Blood trailing wounded deer has become crucial for many hunters across the United States. It is common for people with dogs, such as black mouth curs, to use it for deer recovery. A black mouth cur is hot nosed, which makes it many peoples favorite breed for this task. Starting your dog can come as early as the day you get them from your breeder (8-10 weeks).
Tips for Blood Training Your BMC
Save deer legs, livers, and hides once you make a kill during the season. Also, drain some coagulated blood in a water bottle and mix it with water. A 60/40 or 70/30 blood to water ratio is what is typically used. Once your puppy gets to your house, you can introduce them to blood by simply putting some on the ground for them or cutting up a piece of blood liver and feeding it to them. Personally, my puppy was “blood crazy” from day one, and I’m sure yours will be too.
Continue to introduce them to the blood several times throughout the week, and keep it fun for them. I have taken a deer liver and played tug of war with it. I have also tied a full leg to a piece of string and played tug of war with it. As long as your puppy is having fun, he or she will take to the track once you get into the drag stage.
Drag Stage Training
The next stage of training is introducing your puppy to a drag. A drag is a fake representation of a wounded deer. You can use a liver or deer hide with the combination of your bottle of blood to make the drag. Drag the liver or deer hide one the ground for 20-30 yards in a straight line and leave it. You can spray trickles of blood on the ground by poking a small hole in the top of your bottle every few feet. It is very important to wear rubber boots so your puppy is trailing the blood and not your scent. Introduce your puppy to the beginning of the drag and let them work it at their own pace. If they get off, let them find their way back. Once your puppy has found the hide or liver, reward them with a treat.
Every state has different rules and regulations on using a dog to trail wounded deer, so make sure to look into those before going on a hunt. In many states, it required that your dog be leashed while on the track. A good lead (10-20 feet) and a quality harness is recommended for your dog. EVERY time you work with your puppy on a drag place him or her in their harness and lead. They will associate the harness with “hunting time”. Once your puppy is tracking the 20-30 yard drag with ease, make it longer and add turns in it. You can place less and less squirts of blood, and even circle through the track resembling how a wounded white tail will normally run. Move at your dog’s pace, and stay encouraging. I have been told by many people who have done this for a long time to trust your dog.
J.D. Howard Black Mouth Curs Blood Trailing
Howard Black Mouth Curs have a knack for blood trailing. It is in their blood to track animals, so just showing them what you want found is all it takes in many circumstances. The best practice they could get is a true hit site. It is very beneficial to take your dogs into the woods and have them track deer that have been shot, even if it’s a clean hit. It beats and drag a man can make! I think you will be surprised with how much your dog teaches you, instead of the other way around.
Rig Dog:
Rigging has been a common practice for many dog hunters who target bear and mountain lion. However, it has become very popular in the hog dog scene. The hog population has grown tremendously all across the United States, which has allowed hunters to use rigging to locate wild hogs. A rig dog can be very vital for locating wild hogs in dense locations. The thick foliage in the south east can make it hard for hunters to locate fresh pig sign. A rig dog rides on top of the rig (four wheeler, truck, side by side etc.) and will let out a few barks when he or she smells fresh pig sign. The hunter can then let out his bay dogs so the wild pig can be caught.
The black mouth cur is a perfect candidate for a rig dog, because of their hot nose (most black mouth curs). Also, it is common for people who use this breed for rig dogs to let them off first once they strike on fresh pig sign. A black mouth cur will cast out and make 300-400 yard loops when trying to find the fresh pig track. If the track is cold, the dog will return and the hunter can start this process over again. If the track is hot, he can then let his other bay dogs out to help stop the pig and get it caught.
Ibarra’s Yellow Ladner and Original Southern Black Mouth Cur dogs are bred to hunt and you can start them on blood as young as 9 weeks old! The hunting attributes, grit and aim to please the owner are bred deep into our dogs . If you are interested in a Black Mouth Cur puppy, give us a call.
A special thanks to Drake Drunkenmiller and his puppy Creed for the contributions made to this blog post! Creed is from Ibarra’s Original Southern Black Mouth Cur litter 2020. He is 8 months old at the time of this posting.
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