Puppy seeks trailing opportunities for big game recovery training

[elkboy]

Hey HuntWA!    If any of you are hunting deer in GMUs 139 or 142, I have a favor to ask. I have been working on blood trailing for big game recovery with my 11 month old puppy, and she loves it (just artificial trails with elk blood from last year). If any of you are successful on the deer hunt, and wouldn't mind letting me and Sylvia the pup come out, we'd be grateful. It doesn't matter if it was an easy tracking job and you've already recovered the deer.  I just need to put her on a few actual trailing jobs. PM me and we can trade contact info.

Thank you all! Best of luck in your fall hunts!

[carpsniperg2]

I knew they were talking about changing the law to allow this, I take it that it passed?

[HillHound]

Yep it passed for deer and elk. You still have to let your bear or cougar rot though. Stupid in my opinion. Make us call it in first and let us find our wounded animal, regardless of what it is.

[elkboy]

Carpsniperg2, that is correct. See pages 21 and 87 of the 2022-2023 regulations. One dog, leashed, during legal hunting hours, may be used to aid in recovery of wounded big game. I think it is a great move, which will allow better utilization of the wildlife resource. Common practice in Europe, and increasingly throughout the USA. There are some great videos out there showing some of the tracking jobs that dogs can do!

[elkboy]

Yep it passed for deer and elk. You still have to let your bear or cougar rot though. Stupid in my opinion. Make us call it in first and let us find our wounded animal, regardless of what it is.

Good point, HillHound.

[HillHound]

I could see this being a good side job during season if your dog gets good. I would pay if I had shot an animal and  I couldn’t find it if  there was a chance a dog could.

[dreadi]

Tracking with dogs is big fun!

[carpsniperg2]

That’s awesome glad it went through. If you were closer we could give you a bunch of trials. Sucks it only at legal hrs. I guess after sun down you have to wait tell the next day but sure better then nothing.

[cem3434]

What kind of pup and how do you train her to blood trail or is it more of a natural instinct based on the breed?

[HillHound]

That’s awesome glad it went through. If you were closer we could give you a bunch of trials. Sucks it only at legal hrs. I guess after sun down you have to wait tell the next day but sure better then nothing.

They must be used to that “ethical” hunting like you see on tv all the time. Could look for that bull tonight an hour after the shot  but nope, way better to let the meat spoil over night so you don’t risk bumping them and not finding those antlers. 

[carpsniperg2]

Agree they could say must not have any weapons when tracking after legal hrs if they are worried about people shooting after legal light?

[elkboy]

What kind of pup and how do you train her to blood trail or is it more of a natural instinct based on the breed?

She is a German shepherd/ great Pyrenees mix. I have been working with her since she was 3 months old,  using a laboratory squeeze bottle that I fill with deer or elk blood. I lay scent lines with the squeeze bottle and put treats at the end. I'm following John Jeanneney's book on training blood trailing dogs.

[Machias]

Awesome that it finally passed!

[mcrawfordaf]

I have been interested in getting my GSP trained for blood tracking as well! I contacted a warden out here in regards to having a dog in the field with you during the hunt and found that in the back of the book it specifies:

• (RCW 77.15.240): Allowing a dog, owned or
controlled by you, to pursue or injure deer
or elk or to accompany you while you are
hunting deer or elk is prohibited.
• (WAC 220-413-060): Hunting or pursuing any
big game animal, bobcat, or coyote with dogs
is prohibited, except cougar during cougar
management removals authorized by the
Fish and Wildlife Commission.
• The use of one blood-trailing dog controlled
by leash during lawful hunting hours within
72-hours of shooting a big game animal,
except bear and cougar, is allowed to track
wounded big game and aid in recovery. ".

So one would have to have their dog back at camp OR travel all the way back home to grab him and bring him back to the blood trail. Kind of annoying if you're hunting a ways from home and cant reasonably keep the dog solo at your camp. He even said I shouldn't be out glassing for animals with my dog at my side if I'm holding a bear/cougar tag and weapon with me.

[dreadi]

I find it particularly interesting that they specified “blood trailing dogs (hounds)” when dogs can track a scent in the air and on the ground.