Nov 26, 2009 9:58 am
sunday evening shot a nice buck at maybe 80 yards, found white hair and a fair amout of blood about what would be in a cup of coffee , about every 20 feet. after about 60 yards of tracking the blood started to be spots of blood eventually turning into nothing. my question is from some of your experiences where do you think the shot hit him i was aiming at the left shoulder . and did find a small amount of white hair. im sick about it

Sun Nov 29, 2009 1:13 pm
I was hoping someone else would chime in on this one.
I tend to think you may have hit the deer very low and the blood coagulated (SP?). That could explain the white hair and disappearing blood trail.
I'm sure deer have survived worse injuries, but I also understand you being upset.

Sun Nov 29, 2009 8:02 pm
I agree with you Brian .... white hair usually indicates a low hit. There's no white hair anywhere you prefer to aim for. Fat deposits can seal off bleeding and most deer should be really healthy this time of year. You can hope he survived and the next time will leave you with the desired result. Good luck!!!

Mon Nov 30, 2009 12:56 am
I have shot and produced white hair and blood at least five or six times over the years, mostly from misjudging the distance and once because my trigger pull was heavy, forcing me to pull low.
I recovered deer every time but once, and on that occasion I should have killed the buck in our sixth hour of searching when we jumped him out of a bedding spot and I threw the gun up on him at 20 yards only to find I had not powered down my scope from the 300 yard shot. He stood up through the scope and ran off, swam a creek and got away. We saw that the buck had been grazed across the front of his breast and the wound was not bad.
From that story, you know I am thorough. I will search for hours and even days (next morning) if I know I made a good hit.
A low shot that gets hair, if shot from the ground or a shooting house on the ground, can get the heart and yes, if the exit wound is small from lack of bone expanding a bullet, fat can seal the hole.
The answer is get a dog. Find a dog, whether trained or not, and put it on the scent trail. I saw a lap dog (no, not a Lab) one time find a buck that had left hair and blood and then run 400 yards in wet woods before falling over dead. I'm a firm believer in every camp having at least one good dog capable of trailing.

catahoula1 on Thu Feb 25, 2010 4:47 pm
I am glad to see Bobby comment about any dog trained or not having the ability to find a downed deer. Many times I have brought in a new dog young or old, with no experience, who does a fine job at locating a dead or wounded deer. There appears to be a great deal of negative assumptions regarding the effectivness of dogs that have no prior experience with finding deer.
Many times the dogs I have used were totally green at blood trailing and crossed water or at least led us to the lake, where we then got into the boat and found the deer floating offshore a hundred yards or so from land. Because we hunt in areas often surrounded by water in south Louisiana, it is near impossible to follow blood across a swamp without dogs. I hope to dispel the myth that there are not many good blood trail dogs for sale. You can visit my site at www.bloodtraildogs.com if you are interesting in purchasing one of mine. I am a breeder and trainer of Catahoulas for hunting and trailing

Blood Trail Dog In The Box Stand?

2010-05-30T14:40:00.005-05:00

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

2010-05-25T17:43:00.004-05:00

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

2010-05-25T15:19:00.004-05:00

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

2010-05-04T00:39:00.016-05:00

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.

Prepare For The Next Hunting Season NOW!

2010-04-21T04:09:00.005-05:00

Your Past Disappointments And Regrets Can't Be Changed,
But Your Future Success In Deer Hunting May Be A Different Story

One of the most common "wishes" I hear from my customers who call inquiring about my blood dogs is that they wish they could go back in time and do the things they never did, such as having a blood trail dog at the camp the day they shot the 12 point buck that was never found, or the day their son shot his first deer and there was a good blood trail, but the rain came and washed it away before they got to the deer, but at the time, they never thought about using the family lap puppy to see if it could help locate the deer.

You know what my response to this kind of complaints is?

Keep on whining about your past,
and in a few years you will whining about the present.

Think about it. You can't go back in time
and "fix" anything. Regret won't do you any good.
And what's worse is that if you waste your time
"wishing" you had done things differently or if you
waste too much time trying to "relive" experiences you never
lived (Mid-life crisis - sounds familiar?), then you'll
be missing out on the PRESENT. So in a few years, you're
going to find out life STILL sucks because you have
been wasting time NOW.

Time is always moving ahead, my friend - with
or without you. So stop worrying about what you "could"
have done. Instead, focus on what CAN do right now -
at this very moment - so that you won't regret it 5 months
or 5 years from now.

One of the things you can do RIGHT NOW is to sign up to be on the mailing list and get my "Blood Trail Dog Training Course" and start learning to handle and train a blood trail dog, so that by the end of this year you are knowledgeable and are doing the things that will make you more successful in the deer hunting game.

Think of it as one of the best investments you
can make for yourself, your hunting club, and for your family's future hunting success.

I don't know about you, but hunting is a family tradition for me, and one that is or should be passed down to future generations.

Based upon my research, state government biologists are proposing that more deer are shot and lost, than recovered.

This is justifiable cause for the animal rights activists to protest hunting in general and lobby our state governmnets to restrict or deny our privledge of sharing this great sport and American family tradition with future generations.

One way to change the future statistics about deer hunting and the shot and lost factor is to begin using blood trail dogs to locate wounded and dead deer during deer hunting season.

Your best option for having a blood trail dog this coming hunting season is to consider using your family pet or the hunting dogs you already own.

And my course, as well the book I am presently writing on that subject, will enable you to learn how to raise, train, and handle a blood trailing dog.

Many people are worried that the family pet will not perform and I understand the concern. But the reality is that the dog has accepted it's mediocre existence as a pet and playmate for the kids and being a sometime alarm system and guard dog
as this is all there is to life, and it is Ok with that, yet it's natural instincts to hunt and be a valuable member of the wolf pack is still alive and well in there somewhere.

All dogs have an incredible power of scent that may be be 10,000 times greater than our own. And in a blood trailing scenario the scent of blood is often the main focus, not that of the bird or mammal that has been shot.

Another justifiable concern is that using a bird dog pointer or duck retrieving dog may get the dog confused as to it's proper duties. I say that a pointer or retriever is already a blood trail dog, because the scent of blood is so much greater than the scent of duck or quail.

I will be offering my course in a online subscription which you can pay for and download from the website as soon as possible. My webmaster is creating the templates and pages as I write this article for this post.

I will also offer a printed version which I can ship to you in a manilla enveope in the mail if you are so inclined.

But for now, if you will email me at marcus@delahoussayes.com, I will put you on the mailing list to be notified as soon as the new websites are up and running.

You can go to www.bloodtraildogs.com for more info on me and my dogs if you like.

If you would like to call me about purchasing a Catahoula puppy, or a trained or started dog, I can be reached on my cell phone at 337-298-2630.

A Blood Trailing Puppy?

2010-03-19T14:42:00.007-05:00

Here is an email from a a satisfied customer who bought a puppy last year. That puppy is only about 4 months old now and already working a blood trail just fine.

Here is Stacy's email to me.

Here is a new pic of our baby girl. She was from the catahoula/cocker spaniel litter. We picked her up from you in early January. She was 4 lbs then, here she is at 4 months and about 18 lbs. She is a very smart baby, VERY active, but such a sweetheart! We love her very much. She did her first blood trail this weekend, she did awesome.

Stacy

If you need a blood trail dog, get it now!These guys and girls are bored, need a job, and a good home.

Just because you show up at my house with money, does not qualify you to own my dogs.

I suggest you call and talk to me a few times to see if one of my dogs fit your service needs.

I do not need to sell these dogs, I spend a lot of time getting them right for you. I need to find the right people for them.

Don't wait until this fall and you have a downed deer you can't find to contact me.

You spend all year planting feed plots, scouting, planning, buying more camo, ATV's, outboard motors, guns, scents, treestands, calls, knives, gloves, hats, videos, etc.

And you don't have a blood trailing dog?

I have a few left from this litter and they were bred for blood trail work.

These puppies are bred to be easy to handle and devoted to what ever you need.

Be it security, companionship, or squirrel hunting, these dogs wait on you hand and foot!

I have several crosses specially for blood trail and quality pet placement.

I have found that crossing with a Cocker Spaniel, Beagle or Chihuahua makes a better pet, or blood dog because they are easier to handle and it takes some of the wild wolf behavior out of them.

These pups will hunt and help you find a dead or wounded deer, but are easy going, and much easier to train and handle, not like my elite,(as seen below) high performce, smart, fast, gritty, hog dogs that will not stop at a dead deer and wait for you.
Because a pure bred Catahoula can be a hand full for most people, I recommend you consider getting a cross bred dog for pets or blood trailing.

Bob, the father of Jesse, Spider, and Whiteboy

Beau Jocque, a son of the legendary, Maurice
Sammy, a son of Maurice and Alida

Bred to Hunt, Then Trained

2010-03-03T13:24:00.012-06:00

I am in awe as to the gross myths people run with and inaccurate assumptions of people who call me looking for a good blood trail dog.

Myth #1. Most people assume if a dog has never been on an actual deer hunt and found a dead or wounded deer and thus has no experience, it won't work for them.

Truth: The only deer my dogs has ever not found were the ones where we were stopped by property lines, emergencies, lack of faith on the hunters part, and the hunter give up and called the dog off, or extended time and bad weather factors.

OK, I understand their caution and concern, considering the B.S. we have to hear from people, the media, politicians, etc. trying to sell us on lies everyday, not to mention the tall tales of fisherman and hunters in general!

But... everytime I have taken one of my dogs out for the first time to trail wounded game whether they were a pet, hunting dog, security, or cow dog, they blow my mind with their enthusiasm, scent ability and intelligence, not to mention the desire to serve and get the job done.

I have actually watched dogs go in the opposite direction that the hunter thought the wounded deer went, and we found the deer!

Here is a link to a great article about tracking
a deer with blood dogs: www.bowhuntingmag.com

Myth #2 Most people assume you need to use deer hide, deer blood, tarsal glands, etc, so the dog knows it is trailing a dead or wounded deer.

Truth: A blood trail is scented with blood, not the animals scent, and blood is such a strong order to a dog, that they can follow it days after the kill, right after a strong rain, across flooded wetlands, and through lots of other game scents and still stay on track, ultimately finding the deer.

Even if the deer stops bleeding, as is often the case in a hard to find kill, the scent of blood is usually on the deers feet and legs by the time the wound stops bleeding and the dog can follow it anyway. The point I am hoping to drive home here is that is not the scent of the animal, but the scent of blood that the dog should track, because in some hunting clubs with a lot of game and a variety of game, it is easy for a dog to get distracted before finding the kill.

If they are trained to follow blood, I don't care if it is a wounded calf, deer, hog, buffalo, human, or bird, they are on it!

Furthermore, a really good, well bred, hunting dog with a lot of drive and an obcession for live game, especially a yuoung one, will sometimes not stay at a kill site and wait for you. They want action and might take of and go find something on the move. For this reason I recommend using a leash on a new or young dog to help them stay on the job at hand.

After they figure out what you want them to do, based on several kills, having that experience behind them, you might see how they work off leash.

Below are photos my daughter took of me conducting a first time training exercise for a group of 6 month old Catahoulas on my property.

For a first time exercise I like to start the blood trail at the gate, before I let the puppies out of the pen.

After letting them out, we walk down a drive way, to establish the understasnding in them as to the line of service I am working on.

Next we head into a vegetated area
to exemplify the normal terrain of the tracking work,
trailing a deer.

At the end of the trail give everyone a taste of raw liver and it helps to let them bite and pull on some raw deer hide, as seen below.

Experience Versus Genetics

2010-01-30T15:58:00.000-06:00

Most of the people who call me for blood dogs are wanting an experienced dog or what we call a finished dog. And, I understand their need.

But as anyone who has researched the purchase options for good blood dogs knows, a finished blood dog is rare to find.

Why? Because there appears to be very few people who are approaching this market demand for blood dogs as a business the way I am.

Most people who already have a good blood dog will give that dog a home for as long as it lives.

I plan to change that notion that blood dogs are hard to find, based upon offering started dogs that are well bred and well started as puppies.

More important than experience, in my opinion is good breeding or more specifically, good genetics.

I have a hog dog motto: "The experience starts with the right genetics."

Many people who are new to Catahoulas, fail to understand the versatility of this working breed. When I say versatile, I am referrring to the history of Catahoulas, working on family homesteads who lived off the land and used Catahoulas to provide fresh meat year round, and security. Also, working cattle ranchs from hundreds of years ago to the present have depended upon the breed to get the job done.

In the old days, a dog that did not work for it's keep, did not survive to reproduce. Hence, Catahoulas evolved into the ultimate working dog breed.

These dogs had to be fast, intelligent, cooperative and gentle with children and domestic livestock, but also gritty enough to survive wild hogs, alligators, rattle snakes and then as a team with cowboys on horseback, pen wild cattle.

Usually at about 4-5 years old a Catahoula will catch hogs and cattle on command and as a blood dog they are often found catching and stopping wounded deer that try to get up and run.

These genetic predispostions in the Catahoulas breed, make them the ultimate blood dog.

I am not only preserving these old working bloodlines, as I raise them as pups, I am working them in a variety of functions to evaluate each individual dogs abilities and personality.

If a dog is too gritty to be a hog dog, because it might get killed, I prefer to send them out as a cow dog. Cows are a lot bigger and harder to stop and catch than are hogs.

If a dog is not gritty enough to be a cow dog or hog dog they are more suitable as a blood dog or pet.

And no matter where or how you plan to use a Catahoula, contrary to most people's belief about spoiling a dog, I advise you to love 'em up and spoil them rotten, because if a Catahoula loves you, they will do their best to figuire out what pleases you and do very their best to earn your approval and affection through service to you.

The most important thing that many people fail to grasp about about owning, training, and handling working dogs of any breed or function is the importance of a mutual relationship between the dog and you.

And the quality of that relationship is fully dependent upon the human side of the equation to reach the dog and open up trust and affection and thus a desire for the dog to serve and please it's master.

This relationship factor is in the genetic pack instincts of the Catahoula that goes back to the Red Wolf.

Incidentally, Catahoulas are descended from bulldog, greyhound, and red wolf.

I am available for consultation if you would like to discuss this issue further you can contact me by phone at 337 298 2630.

I am Marcus de la Houssaye
http://www.bloodtraildogs.com/
http://www.catahoula.ws/
http://www.delahoussayes.com/

The Deer Season Comes To An End

2010-01-15T16:08:00.000-06:00

Leading a group of six month old pups down a fresh blood trail on their first training exercise.

As deer hunting season comes to an end, I am getting a lot of calls from people realizing that they want an experienced blood trail dog ready for next year.

Also got several calls from hunters who have Blood Hounds and are considering a Catahoula because the Blood Hounds are too big to handle in the brush. I prefer a smaller dog for blood trailing because they are not as demanding at feeding time(year round) and are easy to load on an ATV or mule.

One of the most important things that people who use blood trail dogs must consider in handling a trailing dog is the dogs diet. And on that note, I recommend feeding raw meat as much as possible, because it is a canines natural diet and helps the dog develop an appetite for the treat that awaits them at the trails end.

Here is a tip many people don't seem to understand about handling a blood trail dog during hunting season: always restrict the dogs diet slightly during hunting season to increase the dogs motivation and interest in finding the meat at the end of the trail, and never feed a dog the day before you hunt.

Also; remember to advise everyone in the camp NOT to feed the dog the day you hunt.

I have heard repeated complaints about dogs that did not seem to be interested in trailing and later they found out someone felt sorry for the dog and fed it when no one was looking.

One more thing: always allow the dog to hang around while the game is being skinned out, and especially reward him throughout the process of dressing out the deer with verbal praise and pieces of organ meat and bones to chew on.

Good idea to invite him to the bar-b-que too, and continue to heap the praise and head rubbing to reward them for being the hero who made the feast possible!

Periodically throughout the summer, it is a good idea to refresh your dogs interest in trailing by laying out a new trail in a different area or new direction than the last exercise you worked them on.

Always have some kind of treat, canned dog food, or sliced liver and at the very least use dry dog food at trails end.

If you would like to talk to me about buying or training a dog you already own, call me at 337 298 2630

www.bloodtraildogs.com
www.catahoula.ws
www.delahoussayes.com

The Ultimate Blood Trail Dog

2009-10-25T16:01:00.000-05:00

The old timers who have groomed me to be a hog dog trainer claim that a Catahoula is the ultimate hog dog if properly bred and trained. I am beginning to think this applies to blood trail work as well. The qualities that make a Catahoula an excellent hog dog are ability to scent in the wind, speed, grit, intelligence, ease of handling, when unleashed short range looping and checking back in with the hunter, and adaptability, these qualities also apply to trailing wounded deer.

The first time dogs from my bloodline were ever used for blood trail work started in 1998 when deer hunters from Knight Oil Tools here in Lafayette, bought two puppies from Bob and Desire to raise and train on the company's deer hunting ranch in Texas. The man who bought those dogs is Vic Benoit. I ran into Vic at the Blue Moon Saloon a few weeks ago. He told me stories of how those two dogs went on to become great long distance blood trail dogs and would go a mile or more to locate a wounded or downed deer. If the deer was not dead when they got there and tried to get up, the dogs would catch and hold or bay it into a corner and keep it there until the hunter arrived to finish it off.

I wish I could talk to the man who trained those dogs and follow up on where those two pups are today. It was good to get some praise from a satisfied customer and sure encouraged me to continue hoping I run into some of my dogs from the past blood trail sales I have made.

A few potential prospects have called in to inquire about a Catahoula because they have been using Bloodhounds and feel that it is too much dog. Sounds like the dog is too big to handle in thick brush and at about 120 lbs. I can imagine they can be a handful on a leash not to mention the feed bill for a whole year.

When I thought about it, I wondered what they were thinking, using a bloodhound because it seemed like overkill. Kind of like using a 50 millimeter howitzer to hunt rabbits!

Some of the side benefits of a Catahoula as a blood trail dog are that a Catahoula is a very versatile working dog adapting to a wide variety of services such as livestock control, security, and if they are not engaged as a working dog, is gentle with children so they can make a good family pet for the rest of the year when they are not trailing wounded deer.

I haul my pups around on swamp tours from early on to get them accustomed to people and travelling in boats and trucks.

Catahoulas are very intelligent and eager to please if properly raised and trained. A good Catahoula blood trail dog should have other jobs when not being used during the off season. This allows the dog to be integrated into obedience training early on and being accustomed to a variety of situations creating ease of handling for the hunter during the hunting season and whether in a boat, truck, or ATV the dog is comfortable and focused on the job at hand.

I have been breeding Beagle and Chihuahua into my Catahoulas specifically to make a smaller blood trail dog with ease of handling and not lose any of the best qualities of the Catahoula.

Or you can purchase a purebred Catahoula if you want a medium size dog.

Deer Hunting Season Is Open!

2009-09-26T16:29:00.000-05:00

As bow season approaches I always begin to regret that my hog dogs will soon be bored for a few months while the woods are dominated by deer hunters. The reason I keep my hog dogs out of the woods during deer season is due to deer hunters shooting anything that moves, looks or sounds like a deer. And,,, because my dogs are silent on the track, they sound and look too much like a deer moving in the woods, when I hunt hogs.

What fascinates me about deer hunters is how much time and money goes into the preparation for deer hunting and when they actually wound or kill a deer, they have failed to prepare for finding their wounded or dead deer with a blood trail dog.

I hope to educate the public at large regarding the statistics of deer hunters wounding and killing and then losing more deer than they recover.

Deer are very keen at hiding and do so even if they are about to die.

This leaves the deer hunter at a very great risk of losing a dead or wounded deer that could otherwise be found with a good blood trail dog.

In 1997, Vic Benoit with Knight Oil Tools bought 2 Catahoula puppies from me to use on the company ranch in Texas as blood trail dogs. I will post a write up here from Vic as soon as he is finished composing it regarding the performance of those dogs. He still owns a little red leopard colored decendant of those puppies from Bob and Desire.

After that, for over a decade, deer hunters have been coming to me to help them find deer with my Catahoula hog dogs.

Lately, I noticed a lot of people coming to me to buy puppies to raise them up as pets and then planning to use them for blood trail work in the future.

All of the above led to me starting a new business in my Catahoula Kennel breeding and training blood trail dogs.

I breed, train and work some of the hardest working Catahoula blood trail dogs in southern Louisiana. I understand the importance of a well bred and well raised dog with a good handle. I prefer to work a blood trail dog on leash, but my dogs can work either way. An added benefit of Catahoulas are their ability to scent on the wind, enabling them to find downed game in harsh wind and rain conditions.

You work all year to make sure you have the best stand to hunt for those couple of short months. I am here to ensure you get the game home.

Whether you want me to help you find your animal, sell you one of my blood trailing dogs or train your own dog, I can do it all.

Presently I have several dogs of various ages that will work a trail.

I will be posting pictures as soon as we locate this years first kills.

I am at www.bloodtraildogs.com

Marcus de la Houssaye

337 298 2630