I recently purchased John Jeanneney's new book, “Dead On” at a blood tracking seminar held by the Texas Lacy Game Dog Association (TLGDA). Jeanneney is an avid bowhunter and is renowned for blood tracking with dogs. His book, “Tracking Dogs for Wounded Deer” is considered by many to be the definitive publication of training blood tracking dogs. I picked up the book because it was recommended by the United Blood Trackers Association (UBT), that had flown in for the event to do certification trials, and by the TLGDA. I'm sure glad I did! I feel that this book is a 'MUST read' for every hunter and, especially, every bowhunter! I wish that every bowhunter that comes to the ranch I manage would read this book- I think that they would find more of the deer they wound each season!
While the book is primarily about shot placement on whitetail deer, it connects every conceivable shot to the resulting effect on the deer and strategies on how to approach finding that deer. I've been a hunter all my life and have spent a lot of years as a hunting guide and, honestly, I didn't really expect to learn much from the book- I bought it purely on recommendation and mostly as an impulse buy. To my (pleasant) surprise, I found it an invaluable read- in spite of my experience.
While this book will certainly be of more use to a novice bowhunter, I would be surprised if any serious bowhunter (or rifle hunter, for that matter) wouldn't find that they learn a lot from this book. Much of the information can be carried over into hunting and tracking other species as well. Almost every chapter set off the proverbial “lightbulb” in my brain and I found myself saying to myself, “That's why I had so much trouble finding that deer,” and, “That's why that deer reacted that way, after the shot!” There are tricks for reading blood that, when combined with the type of shot made, explain why blood trails look the way they do. The book explains how to determine more about the shot than you can imagine, simply from the blood trail. Have you ever shot a deer and thought you made a terrific hit with a great blood trail that eventually 'peter's out' to nothing? You will likely find the answer in this book. Have you ever found good lung blood on a blood trail only to eventually have it stop and never find the deer? You may find out why in this book; and whether or not the deer is likely to survive. Did you know that WHERE in the lungs you hit a deer makes a HUGE difference in whether you find it and how you track it? It does and this book will explain why- and much, much more.
Jeanneney goes into great detail on whitetail anatomy and how it relates to an arrow passing through the various organs; and at various angles. A lot of it may (and I think WILL) surprise you. The author does not paint himself as ultimate authority but offers the experience of someone that has looked for almost 1000 deer that nobody else could find (despite their best efforts) and who has found more than 250 of those deer. I would say that this kind of experience makes him a man well worth listening to and the information well worth considering the next time you choose a shot on a whitetail or start looking for a wounded deer. The book doesn't promote hiring a tracking dog as the first, best, option but rather seeks to help the hunter to find his deer on his own deer first; and recommends calling in a tracking dog as a last resort.
The book is full of anecdotal examples of what Jeanneny is talking about and it's an easy read, in spite of how it makes you think! It points out many common, and some not so common, misconceptions about whitetail anatomy; and challenges a lot of conventional wisdom on shot placement. I will warn you, Jeanneny is not a big fan of mechanical broadheads; but, on the other hand, he doesn't 'slam' them either. Instead, he simply explains some of the problems he has found with them in his years of looking for other people's wounded deer. The author is quick to point out that his experience is primarily from those occasions, obviously, where something went wrong during the shot; and that he isn't called upon when things go as every hunter wishes they would. However, anyone that has done any amount of hunting has had things go wrong; and there are very few of us that can honestly say they've never made a bad shot. If you read this book, though, there's no doubt you will be better prepared the next time you (or a hunting buddy) make a marginal shot. At $15 (less than ½ what most of us have invested in a single arrow) I consider this book a “must buy” for every bowhunter- one that will pay you huge dividends over the rest of your hunting career.
If you're a blood tracker, or are training a tracking dog, GET THIS BOOK!
While the book is primarily about shot placement on whitetail deer, it connects every conceivable shot to the resulting effect on the deer and strategies on how to approach finding that deer. I've been a hunter all my life and have spent a lot of years as a hunting guide and, honestly, I didn't really expect to learn much from the book- I bought it purely on recommendation and mostly as an impulse buy. To my (pleasant) surprise, I found it an invaluable read- in spite of my experience.
While this book will certainly be of more use to a novice bowhunter, I would be surprised if any serious bowhunter (or rifle hunter, for that matter) wouldn't find that they learn a lot from this book. Much of the information can be carried over into hunting and tracking other species as well. Almost every chapter set off the proverbial “lightbulb” in my brain and I found myself saying to myself, “That's why I had so much trouble finding that deer,” and, “That's why that deer reacted that way, after the shot!” There are tricks for reading blood that, when combined with the type of shot made, explain why blood trails look the way they do. The book explains how to determine more about the shot than you can imagine, simply from the blood trail. Have you ever shot a deer and thought you made a terrific hit with a great blood trail that eventually 'peter's out' to nothing? You will likely find the answer in this book. Have you ever found good lung blood on a blood trail only to eventually have it stop and never find the deer? You may find out why in this book; and whether or not the deer is likely to survive. Did you know that WHERE in the lungs you hit a deer makes a HUGE difference in whether you find it and how you track it? It does and this book will explain why- and much, much more.
Jeanneney goes into great detail on whitetail anatomy and how it relates to an arrow passing through the various organs; and at various angles. A lot of it may (and I think WILL) surprise you. The author does not paint himself as ultimate authority but offers the experience of someone that has looked for almost 1000 deer that nobody else could find (despite their best efforts) and who has found more than 250 of those deer. I would say that this kind of experience makes him a man well worth listening to and the information well worth considering the next time you choose a shot on a whitetail or start looking for a wounded deer. The book doesn't promote hiring a tracking dog as the first, best, option but rather seeks to help the hunter to find his deer on his own deer first; and recommends calling in a tracking dog as a last resort.
The book is full of anecdotal examples of what Jeanneny is talking about and it's an easy read, in spite of how it makes you think! It points out many common, and some not so common, misconceptions about whitetail anatomy; and challenges a lot of conventional wisdom on shot placement. I will warn you, Jeanneny is not a big fan of mechanical broadheads; but, on the other hand, he doesn't 'slam' them either. Instead, he simply explains some of the problems he has found with them in his years of looking for other people's wounded deer. The author is quick to point out that his experience is primarily from those occasions, obviously, where something went wrong during the shot; and that he isn't called upon when things go as every hunter wishes they would. However, anyone that has done any amount of hunting has had things go wrong; and there are very few of us that can honestly say they've never made a bad shot. If you read this book, though, there's no doubt you will be better prepared the next time you (or a hunting buddy) make a marginal shot. At $15 (less than ½ what most of us have invested in a single arrow) I consider this book a “must buy” for every bowhunter- one that will pay you huge dividends over the rest of your hunting career.
If you're a blood tracker, or are training a tracking dog, GET THIS BOOK!
Comment