Rough Edge Wounded Deer Tracking

03/22/2026

When I decided to start tracking for the public, I made the decision I would be 100% transparent. Whether that reflected negatively on me and my dog or not. The stories should be told.

This one hurts. I tracked this deer back in November for a good friend of mine. We arrived around 8hrs post shot. I started Maggie at the hit sight. She followed the blood trail to where the hunter lost it. She ended up picking up blood about 50 yards further down the line. She took a sharp left and we went into some thick, nasty stuff. We found blood spots here and there and then it just stopped. In total, we went approximately 300 yards and the last 175 yards or so, there was no sign. Maggie didn't show she was locked on to anything either. We had multiple restarts and just nothing. Everything signaled a high, muscle shot. Blood, color, amount. I would've bet money, the deer lived on.

Well, fast forward a few months and there's closure. The deer ended up being found 75 yards from where I pulled Maggie and called it. Lesson learned. ALWAYS trust your dog. Learn to read your dog. Know what they are telling you at all times. No guesses.

As I approach my 3rd tracking season, a lot of changes have been made. I got another dog, better suited for my intentions. New training. Coming in stronger than ever. Hate that this story ended up like this, but it is what it is. I appreciate the hunter letting me know and I just take it and move on. Live and learn. Congratulations to the hunter for finally getting your hands on the buck!

12/22/2025

The new face for us! Everyone meet Boone! He is a Standard Wirehaired Dachshund. Commonly referred to as a Teckel. Don't let the looks or size fool you, they have some of the best noses in the tracking world!

Ready to start house training, then obedience training, and then onto the tracking. We WILL BE ready for season come next September!

12/22/2025

Today I done something for the first time in my life, and that was re-home a dog. Today, I said goodbye to the dog who got me started in this wounded deer tracking fiasco. Maggie, in the short time I had her, was one of the best dogs I've ever had. Super smart and her determination and grit were something I have never seen in a dog before. Her prey drive and killer instinct are like none other. Most dogs are bred for a purpose, and that is to work. With how much I work and having to turn down so many tracks this year due to work, Maggie's needs were not being fulfilled. Her breed are some of the grittiest dogs bred and they have to exhaust that energy and have their prey drive satisfied. Athena (our dominant female German Shepherd) and Maggie really never got a long either. They got into some pretty good scuffles over the past year and it didn't end well for Maggie any of those times. I talked to one of the most reputable trackers/trainers in the country about my intended purpose for Maggie as well. Based on all this, I thought it was best to find her a home to where she could do what she needs and wants, throughout the year. I hated to see her go but ultimately, it was the best decision all around. I sure will miss you ole girl. Have fun tearing up those traplines down in Georgia!

‼️I just want to note...this is NOT the end of my tracking career. This is just the end of one chapter and I will be on to the next here real soon. So everyone stay tuned...‼️

09/11/2025

Got a call to come track this deer for a buddie's nephew Saturday night. He explained the shot was pretty high but just wanted to give it a whirl just in case it was low enough to get lungs.

We arrived 4hrs after the shot. Hunters had lost blood about 225 yards in. Maggie took off from the hit sight and followed the blood they had found. She took the trail approximately another 375 yards. We saw blood along the way but it was that muscle blood that indicated the high shot. I explained that Maggie was signaling a live deer. She just wasn't interested in the line all that much and she was searching a lot. Well, four days later the buck showed back up! The side you see is exit. If the shot would've been 1" lower, the deer would've been recovered. Hopefully the hunter gets back out and gets another chance at this deer!

09/05/2025

Kentucky hunters, please save this list and please share! Season opens tomorrow. When in doubt, back out. If you don't get a response quickly, just bare with us. Everyone be safe and shoot straight!

***UPDATE***
There was a typo with a listed phone number for Harrison Kennels and Wounded Deer Tracking.

The map has been replaced on this post with the correct version. Thank you!

Thank you to returning, and new teams who applied to be part of the state network! Hunters, here is your list of tracking teams available to you this season! Please save this in your phone, like, and share this post to spread the word to everyone you know in case they need a team to assist them during the 2025-2026 Deer Season!!

Thank you all, and may you have a safe and successful season!

08/31/2025

We are less than a week away from opening day of KY deer season! I hope everyone shoots straight and hopefully you do not need us, but if you do, we are available to get your trophy in your hands.

I will be hunting myself every afternoon so if you need us, please TEXT. This helps me keep track of who, what, when, where, etc. Bare with me on response time. I PROMISE that I will get back to you!

Just some friendly reminders. Broadside or quartering away are really the only shots that need to be taken with archery equipment. Anything else is a potential for a non-lethal hit. If doing a quartering away, remember aim for exit. When in doubt, back out. Give the proper wait times for each shot. Just for a reminder, a liver shot deer is usually around the 6hr mark with very limited blood trail. A gut shot deer can take 10-12hrs to expire. With proper wait times and not pushing, those deer will be dead in their first beds. Time is on your side.

Things do happen so, if you question your shot, then please feel free to reach out. I will give my best/honest opinion. I am operating off tips/gas/donations this year. We will exhaust ALL options in recovering your deer! If we cannot make it out, I will put you in touch with someone!

Everyone have a great, successful season! Be safe! Shoot straight!

08/17/2025

Deer season is quickly approaching. Time to hit it pretty hard over the next few weeks on practice tracks.

304 yards. Two hard 90s. Three 45s. Aged 18.5hrs. Hooves only.

She cut a couple of the turns but engaged back on the line. I'm not sure how accurate OnX is but it at least gives an idea. The blue line is me, where the track was laid and the red line is the person videoing following us (that's why it's off to the side.) Yellow mark is starting point. Picture in comment.

07/11/2025

One thing I figured out when taking the UBT test was, I wasn't laying our practice tracks correctly. I had been using a "hoof stick" and then dragging another hoof behind. Hoof stick portion was fine, dragging the other not so much. After the test, I came home and ordered a pair of tracking shoes. Here's the first mock track on video laid with those.

153 yards. Two 45 degeee turns and one 90 degree turn. Aged 23hrs hours. Hooves only. Laid across known deer travel areas.

See the comments for the excitement Maggie gets when it's time to work.

05/23/2025

We've trained hard and today was the hardest yet. Nerves, different terrain, everything just set in. We pushed through and were able to pass the UBT-I test! Passing this gives me the sign to continue forward and that we're heading in the right direction! We will DEFINITELY be ready to go come September and we will put deer in people's hands!

Bring on deer season and the UBT-II test!

05/22/2025

Been a little over a month since our last training track. Weather, work, and life just caught up. Maggie didn't skip a beat! Still need to keep working on taking some things slow, but overall, I cannot complain! She hit the 90 degree turns right on the head, never over shot them.

Approximately 407 yards. Two 90 degree turns. Deer hoof only. Aged 6.5hrs. All across known deer trails.