How to Train Your Dog to Track Wounded Deer
Introduction
How many times have you spent hours tracking a wounded deer with only a 50/50 recovery success rate? Do you remember how frustrating it was last season when you finally drew a bead on that massive buck, only to wing him and watch him go bounding away? Worse yet that he managed to slip away and disappear, leaving you with nothing more than a story to tell.
Why not teach your dog to track wounded deer? Your dog has one of the most sensitive noses on the planet, why not put it to good use by teaching him to track? Unlike a human that can easily lose track of the deer as is blood trail disappears from sight, your dog can lock onto the deer's scent and won't give up until he has tracked it down or been called off the hunt.
Defining Tasks
The task is simple, you are training your dog to track a wounded deer, presumably one that you failed to kill with the first shot. But, before you train your pup to do this, you need to make sure it is legal in your state. Some will require your dog to be on a leash while tracking, others allow you to let the dog run free. Some states let you continue tracking after dark and there are those who have a specific manner in which you can finish the kill when you catch up with the wounded animal.
The concept is that once you have wounded the deer, your dog can be taken to the spot where the deer was standing when he was shot. At this point, he should be able to pick up the scent and take off following the deer until he tracks it down, loses the scent (yes, it does happen), or is called off the hunt by you.
Getting Started
You can teach this skill to any dog capable of being taught to track using his nose. In most cases, it is better to start training your dog at an early age as this will make the training go far more quickly. Dogs learn quickly at a young age, but as they get older it gets harder and harder to teach them. For this, you will need a few supplies, including:
- Deer blood
- Deer meat
- Beef liver
- Deer hide
- Spray bottle
- Squeeze bottle
- A training harness
- Leash
- Treats
In addition to the materials above, you'll need plenty of time and patience, as well as a good location to train in, preferably a field with woods on at least one side.
Of these, time is probably one of the most important as you need to work on this training consistently over the course of several months or longer before your pup masters this particular skill. Be patient and work your pup over a number of different types of terrain including fields, light and heavy brush and, of course, out in the woods. All training methods assume your dog has already mastered the basic commands.
The Beef Liver Method
The Squeeze Bottle Method
The Hide and Seek Method
Success Stories and Training Questions
Training Questions and Answers and Success Stories
Scout
I’m starting my pup on scent trailing for deer . I have a deer hide but no deer blood. Could I use cows blood with the deer hide or is there a difference .
704 Dog owners recommended
Hello Daniel, No, you are training him to track a certain scent. If you use cow's blood, then you will be training him to track that scent instead of deer. You may want to check with your local deer processing place and see if you could buy some for them, explaining why you need it. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
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Hi I am looking at training my down to track deer, he is a beagle terrier cross. Dose the breed make any difference or should you be able to train any dog as long as he is interested?
704 Dog owners recommended
Hello Noel, The main requirement to track deer is a good sense of smell - which is genetic. In addition to that it helps if the dog is eager to please, has good endurance, and is prey driven enough to stay focused on the task, plus he needs to not be afraid of deer when he finally comes across one. If the dog meets these requirements then the breed doesn't matter. Some breeds will be genetically more suited for the job than others. Since your dog is a Terrier and Beagle mix there is a good chance that he has a good sense of smell and will be interested in tracking. Some breeds like Pugs wouldn't be suited for the job because of their short snout. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
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I was wondering if he would be able to train at the age he is or if it was to late any information would be helpful
704 Dog owners recommended
Hello Jon, That will depend a lot on your dog's nose and level of interest when you start the training. It is likely not too late to start training though. Starting the training when a dog is a puppy simply encourages the dog's excitement and interest in the training more, plus the puppy hasn't learned any bad habits, like chasing squirrels, yet. It might mean a little more work, but if your dog shows interest in the training and has a good nose for scent --which is genetic, then you should be able to start right now. I suggest simply picking one of the methods from the article that I commented on and jumping right in with him to see if he begins to pick it up: https://wagwalking.com/training/track-wounded-deer Don't expect instant results. It often takes several repetitions for a dog to get excited about the training and interested enough in the scents, but if he has a nose for the work he should start picking it up with training. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
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Tex is 4 years old, hes been obedienced trained and will fetch some birds, is he too old to learn to track deer?
704 Dog owners recommended
Hello Lance, If he has been well socialized, is good at using his nose, and already has some basic obedience skills, he likely isn't too old to learn. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
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I will pick up my pup in the next week or two. what age should I begin the beef liver training and will liver from a grocery store work?
92 Dog owners recommended
Thank you for the question. This is not my field of expertise; you can start by looking at a website like this: http://www.buckeyetrackingclub.org/. Contact them for information. As well, we do have these guides that may help: https://wagwalking.com/training/hunt, https://wagwalking.com/training/track, and https://wagwalking.com/training/find-antler-sheds. Take Siri through all of the obedience level classes so that excellent recall is fine tuned, to avoid your dog getting lost when tracking. Enjoy your puppy!
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