# Blood trailing dogs to find wounded big game (PROPOSAL)



## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

I thought this might be of some interest here:

http://wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings/info/2012-04_packet.pdf



> R657-5-15. Party Hunting and Use of Dogs
> (1) A person may not take big game for another person, except as provided in Section 23-19-1 and Rule R657-12.
> (2) A person may not use the aid of a dog to take, chase, harm or harass big game. The use of one blood-trailing dog controlled by leash during lawful hunting hours and within 72 hours of shooting a big game animal is allowed to track wounded animals and aid in recovery.
> 
> ...


----------



## Pops2 (Jul 28, 2010)

how about a just giving the DWR the authority to decide how dogs can be used for hunting?


----------



## redleg (Dec 5, 2007)

The DWR has done badly enough with Utah’s deer herds, I'm not sure they are the best authorities.


----------



## Pops2 (Jul 28, 2010)

redleg said:


> The DWR has done badly enough with Utah's deer herds, I'm not sure they are the best authorities.


i didn't know the DWR had the authority to stop development of private property. in fact for every serious threat to the deer herd, i'd be willing to bet you can find crappy legislation that created the situation. best managed states i've hunted in the wildlife management agencies haven't been burdened down by excessive legislative intereference.
i think a lot of guys forget this is a desert & it can only support so many tons of wildlife. more cattle & elk mean less deer. a few wet years in a row con create the wrong idea that the range can support more. UT can never be like the eastern states w/ a million deer in half the land area.
JMO and worth what you paid for them.


----------



## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

I use my dogs to track wounded game anyway. It's ethical, humane, safe, and SHOULD be completely legal. I dont care if it's not, I'm doing it anyway. :^8^: If they catch me and the fish cop really has that big of a hard-on to write me a ticket... :roll: Fine. Check's in the mail!

In all seriousness though, this has been a LOOOONG time coming and needs to happen.


----------



## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

TEX-O-BOB said:


> In all seriousness though, this has been a LOOOONG time coming and needs to happen.


I agree 100%


----------



## leviwin (Dec 7, 2011)

TEX-O-BOB said:


> I use my dogs to track wounded game anyway. It's ethical, humane, safe, and SHOULD be completely legal. I dont care if it's not, I'm doing it anyway. :^8^: If they catch me and the fish cop really has that big of a hard-on to write me a ticket... :roll: Fine. Check's in the mail!
> 
> In all seriousness though, this has been a LOOOONG time coming and needs to happen.


Why don't you just save yourself some $ and tell them that you are grouse hunting with the dog. The grouse hunt is usually going on during the same time.


----------



## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

leviwin said:


> TEX-O-BOB said:
> 
> 
> > I use my dogs to track wounded game anyway. It's ethical, humane, safe, and SHOULD be completely legal. I dont care if it's not, I'm doing it anyway. :^8^: If they catch me and the fish cop really has that big of a hard-on to write me a ticket... :roll: Fine. Check's in the mail!
> ...


Hmmmmm. -Ov- I like the way you think! There's more than one way to skin a cat! :twisted:


----------



## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

So how does one train their dog to do this? I'm thinking there are a lot of breeds that have been used to do this in the past (out of europe) to include DD, GWP, WPG/etc. If this does pass (which is should) I'd like to train my pup (WPG) to do this. Any suggestions?


----------



## bwhntr (Sep 12, 2007)

JuddCT said:


> So how does one train their dog to do this? I'm thinking there are a lot of breeds that have been used to do this in the past (out of europe) to include DD, GWP, WPG/etc. If this does pass (which is should) I'd like to train my pup (WPG) to do this. Any suggestions?


This is a great question for the NAVHDA guys. Also the DD guys testing includes blood trailing.

I know of some training that entails using cow blood and training the dog to follow it with a reward at the end. There are guys on here that have forgotten more than I know on the subject. Tex has been training his DD to follow the scent of a dead duck. He had me drag a frozen duck through a park for a few hundred yards and then let the dog track it and retrieve the duck. Pretty fun to watch.


----------



## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

bwhntr said:


> JuddCT said:
> 
> 
> > So how does one train their dog to do this? I'm thinking there are a lot of breeds that have been used to do this in the past (out of europe) to include DD, GWP, WPG/etc. If this does pass (which is should) I'd like to train my pup (WPG) to do this. Any suggestions?
> ...


I started training my DD to track the day I brought him home at 8 weeks. Just short tracks with food and gravy to start. Then I gradually worked him into longer and more difficult food tracks where I'd space the drops of gravy out and make different turns over different terrain. Now that he's been force fetched and broke to wing shot and fall I've switched it up to dead birds and blood tracking. The final step will be aged blood tracks over a mile or so in the woods. I suppose any dog can be taught to track, but there are certainly breeds that do it better than others. So far Zeb, my DD has been a machine on all his tracking drills and I dont see me having any trouble at all finding wounded game with him this fall. He's going to be tracking EVERY bow kill I make from now on weather I see the animal go down or it runs off and goes two miles. It's just the right thing to do!


----------

