Here is an article I wrote for Western Woods and Waters Magazine:
It happens to everyone who hunts big game long enough. The shot looked good, and there were clear signs of a hit. But instead of a short follow up and thanksgiving, the trail of the wounded animal continues on, and worry soon replaces elation. It is a situation we all try to avoid, but it can happen to anyone.
Tracks and blood can be challenging to find and follow, but any ethical hunter will make every effort to find tiny specks of blood, an over turned leaf, a scuffed bit of soil, any thing that will lead to the wounded animal and an end to its pain. But what if, despite a hunters’ best efforts, the trail is lost?
In most parts of the world, a blood tracking dog is brought in for assistance. In Europe, blood tracking dogs are such an important part of big game hunting that access to a trained and leashed tracking dog is often required before a hunter can legally begin hunting. Long traditions have made the partnership between hunters and tracking dogs into a practical art form. Very few animals are lost or wasted, or suffer unnecessarily in places like Germany or Norway because of the ability of tracking dogs to find wounded game that a hunter cannot.
It is the moral responsibility of every hunter to make every effort to bring a legally shot big game animal to possession. But in much of Canada, tracking dogs are illegal. Only in BC, Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick are leashed blood tracking dogs allowed. A small but growing number of Western Canadian hunters feel the time is right to change that.
Traditions and cultures are important to hunters, and it is no small thing to introduce a concept that has been banned here for some time. So what are the issues? Back when every Canadian settler, trapper and farmer had dogs loose in their yard, dogs were often guilty of harassing game animals, or even trespassing and chasing farm animals. Sensible laws were passed to make that illegal. But an unintended consequence of those laws also made it illegal to use trained and leashed tracking dogs for the recovery of legally shot big game.
With the ability to smell several thousand times better than a human, a dog’s nose can find scent from a track that is invisible to us. A human may find it impossible to follow a blood trail in the rain, or a track covered in new fallen snow. Such conditions may actually make it easier for a dog to smell a blood trail. A dogs’ nose is not confused by darkness, and an experienced dog can often follow a trail many hours old.
A leashed dog cannot chase anything or trespass, and a trained dog can readily distinguish between the track of a wounded animal and a healthy one. Their only purpose is to work in partnership and under the direct supervision of a hunter who is doing their best to fulfill their obligations. As for “unfair advantage” - a leashed dog is of no practical help to a hunter wishing to approach a healthy, unwounded game animal. The pair is not stealthy enough for that. A trained versatile hunting dog will learn to ignore the track of a healthy game animal even when loose and hunting upland birds, because there is no blood scent present.
In parts of the North Eastern USA the dense human population and the high numbers of deer have combined to create organizations providing leashed blood tracking as a voluntary public service to hunters, with significant benefits to landowners, and to the welfare of game. In other areas with a sparser population, hunters more often train and hunt with their own dog, or call on a friend. Outfitters the world over have recognized the advantages of using blood tracking dogs for the welfare of the game and the success of their business.
Any physically capable and trainable dog might be used to blood track, but satisfaction is most likely by choosing one of the working / hunting breeds. A dedicated tracking hound may be ideal for an outfitter, but too specialized to be practical for most Western Canadian hunters. So the European Versatile breeds are being promoted for leashed blood tracking by groups such as the Versatile Hunting Dog Federation of Canada. These dogs can hunt and point upland game, track and retrieve birds on land and water, and blood track wounded big game. All this, while living with a family the rest of the year! Standardized tests are being developed in Canada, modeled on the European tests to evaluate the natural ability and training of leashed dogs to blood track wounded game. Test scores can help trainers and breeders evaluate their progress.
Efforts to make leashed blood tracking legal have begun in Saskatchewan. The Saskatoon Gun Dog Club is leading the way, and has received endorsement of the concept from the Sask. Bowhunters Association the Sask. Outfitters Association, and Nature Saskatchewan, and has made preliminary contact with the Sask. Wildlife Federation. A meeting with Sask Environment is expected in the near future. The author welcomes inquiries and support from other organizations or persons interested in learning more or promoting a change in their provincial regulations.
Resources and references:
Tracking Dogs for Finding Wounded Deer by John Jeanneny ISBN 0-9725089-2-9 (2006)
Saskatoon Gun Dog Club
Versatile Hunting Dog Federation
