Proud parent once again...

However, this time it's my furry kid that shined in the deer woods. Beanie is a 23 pound long-legged Jack Russel. I am sure she is mixed with something along the way. Beanie turns two years old next month and today was her first official day "working" in the woods.



I shot a doe this morning and I watched her run from the ridge top we were on, through the bottom and half way up the other side of the next ridge. I watched her stop and lay down. I knew she was hit well and I eased over to where she was standing when I shot. Lots of bright red blood. Great! I jumped in my truck and hurried home to get Beanie. I have been wanting to teach her to blood trail and this was the perfect opportunity.

We got back to the woods and it had been raining on and off for about 2 and a half hours at that point. I didn't take her immediately to the blood trail. First I took her and let her run around a little in the pasture and play a little to get the excitement level down a bit. I hooked her on a 20' lead and took her over to the blood. She hit it hard! Her tail went up and her nose went down and she was off through the woods. It was about 150 yards to the deer and she got off the trail twice, but immediately circled around and was back on the trail within 2 seconds. Straight to the deer, using the blood trail, perfect! I praised her and made a big deal of it and she got excited and grabbed the deer by the ear and shook like mad. Then she bit it on the butt a couple times.

I am certainly excited by her first real blood trail. I had worked with her a little around the house, but she passed the test today. Of course this doesn't mean she is going to be golden on a cold trail with little to no blood, but it's a good start.



This is Beanie and her older sister, Suzy. This is their standard "guard" position.

 

that is cool. glad it worked out for you. My brother in law hunts birds and his labs are great retrievers, amazes me when we go hunting the dogs bring the birds to us.