Devil's lake.

Devils lake Lenawee Co.
Eric had several encounters with this mature 9point. During his evening hunt the buck slipped in and caught him by surprise. The buck was broadside so Eric got his crossbow up and pulled the trigger. Buck turned and did two large bounds and then walked away. Did I miss?
  Eric gets down at dark and looks for blood and his bolt and can't find either. After doing several circles he finds a tuff of hair!
 Decides to wait till morning before tracking and searching for a deer tracking dog. Back in 2008 only a few guys were tracking and thankfully Eric knew someone that used scout and my number was given out.  Word of mouth has always been the #1 way hunters find me.
 I told Eric I had to work and you need to go look anyways before I make the long drive to Addison Mi.
   He calls me at 11 am and says I found 2 tiny drops of blood and can't find anything else. I make it down there about an hour before dark and start scout at the shot site. He leads into the big timber and quickly gets distracted by 4 doe as he chased after them. So I do a complete restart because he is distracted and we haven't found any blood.
So on our second attempt he goes the same path and advanced further and that's when a raccoon disrupts his focus so it's time for the 3rd restart. Still no new blood.
The third time he goes the same way again and I tell Eric I have no idea if he knows who you deer is and if he is correct!! Let's just keep following him until we decide to stop. 24 hours has passed since the buck was shot. No bolt,no blood and I have no idea what I'm doing.
Scout leads us through the woods and hits a field edge and then turns back into the woods and goes back across and this section of the woods is flooded so he has to swim shorts distances to hit dry land. We have gone probably 700 yards and now it's getting dark. Scout turns north as he went east then turned west and now north!! Nothing seems to be going our way and then we hit the property line. Eric says I don't know who owns it so now what? I say well we don't have any evidence that scout is correct so it's best we stop.
Then I spot a bow hunter up in a tree 50 yards away and we ruined his hunt so Eric goes and talks with him. While talking I hear the hunter say that's a tracking dog while scuffing. Eric said yes however not sure if he is going to find my buck. They discussed details about the big 9 and this hunter has been hunting him as well.
I pick scout up because we're done and he is squirming like a kid in a candy store. So I put him down and the hunter said y'all can keep going until the woods ends then you have to stop. So I follow scout while they BS together and come to the end. Tall grass field and raspberry patch separates the woods and the tall grass and I don't see anything. I pick scout up again and he starts squirming again so I set him down. He goes into the raspberry patch and that's when I see the white antlers!!! I yelled scout found your F@#$&€¥ buck!!!
What a epic track. Buck was shot hard Q-2 and the bolt was still in him preventing the blood from coming out. The bolt also prevented from laying down. He traveled just over 1 mile in total.
Scout has been retired for several years and this track is when I started believing in the words I preach. Trust your dog!!
#legendarydeertrackinghounds

Crab claw

Albion Mi.

Randy was hunting from a ground blind when crab claw a 140" 9 point made his way in to the food plot. The shot was 30+ yards and by the bucks reaction he was hit far back. Randy immediately called to discuss his options!! I suggested to let the buck lay over night at least 12 hours before trying to eye track him. Randy started tracking around noon the following day. He followed the blood trail about 500 yards and found two beds with blood in them. That's when he hit a dead in as the blood trail stopped   so it's time I bring in the legendary tracking hound Sypris. It was extremely windy that night and thankfully we were tracking in to the wind. Sypris tracked with a 20 yard wide zig zag formation (odd style for her) however she kept indicating blood and wound beds. Randy son inlaw was with me while tracking and he says we didn't follow blood this way!! The blood trail is over there suggesting we were going in the wrong direction!!  Well I always follow my dog and Sypris keeps  indicating blood and different wound beds.
 .40 of a mile we found Randy buck still warm and rigamortis hadn't set in yet. The track was 25 hours old. I think the other blood trail was from crab claw  rutting all night even tho he was wounded.   Always trust your dog!!!

Shot in the head

Location: Lapeer State game area

Season: December Muzzleloader

Weather: Cold really cold!!

   Tom Frank's is perched up in his climbing treestand and is looking to kill a deer to fill his freezer. The evening hunt hasn't been productive and like most hunts on state land you see more hunters than deer. Earlier in his hunt he had hunters that passed by heading deeper into the state game area and Tom knew he was on a run that's productive most nights. It's that twilight time, prime time and the last half hour we all anticipate seeing that big buck. It's starting to snow so the forest floor goes from black to white in just a few minutes and Tom could here something to his left. Thinking it's probably the hunter leaving early as it's getting colder by the second. The sound gets closer he noticed a dark shape in the distance and it looks like a mature deer. It goes from cold to warm in a flash and difficult to swallow. Gloves comes off and anticipation for the shot is all Tom can think about. Okay where is a good shooting lane, is it a big buck or doe, shot distance to that spot? The dark bodied deer stays behind every tree or bush so all Tom could do is listen as the deer closes the distance!! Not knowing if it's a big buck or doe is killing him. The sound of the foot steps is so close he can almost hear to deer breathing. It's getting down to the wire as Tom looks at his watch and sees that he has 5 minutes of shooting time left and if he is going to get a shot he will need to make it happen the first chance he gets. Tom hunting with a 50 Cal muzzleloader that has a scope on it. The deer is less than 10 yards away behind some trees. Finally he sees the deer looking at him and noticed it was a doe!! All good as he has an antlerless tag. Tom waiting for her to take 1-2 steps so he can punch his tag. She isn't moving and time is running out. She is 10 yards and has his muzzleloader on a gun rest with the crosshairs set on his Target and take himself into taking the head shot. Going through his head (10 yards, 50 cal. Muzzleloader with 150 grains of pryodex and 200grain All call polymer tip TC shockwave sabot she will drop on the spot for a quick kill and less dragging as she probably would run back when she came from and that's the opposite direction from my truck. 

Tom and I grew up together so I can vouch for him about how much he practices with his bow, gun. He practices way more than the average Hunter and he is a great shot. Ideally a double lung shot is most everyone first choice. So as time is running out and this stare down had lasted to the last second of legal shooting hour he decides for the head shot. The large puff of smoke clears and Tom looking at the ground and sees her laying on her side and he is pumped!! Starts packing up his gear to climb down and he is about half way down she gets up and runs off!! As you can only imagine how is that even possible!! 

Tom looks at the shot site and theirs a large pool of blood and steady blood through the snow. He follows the blood trail and it's going left and then right and then left and back right she is weaving all over the place. Tom goes 50 yards then 100 more and he could see a spot she falls to the ground. Then the blood trail STOPPED!! He could see her tracks however they quickly disappear because in the dense forest the snow isn't covering the ground like it was where Tom was set up. So he looks for awhile with his flashlight and then the batteries go dead!! 

 Tom calls me and I said I'll be there at 11 pm and I've never tracked a deer shot in the head! Can't be good if she got up so maybe you just scared the hell of her and nicked her so that's why the bleeding stopped. 

Sypris follows the blood trail through the snow and quickly makes it to last blood and continues on through the woods we go about 150 more yards and I'm not seeing anything!! 

I say to Tom I don't think you killed her! 50 Cal to the head no way is she getting up from that shot! We come to a shallow steam about 10' wide sypis starts walking down the middle of it going with the current. 30 yards then 60 yards and about 100 yards down steam we come to a bend in the stream that goes to our left and it's full of dead trees that prevent us from continuing. The bank is well above my head so the only way out is to climb to bank or turn back. Sypris tries to climb the bank however it's straight up. At this point I see blood on the bank so I'm blown away that she followed him downstream and I'm super excited even tho I don't think this doe is dead. So I pick her up to put her on shore so she can continue tracking as I believe the doe jumped up the bank to exit the steam. Sypris is circling around and doesn't find anything and she goes back to the steam and goes down the step bank and back in the stream and heads back up steam so I tell Tom to keep searching because this doe exited somewhere around this river bend!

Sypris is at the point where she came into the steam and keeps heading up steam and I'm so confused to what she is doing. We go about 50 yards further and she exits the steam to my right and starts heading up hill and we crest the top and start heading down and that's when I see the doe laying there dead!! 

I'm freaking out that this deer is even dead and Sypris just pulled a Houdini. I'm saying out loud I just witness the most amazing recovery ever!! 

  After this epic recovery I'm thinking she can find every deer!! 

WRONG.. She was successful this night because the scent trail was only a few hours old, weather was cold and damp and more importantly protected by the dense canopy above. 

If we would have tried this track the following morning I'm not so sure she would have made it to the river bend down steam. 

Dogs are only successful when the scent is available for them to smell!! Scent is very complex and weather can really help or hurt your situation!! Something to think about this fall. When it's hot call sooner than later, when it's dry call sooner than later. When it's damp this keeps the scent active and will last longer. Heavy rain can completely wash everything away. If you have a massive blood trail and we get heavy rain I know a dog can still track. If the deer isn't bleeding and we get heavy rain it's extremely difficult for a dog. I have watched Sypris work after a heavy rain and the scent is completely gone where she can't even get started!!

First time

First time for me!!
Hunter calls and says I straight up gut shot the buck!!
He waits all day before tracking and last blood is at the edge of the woods heading into CRP.
Can't find anything in the CRP so they drive two pickup trucks criss crossing the CRP and still can't locate the deer. I arrived 26 hours later and start Sypris at the shot site and she is tracking slowly and progressing towards last blood. She then exits the woods into the CRP field and gets on to the main 2-track that is along the woods and starts walking down it. Vehicles have been up and down this road several times since the buck was shot.
I pull her back to last blood and she returns to the road and starts down it again so I have no choice I must trust her. Front of the property is a decent size retaining pond that is surrounded by tall weeds and cattails. Makes perfect sense that he would be heading to this area. As Sypris starts checking the runs that lead to the water I'm thinking the buck is in the water!! I think it was the 5th run Sypris jumps in the water and starts to swim across so I make sure the leash isn't tangled and I start to walk around to the other side. It's a long walk. I get to the other side and I can't find Sypris. Then I spot her back on the shore that she originally entered that waters edge. I'm calling her to swim over to me and she starts and makes it half way and starts circling now I'm concerned that she is going to drown because in Michigan the dog has to be on leash and I'm worried the leash is going to tangle up and drown her. I rush back to the other side and she is back on shore. I pick her up and walk her back to the side I feel the buck  would have exited the pond and she doesn't hit on any scent. I can see the entire pond and I don't see a deer. After several hours we decide to start body hunting because obviously Sypris can't figure it out also. Half the day goes by and I'm really bummed out because this is a deer we should be able to locate!!
About a month goes by the temperature dropped freezing the pond and then it warms up thawing out the pond for the most part and my client was hunting near it when he could see something floating. He gets down and it's his buck!! I've never seen a deer sink before and didn't think it was possible!! Where Sypris was swimming in circles is where the buck was on the bottom of the pond. Once the water warmed up the gases built up in the deer causing him to surface.
You can't find them all for many reasons!!!
I never included this deer into Sypris total of recoveries.
Currently she is at 238!! No deer dog in Michigan has more recoveries. I'm not bragging about numbers im simply saying she is extra special.

Michigan Deer Tracking Hound.

Shot placement was slightly high into the lungs on the entrance due to the deer being 8 yards from the base of the treestand. Exit should be out the white belly hair. Typical mule kick and bolts off really fast. My client sites quietly anticipating to hear the crash. All he hears is salience.. He decided to sit a few extra hours as it is the rut and he shot the buck just after daybreak.
 I received a text about 10 am from one of my VIP clients saying I shot a buck at 8:30 am.
Shot placement high lungs, buck runs off, didn't hear him crash what's your availability if needed?
  For those that don't know about my VIP client list its an idea I came up with that allows hunters to save money if by chance they need tracking service.
 I'll reply to my VIP client with instructions so we're both on the same page to ensure everything is done correctly.
 I replied with wait as long as you can and get down and quietly look for your bolt and send me pics of the bolt and it's fletching and any hair, blood that you can find.
 I received hair and blood pics however the bolt can't be found. He is hunting a creek bottom and the buck was so close he thinks the bolt is in the mud. I suggest at noon start tracking marking the blood trail with TP.
It's only a few minutes past noon and says your not going to believe this!! The blood trail had stopped!! I'm only 20 yards from to shot site.
I suggest start walking further down the run and start checking the other runs as it's not uncommon to loose blood that quickly especially if the buck hasn't exhaled.
Maybe 20 minutes has passed and still no blood. I had obligations during the day so I told him I'll be that after his evening hunt.
  I used Sypris for this track and like the rock star she is she started off with her #1 hit song walk this way.
She is nose to the ground and starts indicating micro size pinned drops about 100 yards away and continues with sniper accuracy finding more pinn size blood droplets. We are now over half mile into this track and I highly doubtful anyone could have eye tracked this buck and if they could it would have taken hours!! So we're 20 minutes into the track and half mile away my client says do you think I killed him? I know this much!!
~ He isn't double lunged!!
~ Sypris fully understand who she is tracking
~ weather is perfect
~ we have plenty of batteries to last all night
~ it's liver gut shot so it's simply a matter of where and when she finds!!!
  He says you can tell it's liver shot by the color of these pin drops of blood? I said heck no I can tell by that way it taste!! His eyes grew larger and he says your fucking with my right?
Haha yeah I can tell by the color and I give him a wink!!
Sypris is now 1 mile away and hasn't missed a step and putting on a true tracking clinic.
Now we are in some flooded timber and she swims across until he she his higher ground and continues this for 100 yards. Now we're in swamp grass that's very dense. I get right up close to her to help protect her if by chance to buck is alive!!
  She stops and I see her nose go up and I can hear her sniffing and I say he is close by!! Really you think so I'm being asked?
Sypris goes a few more feet and stops and I'm shinning my 900 lumen light looking for eyes.
  Then I spot four hooves protruding from the swamp grass and the buck head is up looking at me "he is alive"
   I quickly back out and tell him to get your crossbow ready.
  We have already discussed hand signals in case this event happens.
So he moves into position and let's the bolt fly hitting him perfectly in the lungs!!
  Nothing happens not even a flinch.
The buck is dead and rigamortis has already set in. The bucks antlers were caught up in some vines holding his head up.
Thanks again for following our journey.