So back up a day and to the original deer that I was called out to track at Enon. The deer was a stud of a buck�.a good bit bigger than the one in the pic. It was the first track that I�ve been on where the hunt was being filmed. This was awesome for being able to assess where the hunter had hit the deer. What was not so awesome is that where they hit him, they might have been lucky if they just cut his pecker off. It definitely wasn�t the �gut shot� I was hoping to find.

The hunter was bow hunting from a ground blind when the biggest buck he had ever shot at walked in broadside. I didn�t step it off but I recall looking back at the blind from the hit site and thinking to myself that it was a pretty decent distance. In the video you could see that the arrow was falling and on a downward projectory when it hit the deer. It hit the buck here����



I wasn�t very optimistic about this one from the get go but we were going to give our best effort anyways. There was enough blood for them to trail about 75 yards but then it petered out. They brought in a pet dog to try and progress the line farther the night before but they said it didn�t do anything but run around for a while. They had hunters out in the area the next morning so we didn�t get to start tracking until nearly 11:00 am. The deer was shot just after 3:00 pm the prior afternoon so we�re talking about a 20 hr old line. To make matters even more challenging, the wind that day was blowing 10-15 mph with gusts around 20. I remember thinking to myself�.�Dear Lord, please at least let Otis attempt to track this one.�

He really surprised me that morning with his effort under those type conditions. He usually works a scent line pretty fast but that morning he started the line with his nose glued to the ground and progressed the line very slowly right through their search area. I had the hunters wait at the hit site until we progressed the line to give Otis some space. I knew a general direction the deer had ran but not the exact trail. As I slowly followed Otis up the hill he took us right by every piece of toilet paper the searchers had left on the ground and as we passed the last one he continued taking the line on out past the search area. This turtle like pace continued on for over an hour as we slowly progressed the line another 400-500 yards in a circle. After the buck had made a complete loop and was passing back over the original scent line again we called it off. Having to really dig minimal old scent out like that is very demanding on a young dog and I�m really surprised Otis lasted as long as he did. They become mentally fatigued and I could tell Otis was to that point. I didn�t think this deer was very likely to be found anyways with such a marginal bow hit and neither did the guide.

Just to give it�s due before Otis completely ran out of piss and vinegar, we pulled off of trying to track the scent line and just started looping out in the area the deer was headed hoping maybe if he was bedded close that we could wind him or jump him up. I used my GPS to grid search the area for another hour for 400-500 yards in a couple directions with Otis but didn�t come up with anything. All in all it was a great day for us though. For Otis to dig like he did, for as long as he did, on that type of scent line was very rewarding to see. Otis and I also got to meet some great people and begin what I hope to be a long term friendship with the folks there at Enon.

Congrats man should be a lot of business with deep pockets at Enon

That actually wasn�t the end of the story I figured I�d just break it up so it wasn�t so long winded. We actually tracked one more that afternoon after the filmed �gut shot� deer. It was a high backstrap shot that everyone knew was likely unrecoverable but they wanted me to check it out anyways. The hunter said he knew he had put a really bad shot on the deer right in no man�s land. All the sign pointed toward that being the case as well. The blood was very, very sparse and petered out within 40 yards.

I turned Otis loose not knowing how well he was going to work after having already tracked the other deer. He didn�t have quite as much spunk in him as normal but he still lit out on the track with good enthusiasm. It took us about 30 minutes but eventually we tracked up on the buck bedded down on a little drainage only a few hundred yards from the shot. I heard Otis cut loose in front of me �Yep! Yep! Yep!��Just then the buck bolted out of the bushes and bounded over the hill top in front of me. I watched him running through the sedge for a couple hundred yards and it was obvious that he wasn�t hurt that bad. I toned Otis �.pulled him off the track and ended it there since we had verified what had happened. Those type shots are rarely recovered.

It was getting on into the afternoon by the time I finished up the second track and after shooting the breeze with the manager for a minute or two I headed back home. On the short ride home I started noticing deer everywhere out feeding early in the evening. Deer in this field�.deer in that field�etc. I thought to myself�.�Dammit! I need to go get in my stand!� By the time I could get home and run out the back door to head to my stand there were already 3 young bucks feeding in the back end of my field. They saw me and bounded off. I got to one of my ground blinds and it wasn�t 20 minutes later they came back along with eventually 11 other deer�.one which I started to pull the trigger on. He looked older but had half his rack broke off and the side that was left was mostly just a big main beam. He must be a brawler.

It�s heating up here. Something is going to take a dirt nap soon.

Enjoying the stories and watching Otis come along. Good stuff!

Sounds like Enon needs to have some type of accuracy test before they turn these guys loose in the woods.

Thanks! I�ll say this about that place. If you�ve gotten older and you�re the type that gets in a hunting club to only hunt a few times a year�..I would highly recommend using that money one year to take a trip to Enon. Its as close as I�ve ever seen to hunting in Cades Cove. I wouldn�t hesitate to say that Enon may have more deer. A much better managed understory than Cades Cove.

[/quote]Thanks! I�ll say this about that place. If you�ve gotten older and you�re the type that gets in a hunting club to only hunt a few times a year�..I would highly recommend using that money one year to take a trip to Enon. Its as close as I�ve ever seen to hunting in Cades Cove. I wouldn�t hesitate to say that Enon may have more deer. A much better managed understory than Cades Cove. [/quote]

When I hit the powerball, you can come track all you want. Enon will be my first purchase.

Dr. B

You just let me know. I�ll manage the timber, the wildlife, the food plots, the hunters, the tracking��I even cook a pretty mean home cooked meal from time to time. Hell, if you�ll keep me stocked with supplies, I may never even leave the place. Just call me Hermy.

Call just came in. About to head out. Track on!

folks come there and to sedgefield (if it's still in bidness) with too much money and no outdoor skillzzzz. seen it first hand and it's pitiful.

*not all folks but some* (so i don't pizz off any wealthy folks that don't know any better )

Found it! Story to come.

ive often wondered when I look at Gobblers pictures if he is the biologist that advises them.

Here's a pic. I'll write a little story about it tomorrow morning.

Awesome! Congrats Otis and CNC!

Heck yeah! Way to go Otis! Another at Enon? Habitat looks like it.

Thanks everyone!....Yes, it was another one from Enon.

Good job CNC- enjoyed the story

I love that Otis is a working dog that is good with people! He looks happy to be getting pet in all the recovery pics! I think he loves to love as much as he loves to track.