The shot was low and back and the arrow had zero blood on it and no blood trail. My client thought he missed. The buck ran and then stopped and you can guess what happend next. He turned and walked away slowly. The buck wasn't tracked until morning and with no blood to follow my client decided to call in the hound instead of grid searching the thick cover. Sypris indicated small chuncks of digested corn at the shot site and this is the first sign that the buck was actually hit!! I knew then we have a good chance of recovering this unpressured buck. She went about 150 yards and came to a swamp/pond and checked the waters edge and then proceeded back to me and then started along the trail paralleling the water's edge until she came to the next run. She again checked the waters edge. She started swimming about 10' out and then turned back to shore. I told my client he is in the pond. She started back along the edge of the water until the next run that ended at the waters edge and she began swimming and this time she didn't turn back. I followed at the end of my 25' rope and next thing I know I'm chest deep in water and she is trying to get onto the vegetation because pulling this long rope was like an anchor pulling her under. We made it about 50 yards into the pond/swamp and I could see a small tree and this means theirs a small section of high ground. As she approached this tree the buck jumps up and swims across the pond. I quickly called Sypris back to me and we retreated on the path we came in on and circled the pond. Not knowing how far the buck ran we waited about 2 hours. We resumed the track and the buck completely backed tracked to where he was originally shot and still not 1 single drop off blood and my client was unsure if we were tracking the correct deer. I asked well how big is the antlers and he replied I'm not sure. I trusted my hound and we contuied following blindly until we ended back at the pond on the same run she originally checked the first time and im getting confused. Then I see a deer tail flicker and a small buck leaning against a cedar tree with his head down looking sick. I creep around to see if I can see a wound to confirm the buck was shot. I could see a small hole where the White/Brown hair meet. My client made a follow up shot and the deer didn't suffer any longer.
Key points to the success of this recovery was the hunter backed out when he was in doubt and brought in the dog before grid searching.
I always say use a dog before grid searching and if the dog is unsuccessful then grid search. We typically can work through a grid searched area however it's much easier to trust a dog when the track isn't contaminated and the dog can problem solve much faster.
It's like doing a puzzle with no pattern it will take you much longer however eventually you will figure it out. Trying to work through a grid search area is like doing the same puzzle however someone throws in extra puzzle pieces that dont belong.
Thanks for reading and following our journeys.
If you don't mind sharing my page and inviting your friends. As we get closer to deer season I'll share some more great recoveries.
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