Tracking dogs in East Texas

[BTLowry]

Anybody have any in the area around Tyler?

My son shot a small buck Sun morning. It was hit a little far back and i had a difficult time finding blood at first. However I finally found some and it looked like ol dad would be able to pull a rabbit out of the hat and find Tanner's first deer. 3hrs later I was on my hands and knees and had probably tracked him close to a mile. We gave up and went for lunch and came back and looked some more and got about 100yds further and hit a dirt road and nothing after that. I know the deer died from the amount of blood loss and the indications of a gut shot. I also think that we could have found the deer if we had a dog.
This was close to Cayuga and I thought about Spur(since he works for the prison) but I was not sure if he worked at the ones close top Palestine.
If you know someone in the area post up some contact info so I can have it for future reference.

[leoparddog]

https://www.texastrackers.com

https://www.triple7tracking.com

[Cur_Dog]

Better check your county regulations. Most east Texas counties it's against the law to use a dog for tracking.

[Chew]

If he's hunting near Tyler he's ok to use a tracking dog. Here are the counties where it is illegal to use a tracking dog:

Angelina, Hardin, Harris, Harrison, Houston, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Newton, Orange, Panola, Polk Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity, Tyler, and Walker counties.

[Cur_Dog]

Was not sure if Tyler was in Tyler county.

[Chew]

I thought it was Smith county but now I'm not sure! Better check it folks.

[BTLowry]

Smith County is OK to use tracking dogs and I believe all of the surrounding counties are as well.
Deer was actually shot in Anderson county on Engeling WMA, biologist said he did not have a problem with using a dog to track wounded deer
leoparddogI checked texastrackers but everything seemed like it was too far west and south

[Ferg]

Mr. Lowry
I bet your dad could have helped!

[texaskinner]

I have a dog that I trained just for that purpose. He worked good when I was manager/guide of a ranch near Cayuga. He hasn't been called on in a couple years, but I think he's still got it in him. I'm just down the road from Cayuga. You can contact me at harris60@earthlink.net

[BTLowry]

Ferg we are going to find out, they will find the hogs but no experience on blood trail

Texaskinner I will email you

[tuthdoc]

I can understand the worry about abuse in East Texas with dogs, having been a dog hunting area for decades, but if I had to choose between losing a deer and breaking the law, I'd break the law, find the deer, and pay the ticket if caught. It's a bigger crime to lose a deer when you can do something about it. Gold has a little yorkie looking dog with pink ribbons that tracks on a lead. cotton and spur have weiner dogs that track on a lead. For the life of me, I can't understand making that illegal.

[AgHntr10]

there has been times I wish I could use a tracking dog where I hunt in Polk County but the stories I hear from my dad, unlces and their friends who grew up running dogs on same lease we hunt now I can understand why they don't allow it.

[bowhunterhelm]

Good luck finding the deer.

Usually a gut shot deer will be a dead deer. If not pushed they will usually only go 100 yards or so and bed down. If left overnight you will usually find them dead the next morning. How quick did you get on the trail? I'm thinking if you tracked him for a mile he's still alive. Mortally wounded deer usually don't travel that far without bedding down to die.

I wouldn't say a deer died just because of a heavy blood trail. I learned alot from the deer I wounded opening morning. A deer can leave an extremely heavy blood trail and not die. The deer in my profile pic left probably the heaviest blood trail I've ever seen in my life and is still alive. The trail looked like someone was spilling a paint bucked when he was running and when he stopped the blood was in a puddle the size of a pie plate! I would have sworn that there was no way that deer was still alive. I was very surprised to get trail cam pics of him and his wound just a few days later.

If you can get a dog to track him go for it. I hope you find him. If not I hope you see him alive again another day.

Good luck

[Foot Patrol]

Although our lease is in Angelina County, we have permission from TPWD to have tracking dogs on our lease. I lost a doe 2 weeks ago and it made me sick that I do not know anyone in the area with a proven dog that we could call upon.

Foot

[Cur_Dog]

My BMC, Lucy, is always at my parents house during deer season. I hunt Shelby county. Never know when my dad might need to go Squirrel hunting after I can not find a deer.

I agree on calling the GW before you use the dog. I know the GW in my area and I do not think he would have a problem with it.