Scout's tracking service 810-240-4891: Buckwiz the deer slayer Jr.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Buckwiz the deer slayer Jr.

Byron Sr. Took his sun Byron Jr. out hunting on the opening day of the Michigan youth hunt. They were hunting out of a box style blind on the ground on the edge of a swamp and a little peninsula of hard woods. This nice 11 pointer came in from their right at a distance of 20 yards. Byron Jr. was using a crossbow and he has been practicing all summer for this moment. Sr. asked him if he was ready for the shot and Jr. said yes, so as soon as the buck stop he was planning for the moment of truth. As soon as Jr. pulled the trigger the buck turned resulting in a little far back shot. However the angle worked out for the better because the shot hit back in the guts angling forward into the liver and possible clipping the opposite lung. Byron Sr. waited a little while before checking out the impact shot sight and with no luck of finding blood he then started down the deer run and still no blood. That's when he decided to call for a little support on helping with the recovery. Byron Sr. pushed forward on the deer trail about 30-40 yards up the trail and he found the first sign of a hit, the buck ran into a small tree leaving a smear mark and some belly hair. After our phone conversation we decided to give this buck some time to expire. The track was about 250 yards long and the buck did not stay on the deer run for very long. After about 50 yards the buck took a hard turn to the right and was just plowing his was threw the swamp leaving small drops of blood. Little while into the track Scout indicated the crossbow bolt laying on the ground and after the bolt fell out the blood trail got allot better. The track took about 15-20 minuets and it was not a very difficult track as far as dog work goes. Most likely Byron would have found this buck on his own however the sign in the beginning did not look promising. If Byron was not able to find where the buck made the turn off the deer run its possible the buck would never have been recovered. Congratulations to Byron Sr. and Byron Jr. If you have never taken your son or daughter or someone else child hunting you should because this experience of recovering this beautiful buck for a youth hunter was priceless.

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Scout The mega millions lotto ticket

SCOUTING FOR A PUPPY

-A story about a pet dachshund that has a purpose in life-

by Rob Miller

(Introduction and Afterthoughts by Sian Kwa)

INTRODUCTION

Some time ago, I was contacted by Rob Miller, a Michigan deer hunter, who owns an amazing little miniature, chocolate and tan, longhair dachshund, named Scout. After a couple of phone conversations, I was quite impressed about Rob’s knowledge of blood tracking, which he obtained primarily from working with this one little dog.

In November of last year, I met Rob and Scout in Michigan. Curious of Scout’s performance, I could not wait to witness the tracking ability of this dog. The opportunity was offered to me when joining them at a recovery of a deer that was shot by a deer hunter two days before we arrived at the scene.

I observed Scout as a slow, but methodical tracker. He takes ample time to investigate the starting or shot site and explores the surroundings extensively, before he decides to follow the trail. Each minute sign of the deer, whether it is a hoof print in dirt or a teeny speckle of blood, is examined carefully. The major advantage for a handler of such a dog is that there is plenty of time to assess the area for signs of the wounded deer.

It is evident that Rob knows his dog incredibly well. When Scout was in doubt or has lost the trail, Rob allowed his dog to thoroughly search the area without interfering much. Meanwhile Rob was scoping the surroundings for signs of the deer himself. It was sheer pleasure to watch Rob and Scout working closely together as an ideal tracking team.

However, to me the most astonishing part of Scout’s success story is not his performance, but how Rob got Scout.

SCOUT’S STORY

One day a co-worker of Rob’s wife, Colleen, had bought a red miniature smooth dachshund. Colleen immediately fell in love with the dog. Rob and Colleen have four young children and one of them is allergic to animal dander. Due to their son’s allergy, they were limited in the choice of pets.

Rob had heard about dachshunds that are being used for recovering wounded deer. A few years back, he was in dire need of a deer recovery dog, when he lost his “buck of a lifetime”. Rob searched the area for a handler with a tracking dog, but without any luck.

When Colleen came home and told her husband about the cute little dog of her co-worker, and announced that she wanted one too, Rob was surprised and excited. He imagined he could own his tracking dog while his wife would have her cute little dachsie. In the meantime, the kids could also learn the responsibilities of owning a pet.

The looks of a red dachshund did not quite appeal to the Miller family. They preferred a black and tan. Rob searched the local newspapers and found an ad of a local breeder selling miniature longhair dachshunds. He called her and left a message on the answering machine. When returning his call, she told him there were three male chocolate and tan longhair pups in the litter still available. Set on a black and tan, Rob was initially not interested. The breeder insisted on emailing him photos of her pups. Needless to say, the Miller family was sold!

The next day Rob was scheduled in the second shift at his job and did not get out of work until 11 pm. He did not want to wait to see the pups. Thankful to the breeder for allowing a late visit, Rob drove to Metro Detroit after work and arrived at the breeder’s home in the middle of the night. The father of the pups was present. He was a very handsome male. Unfortunately, Rob did not get to see the mother.

The breeder brought out the three little male puppies. The pups looked healthy and plump, and were full of energy. The appearance of the three pups was fairly similar, but one little boy kept coming to Rob, demanding attention. His two brothers did not show interest in the human visitor. Rob’s choice was made. The affectionate puppy became Scout!

Before leaving the breeder’s home, Rob had laid a 50-foot line by dragging a deer leg in the side yard. Rob put Scout at the start of the line. Without any hesitation, the little puppy followed the line straight to the end and continued searching for whichever item was responsible for the smell.

During the two hour drive home, the friendship between Rob and Scout was initiated. That bond grew only stronger over time and they became best buddies.

The following months, Rob trained Scout following the training instructions described in John Jeanneney’s book. He added and modified some techniques that he thought seemed to fit the dog. Scout was a natural in tracking, and immediately showed great interest in following deer scent. He was a fanatic when playing with the deer legs.

Now at 4 years of age, he has made quite a name for himself with deer hunters in the area. As soon as Rob puts on his rubber boots and grabs his tracking backpack Scout starts barking like crazy. He knows it is time to work……

AFTERTHOUGHTS

Rob currently enjoys tracking with Scout much more than hunting deer. Together they track for other deer hunters and have successfully recovered numerous deer that would have been lost.

Scout’s story is not meant to promote so-called ‘backyard breeding’, but is only an example that some preferred traits are present in dogs that many of us would consider ‘culls’. Scout’s conformation is not optimal. He weighs 12 pounds. His coat is much too fluffy even before he was neutered. His front and hind angulations are far from picture perfect and his gaiting is a bit choppy. Not at all a beautiful show dachshund, but the Miller family could not care less about their lovable pet and best friend, which sleeps with them in bed. He is so much part of the family. Rob –however- did the responsible ‘thing’ and had neutered Scout.

I just cannot help wondering what Scout’s could have contributed to the breed with regard to blood tracking, if he were to be used for breeding. Although Scout’s conformation would not make him a show champion, his ability to track wounded deer is exceptional, and rarely seen in miniature dachshunds. His breeder did not intend to breed for hunting. Thus Scout is merely a winning lottery ticket. A coincidence.

It is perhaps interesting to take a step back and look at puppies with a broader view. That unappealing troublemaking puppy you placed in a pet home might have been your best hunter ever…..