How to Train a Dog to Track Wounded Deer

Tracking a deer may take you hours with only a fifty percent recovery rate. You can imagine how painful it is to watch a deer disappear into the bush after hitting it with a spear, giving you an opportunity to tell your story for another day.

Why have you not thought of teaching your dog, given that they have the most sensitive smelling and sensing power? Teach him better ways of tracking because there is a guarantee that the dog will use the animal’s scent or drops of blood from the wound to track your game. 

Familiarize with the Rules 

Before embarking on a quest to train your dog, confirm the legal status of deer hunting within your state. There may be some restrictions on pet handling when tracking other animals, whether to track the animal on a leash or let it run freely. Confirm any available restrictions that may influence how you handle the wounded animal. 

The idea behind this training is to make sure that once the dog catches up with the wounded animal, it takes you to the exact spot when it was hit. 

Let’s Get Started

Deer hunting is a skill that any dog can pick up. For the best results start training her when young as it simplifies your work. The young dog is likely to grasp everything you introduce in the name of hunting. 

For this to take place, here are some of the things you need:

• A training harness
• Deer blood 
• Treats
• Squeeze bottle 
• Spray bottle 
• Deer hide 
• Balls for dogs
• Some pieces of meat (if you can lay your hands on one from a deer the better)
• Liver from readily available beef 
• Leash 

What you need more than anything is to practice patience and giving your dog time to learn as long as you have a good location for training. An ideal place should have some trees, which is a replica of the deer’s place of preference. 

There is no time scale, but patience and consistency are essential as long as the dog masters relevant commands. 

1. The Beef Liver Method 

Come up with a Trail 

Use the beef liver to create the blood trail as it is affordable and readily available in comparison to a deer’s meat. Drag it down leaving a trail for the pup to follow.

Train on the Scent 

Tie the dog using the harness and let her learn beef liver by giving him more time to learn the scent to fix it in her mind. 

Train to Follow Scent 

Let your dog find out where the scent is coming from by letting her start from the beginning of the trail. Make sure you carry a treat with you. Let her follow the scent to its end and give him a treat. Repeat this process several times, as you increase the distance and rewarding her each time she manages to reach the end. 

Train on the 90 Degrees Turn 

The idea is to try to confuse your dog. Each time she is successful praise her by giving her a treat. 

Make Some Changes 

Change from a beef scent to a deer scent. At this point, you need at least a deer hide and blood for spraying. Do not let the dog off yet, but this time use an animal scent that is closer to the scent of a deer. Keep practicing do this until the dog is ready to prove that he got you right. 

2. Squeeze Bottle Method 

Set a Trail

If you were successful on your last hunt, use a significant amount of blood and leave it to freeze. You can also freeze some pieces of hide or meat and use them as treats when training your dog. 

Fill in the Bottle 

Thaw deer blood and fill the bottle with it. Start creating trails on the field, make sure the bottle can flow through its tip and if not possible, cut it until the opening wide enough. 

Walk with the Dog 

Count your strides and dribble drops of blood. Walk in a straight line for about three hundred meters. Let the trail last but not longer than four hours. At the end of the trail, use a small place of hide or meat as a treat. 

Let the Dog Seek 

Let the dog follow the scent and up to where it will get its treat. This exercise should take place until the dog gets used to it. Start introducing curves and making longer trails, then extend your trails by making them longer and last for more extended periods. 

The Last Step 

Create bloodlines where a deer roams as it trains the dog to maintain focus on its target and not any distraction.

3. The Hide and Seek Method

Bring Your Tools Together 

Take pieces of hides from a deer and spray it with some blood.  

Make the Hide Ready 

Spray the deer’s skin with blood and let it to dry. 

Let the Dog Play 

Allow the dog to use a deer hide for playing, sleep on, and chew to let him get used to the scent. 

Hiding the Hide 

Take the deer’s hide and conceal it somewhere in the house. Reward her every time she gets it right. As she makes every discovery make the hide hard to spot until it is time to take it outdoors. 

Training with Blood Trails 

Create the trails using a spray bottle as the dog follows you into the woods. The art of tracking can be perfected when you hide a dead deer somewhere and let the dog lead you.

All these methods need patience and time for your dog to master. Dogs are not the same, so do not set a standard time for yours.