For some reason people try a heart shot instead of center of shoulder. You go a couple of inches off on a heart shot and you got leg or brisket.IMO
I enjoy this thread daily keep up the good work.

Before starting a track or during have you ever thought of having someone out in front of the deer and dog? Probably not a good idea for several reasons.

Oh no……I’ve had people suggest that before but it’s just a bad idea. I don’t even like for more than 1 or 2 people to go with me on the track. I prefer one. Many folks just aren’t in good enough shape to keep up when we start tracking for long distances up and down ridges….through swamps….across creeks, etc…..You end up just having people strung out through the woods and it can become a dangerous situation if we suddenly get the deer up alive.

I’ve been pondering over yesterdays bay situation and I really should have approached that first bay a little differently than I did. Here’s a rough sketch of the set-up…………..



Otis was taking the deer through a stand of small pines and instead of following him straight through the pines….we went down the fire break for easier travel and to make better time. I got the corner of the pine stand and I could see for 100 yards up the other firebreak but it sounded like Otis was still in the pine thicket. We were about 50-60 yards from them when we stopped at the corner. I started trying to ease up the firebreak toward them to see if I could spot Otis and the buck….. and when I did the buck broke and ran across the grown up clear cut. I couldn’t tell it at the time but Otis was standing on one side of the firebreak barking and the deer was on the opposite side in the small strip of hardwoods between the two larger stands. Looking back on the situation, I wish I would have just hunkered down on that corner for a minute or two and watched the situation. The deer and dog may have moved around and revealed themselves….giving us a shot. You live and learn I guess. We’ll do that a little differently on the next round. I’m gonna approach the bay a little more patiently. I’ve been told by other trackers that if they break that first bay on a leg shot then they often won’t bay up again. It was definitely true with that one….

Call just came in for tomorrow morning.......

Good buck shot with a .243.....The hunter feels confident he hit the deer but can't find any blood. Thinks he may just have an entry hole and no exit. That's all the info I have to go on right now.

To be continued........

It ended up being a clean miss....


Shout out to jbc for the referral!

no problem, hate there wasn't anything for the dogs to follow.

thanks again.

Yeah man.....



Did your buddy tell you about the squirrel that tried to attack us?

ha, no but ill ask

I ain’t gone lie……chit got real there for a second.



………SKWEEEEEEERL!!!!!!!

He said “that sumbitch went straight for his face, it was crazy”

Hate I missed that

Yep, damn sure did...……

We were just walking along with the dogs about 5-10 yards in front us when the this killer attack skwerl jumped came out of nowhere and hit the ground between us and the dogs. I think he may have been down in a hollow stump or something. Well, as soon as he hit the ground Shelby and Otis both jumped at him and the skwerl leaped for a tree. He hit a small sapling about 4 ft up it and pretty much just pinged off of it……as soon as his feet hit he immediately jumped again……but this time he apparently had mistaken me for a tree in his attempt to get away. All I could see was him sailing through the air straight at my face in slow motion.... with all four legs spread out like he was flying. I jumped sideways and threw my hands up just in time for him the fly right by my head and keep on truckin. I thought there for just a brief moment that I was about to be mauled in the face by a skwerl. That'd been a tough one to explain to folks.

Call just came in for tomorrow morning…….

Hunter has trailed blood for about 75 yards to the creek and lost it there. Said that the buck jumped straight up in the air off of all fours when he shot. The hunter believes he may have hit him too far back and that he may be gut shot due to the angle he was standing. I’m assuming that meant he was angled toward the hunter. This one sounds pretty promising.

To be continued………..

I told him too call you good luck let me no how many turkeys you see.

Thanks man!....I appreciate it.

Got him!....

pics pics pics

let's hear the story.

Wheeeew!....These are some brutal tracking conditions right now. The ground is frozen hard and that wind is rough. The conditions made what would normally be a very simple track prove to be a little more difficult than usual. A year or two ago this track would have probably made me very frustrated. Otis just didn’t take off on the track like usual on this one. It looked like he was struggling to pick up the scent. He was searching but just not taking anything away from last blood. He was working out and back….out and back……then giving me the look.

I’ve learned to remain patient now though and I began to guide him on a 100-150 yard loop around the last blood…..We made it about 2/3’s of the way around the loop when him and Shelby both left me and began to work a line out from us. I caught up to them just in time to see Otis pick his head up and begin to run back toward the creek bottom. Just as I lost sight of him again I saw a buzzard sail over my head and I knew at that point we had him. Unfortunately, something else had gotten on him during the night and ate the guts out of the deer but I’m not sure if it was yotes that did it. The hindquarters weren’t eaten up and that’s the first thing yotes usually go for.

I may have to change things up for the next couple days and wait until a lot later in the morning to track after the sun gets up good and the temps rise. I didn’t like the way Otis was struggling to ground scent this one.