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First off, let me say that when I take a call to come and help track an animal, I don't gaurantee anything except that
I will do everything I can to help with the recovery. Unfortunately, not all wounded animals can be recovered,
even with the aid of a dog. Time, weather conditions, and the presence of other animals all cause the trail to deteriorate until
it is no longer workable. Often times the most difficult point of a blood trail is the hunters point of loss.
The hunter lost the trail here for a reason, the trail is thin and hard to locate, and the area will be tracked up from the
hunter's efforts to find the trail again. The less tracked up the area is the easier it will be for the dog to work
his way through.
Many tracking dogs are worked on a long leash of around thirty feet. This is my prefered method unless I get into
cover that is so thick that Eagle keeps getting hung up in brush, and then I will let him work off lead. If he has to
constantly wait for me to untangle a rope it breaks his concentration and slows down the whole process, also, the last thing
I want is my dog tied to a tree when a foul-mooded hog busts out of a brush pile. Tracking at night is not a problem,
I use a reflective collar and a bell to keep track of the dog, and he will normally not range so far ahead that I lose contact
with him.
SCENT BASICS
Scent can come from dead skin, hair, glands, or bodily secretions. When dealing with a wounded animal it will also
come from blood or body fluids that have fallen from the wound or the mouth and nose to the ground.
Scent has less to with the age of the trail than it does with weather conditions. Often during dry dusty
conditions we are better off waiting until dark to start following the blood trail so the conditions are better for the dog.
In the morning air tends to rise as the temperature comes up, lifting body scent particles with it. Blood will remain
on the ground to give off scent. In the evening, the opposite is true. Body scent hangs at ground level along
with the blood and any body fluid. John Jeanneney, author of "Tracking Dogs For Finding Wounded Deer" says that
"tracking is at its best in the evening as the air becomes heavier and moisture begins to condense out of the atmosphere as
dew. " Moisture is usually helpful, while dry dusty conditions make trails difficult. Dry leaves on
a windy day can literally carry a trail away. Sand and gravel do not hold scent well. Cedar needles and
plowed fields can mask the scent of a wounded animal.
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