tracking dogs for wounded bears question

[lowpressure]

So ive been hunting big game for around 38 years and have been fortunate to have only lost 2 animals that ive shot over that period. I just spent 21 days chasing black bears and wolves and on day 18 I had my chance. I have seen a total of 15 black bears (the most ive ever seen in a single season). Every one was either a sow with cubs or a very young boar. I saw a grizzly with a cub on the second day of the hunt. Anyway, on the day in question I shot my bear perfectly broadside at close range and chose the typical mid body moving forward slightly shot placement. The bear spun when shot and was biting at the exit side of the rib cage. I was on a very very steep section that had an open meadow just above a large alder patch that ran down the mountain about 700 feet and was better than a mile long with just a few openings here and there. I took the shot with just a few minutes of light left in the day. After the shot i heard some crashing but no moan. After an hour i took my headlamp and eased down to where the bear had entered the alders. There was smeared blood so i marked the entrance and i followed the trail for about 80 yards. There wasnt much blood as can be the case with bears sometimes. I checked my area forcast and it stated 0 percent chance of rain for the next 48 so i decided to back out and come back at first light........

At 3 am i was awakened by thunder and it rained hard until well after daylight. when i got back to where i had marked the blood trail i couldnt even see it on the branches. I spent the next 3 days grid searching that drainage with onx. 27 miles of just grids. I left heartbroken that i was unable to recover the bear.

So heres the question after all of that...........In retrospect ive wondered if even after such a hard and long rain storm could i have tried to find a tracking dog? Can the dogs still find a solid trail after so much water? I had a buddy out of state that tracks whitetails for people even after a day or two but not sure about the deluge of rain. It was probably close to a couple inches. Do any of you guys track bears regularly? Can you track after severe weather?

Thanks
steve

 

[PathFinder]

Rain like that will destroy the scent trail for the dogs too. However, they can still use their sense of smell to cast around and find the bear. I'm amazed at the old dead stuff my hounds are able to smell from 50 or so yards away and then dig up. If you walked a couple of bear dogs through there and just let them cast around I bet they'd find it.

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[156821]

I have a blue tick hound cross and its sense of smell is something to behold. I wouldn’t doubt the dog would pick up the scent. My friend has lost 2 bears over about 15 years of hunting. Do your best but don’t beat yourself up over it too bad.

 

[go4thegusto]

I was just at a traditional archery shoot in MN. A guy had a table from an association type group of dog trackers for game. There is apparently a database of trackers around the country. In talking to him there was a guy he mentioned whose dog was trained to ONLY track bears. He wouldn't follow anything else.
My buddy took his info. I will seek it out and post it.

 

[WiscoHoundsman]

Some dogs may be able to follow it if you were there fairly quickly after it rained (also depends on just how much rain). It would be difficult I would think but possible. We occasionally run bears with hounds off of a bait that was hit before a rain storm. But it is very hit or miss and I wouldn’t be surprised if the dogs just find a newer track and pick it up.

Always worth a shot to try it. A dog with the right nose and brains to use it can be an amazing sight to see.

 

[marcbateman]

I was just at a traditional archery shoot in MN. A guy had a table from an association type group of dog trackers for game. There is apparently a database of trackers around the country. In talking to him there was a guy he mentioned whose dog was trained to ONLY track bears. He wouldn't follow anything else.
My buddy took his info. I will seek it out and post it.

I’d like that info, too, if you find it. I drew a bear tag for Itasca County (unit 27) this year, and something like that would be handy to have if it’s in the same area.

 

[snowymtnwolf]

Bloodhounds and other trained dogs

Again “trained dogs” can track ridiculously


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[Chad717]

Yes there are dogs that can track that but a lot of them will not use them to track a wounded bear… From what you described you did everything right bears are the toughest animal I have encountered and you hunt them long enough you will lose one no matter how ethical you are.

 

[eidsvolling]

Rain like that will destroy the scent trail for the dogs too. However, they can still use their sense of smell to cast around and find the bear. I'm amazed at the old dead stuff my hounds are able to smell from 50 or so yards away and then dig up. If you walked a couple of bear dogs through there and just let them cast around I bet they'd find it.

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

Thjis, I don't work a wounded game dog but I was a SAR dog handler for a long time. A couple inches of rain will wash out a track. But in that scenario I would have brought a tracking dog to the scene and let it have a go.
I heard an account one time of an avalanche dog locating and starting to excavate a buried person up on an escarpment before its handler could get to the spot from below on skis. I personally saw my dog alert on a training subject in the woods from 800 yards once.

 

[eidsvolling]

I’d like that info, too, if you find it. I drew a bear tag for Itasca County (unit 27) this year, and something like that would be handy to have if it’s in the same area.

There's a Facebook group for the MN wounded game dog handlers at Minnesota Tracking Dogs. They publish a directory there but I can't find it immediately. If you post a request there you'll probably be sent to the directory or a handler.

 

[eidsvolling]

I’d like that info, too, if you find it. I drew a bear tag for Itasca County (unit 27) this year, and something like that would be handy to have if it’s in the same area.

Here's the form for requesting a MN tracking dog:

Submit Your TRACKING REQUEST

 

[eidsvolling]

I found the MN directory:

Minnesota Tracking Dogs Tracker Map

 

[marcbateman]

Thanks for the info. I’m not on FB, but I’ll see if I can find it somehow

 

[eidsvolling]

Thanks for the info. I’m not on FB, but I’ll see if I can find it somehow

I posted a link earier today to the MN Tracking Dogs Directory and request form, but someone has apparently deleted it without telling me why. If you search the Internet for ""Submit Your TRACKING REQUEST" AND "Minnesota tracking dogs" you will find it instantly.

 

[marcbateman]

Got it. Very helpful, thank you

 

[lowpressure]

Thanks for all the replies guys.

 

[lang]

I sadly lost a moose I shot in a downpour and after months of not sleeping over it I found Blue Star. It's a cheaper version of what law enforcement uses on crime scenes. I was pretty leery at first but bought some after reading reviews. First test I sprayed a pack frame that hadn't been used for 6 months and had been rinsed with copious amounts of water, and it lit right up. Next fall I shot a deer in a slow but steady rain. I was mixing it when my brother found my deer, pretty easy track job. But we still tested it and we could see smaller particulates using blue star than we could with a flash light knowing where spots where. Only works in the dark and the darker the better. And rain will actually spread out the blood making it an easier trail. I always have some in camp seeing how it works! I love hunting in rain and had sworn it off till I saw this stuff in action.

 

[lang]

Here's the link, one of the best unknown hunting hacks I have found.

BlueStar Hunting Kit - Blood Glow

BlueStar Hunting Kit allows you to prepare one or two 8 oz / 250 ml doses according to the desired dilution.

www.bloodglow.com

 

[eidsvolling]

Here's the link, one of the best unknown hunting hacks I have found.

BlueStar Hunting Kit - Blood Glow

BlueStar Hunting Kit allows you to prepare one or two 8 oz / 250 ml doses according to the desired dilution.

www.bloodglow.com

Thanks for this tip!

 

[Kimber Tracks]

We have two tracking dogs in Wyoming who track bear, elk, moose, deer, and antelope. A little bit of rain on an old trail will "revive" the trail. Think of a dried up drop of blood on the counter, and adding a drop of water to it...it spreads out, which is exactly what the scent will do. However, a downpour will actually wash the scent away, making it very difficult for the dog unless it's in tall grass or thick brush where the scent can remain.
Here are a couple very useful links to locate a tracker in your area!

Find a Tracker - United Blood Trackers

All UBT members are eligible to be listed on the Find-A-Tracker map.A listing on the map does not represent The UBT’s endorsement of a tracker’s ability or business practices.Dog and handler teams will have varying levels of experience and training. OR Or, do a more general search by state...

www.unitedbloodtrackers.org

Rocky Mountain Big Game Recovery

www.rockymountainbiggamerecovery.org

Get TRAKR – The best trackers all in one place

gettrakr.com