Enjoy reading the stories, all except the parts where the yotes got on them.

Took the time while its slow to do a couple modifications to the jet sled…..If you don’t have one of these things, they’re a pretty cheap little tool that makes dragging a deer out a whole lot easier. I think it was something like $50-$60 shipped……The only problem with them though is getting a buck sized deer to stay in sled when you cross over rough terrain or creeks or a leg snags on a tree, etc……Hopefully I’ve alleviated that issue now though by mounting 4 I-bolts (with washers) around the edge that’ll give me something to hook ratchet straps to and tie them in securely. The extra piece of rope is for hooking around the deer’s rack and synching his head down so it doesn’t hang up and snag…….



I also replaced the pull rope with a larger diameter one and added two handles onto the end to make it easier on two draggers to pull it…..as well as adding in some washers behind the rope holes in the sled for extra support. Something else I may still try is to spray the bottom side with something to make it slicker…..like whatever that stuff Clark Griswald was using…..I’m not sure if a simple clear coat would make any difference or not…..I'll take a pic of the next one we pack out to show the sled in action.

Thats a pretty sweet sled and idea.... You could take some round headed screws thru the bottom of the sled with 2 flat bars bolted to it...Then drill holes thru the flat bars and mount your hooks on them....That way you can cinch them down with ratchets tight to the bottom of the sled....They wouldnt move much then ...I like it...

Man that's cool

You act like they don’t get tracking calls during gun season.

Matter of fact, I know more gun hunters than bow hunters that have had to call for a tracking dog.

Tracked this one in southern Tn. Was shot with ML Saturday morning at 7:30. He had tracked it about 400 yds to where he lost blood at a steep creek bank. Him and 3 others had searched both directions at the creek for about 75 yds and could not find anything so he called. I decided it sounded like it was hit back and told him I would come after dark.

It was 12 hours after shot time when we arrived and decided to try and pick up the trail just prior to last blood. Scout hit on it immediately where it crossed the railroad track and I was pretty certain this deer was fatally wounded. She made it to their last blood and started searching back and forth. He started to the south and I told them to just wait there. At that time she turned and headed north so I just went that direction. We made it about 150 yds up the creek to a bed that had a little blood in it. She worked ahead another 200 yds or so to where she went in the creek and then back out of the creek where we found another small spot of blood. About another 200 yds later she works up a steep creek bank to where she sniffs around and starts working real slow. I shined the light ahead and there he lay looking at us. I called the hunter up to verify that was his buck and he verified it was.

We were trying to figure out our next game plan (in TN you can't carry a weapon at night). He finally laid his head over and expired 13 hours after the shot.

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Got a call from a friend back around home while I was in TN Thursday night. After talking it sounded like he may have hit the deer a little back. I offered to get him someone else to come help but he wanted to wait on us to get back the next morning. Ended up being 2:00 (21 hours after shot) or so when we got on the track.
The only blood was from 10 yds after the shot to about 40 yds into the track. I’m not going to lie, it didn’t go as quick and smooth as I expected it to go but about 240 yds later we found his deer.
I’m not sure if it was due to the hot and dry or her catching wind of it in the air with the gusting wind but she eventually figured it out. Shot was quartered to, went in about 4” behind shoulder and out the belly in front of back leg with crossbow.

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Good job.... ...It's super tough tracking conditions right now......I'm looking forward to the rain moving back in

i sure do enjoy these stories ...

Yes sir, need that rain in a bad way.

Tracked this one last week as well. We were about 500 yds into the track and I was really having to push her to stay on the track. She was trying to tell me it wasn't worth it. We got up to a bed and she was working around it when the hunter informed me the buck was about 150 yds ahead of us working a scrape (caught on trail cam). Had video of him looking back up the hill at us. Hopefully he gets another chance at him soon...

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WOW

Very cool stories fellows. Keep'em coming!

Crazy

Another track from this weekend. This one started with Scout and I riding an ATV up this rough mountain on goat trails. Hunter had shot at 8AM and we arrived at 4PM. Shot sounded like it was back so we wanted to give it some time but it was warm and we didn't want to wait extremely long. Anyway, Scout hit on this trail immediately and worked 70 yds to where hunter had lost blood. After a quick circle there she kept on line on top of the ridge another 40 yds or so before heading off the side of the steep mountain. She made it almost to the bottom of the mountain where she started working circles again (the buck had bedded in this area). Back on the trail and another 100 yds later to the dead buck.

The bad thing was coyotes had beaten us to it. Pretty sure they got him out of bed and finished him not long before we got there. About 350 yds from start to finish and took 10 mins once we got off the ATV. Longer to ride up there than to track...

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Found a young man’s first deer this evening on the youth hunt…..Shot with a .243 and hit just a little too far back…..After not being able to locate any blood they backed out and called for a dog……It ended up being a pretty routine recovery…..Didn’t go 200.......



Here's the sled in action……..

For that jet sled they make a paint for the bottom of boats to slick em up for jumping levees. Saw it on a YouTube video so no first hand experience. Probably would add an adhesion promoter before applying that paint to plastic.

Got a call this evening to help find another youth hunters first deer…..Buck was shot with a youth model .243 right before dark……I think he may have hit it back in the liver/gut area……We tracked right to him at 300 yards from the hit site but he got up and eased off before we could dispatch him. He let us get right up on him probably 20 yards away before he got up so I think he’s pretty hurt…..There was a small puddle of real dark blood in the bed. I just decided to call the track right there and pick back up on it in the morning hoping to find him dead a couple hundred yards away….He looked to be a pretty dang good buck best I could tell. He was in a young pine thicket so I didn’t get to look at him for very long.

To be continued hopefully with pics........