The adventures of Elkie
- Thread starter Brushpile
- Start date
I'm going to go back and see when I loaded the picture, it might have been late December?
I haven't had a call yet, which tells me that deer aren't moving yet. I'm going on hunt #2 shortly, but the temperature is 95 degrees and there's only a 6 MPH wind. I'm basically patterning the deer in the hope of catching them between bedding and feeding, so I can get Elkie on a track. I spotted a BIG bodied/dark colored buck last night, but haven't had a shot.
Rain in all four directions, but not a drop here!
I'll be hunting Wednesday and Thursday, and hope to shoot a doe for Elkie. Thanks for the info, I think deer are moving, but I still haven't seen a rub or a scrape.
Oh boy, I got a call on a mature buck, and it sounded good over the phone. I was shown a pic of a huge mature buck, and then I was shown the arrow, which only penetrated about 8 inches. I knew in an instant that it was a spine shot with almost no hope of recovery. Elkie took the track over 300 yards with no wound bed and no blood after 100 yards.
Still waiting on a fatal hit, and I hope that hunter gets a second chance on that monster!
Still waiting on a fatal hit, and I hope that hunter gets a second chance on that monster!
Elkie recovered her first deer of the season. A hunter called saying that he shot a crippled doe to end it's suffering, but his arrow deflected on a twig, resulting in a gut shot. The hunter stopped at last blood and called me. When I arrived the hunter showed me his arrow, which was covered in gut content, had only penetrated about 10 inches, and the point had snapped off.
The track was only 4 hours old and had good blood the first 100 yards, and then the blood ended. Elkie tracked another 200 yards with no blood so I restarted her, and she followed the same track, and then began casting about, searching. Thinking that Elkie might be tracking a healthy deer I restarted her a third time, and let her keep going. Elkie tracked down the line a 3rd time, covering 300 yards with no visible blood.... when she found the deer.
In Missouri it's illegal to carry a weapon while tracking with a leashed dog. The rule makes no sense, but the hunter shot the deer to do the humane thing, called me because he was ethical, and he followed the law and didn't bring a weapon. So we found this live doe, that is suffering... now what do we do?
The track was only 4 hours old and had good blood the first 100 yards, and then the blood ended. Elkie tracked another 200 yards with no blood so I restarted her, and she followed the same track, and then began casting about, searching. Thinking that Elkie might be tracking a healthy deer I restarted her a third time, and let her keep going. Elkie tracked down the line a 3rd time, covering 300 yards with no visible blood.... when she found the deer.
In Missouri it's illegal to carry a weapon while tracking with a leashed dog. The rule makes no sense, but the hunter shot the deer to do the humane thing, called me because he was ethical, and he followed the law and didn't bring a weapon. So we found this live doe, that is suffering... now what do we do?
While this deer couldn't regain its feet, it could flail and kick, so the hunter had to use his knife to dispatch the deer which was both emotionally troubling and dangerous. Elkie was lucky that she didn't get kicked. What if this deer could have gotten up? How do you recover a wounded deer without a weapon? The law needs to be changed, so that the hunter can carry a bow and/or the tracker can carry a pistol so that wounded deer can be dispatched humanely.
This was Elkie's first live deer, and she dove right in after it.
This was Elkie's first live deer, and she dove right in after it.
Cedar Ridge
Active Member
I know what I would do but I also believe in self governing a bit. I'm a big proponent of game laws (season dates, bag limits, etc) but I won't follow a law that results in an animal suffering.
Elkie has a tough track in the morning. The hunter shot a 170 class buck last night, and we will be on track in the morning. The hunter had a pass through with a Twacker broad head, hitting forward through the shoulder blade. The deer dropped 40 yards from the stand, but got back up when the hunter approached. The hunter backed out and gave the deer some time. From the first wound bed the deer only traveled another 40 yards before bedding a second time. The hunter walked up to the buck, thinking it was dead, when it jumped up and ran off.
The hunter and his buddy crawled on hands and knees through heavy cover doing a grid search today. So, the trail will be 36 hours old, it's dry, and the buck's scent has been scattered everywhere. I'm told that the cover is extremely thick and full of thorns... should be interesting. Elkie and I are both game. ;-)
The hunter and his buddy crawled on hands and knees through heavy cover doing a grid search today. So, the trail will be 36 hours old, it's dry, and the buck's scent has been scattered everywhere. I'm told that the cover is extremely thick and full of thorns... should be interesting. Elkie and I are both game. ;-)
Unfortunately the law was written with dogs running deer in mind, and not envisioning a short legged dachshund on a leash. The pic of Elkie and the doe would be enough to change the law, if anyone cares. I'll probably talk to a game warden at the Bois d' Arc disabled hunt on Saturday.
