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Here is a list of previous events and workshops held by United Blood Trackers:
Beside the Trackfest events listed below UBT has also had booths at several Hunting shows over the years promoting the use of tracking dogs. You can see pictures of the different trackfest at the picture gallery. Trackfest 2006 To meet the explosion of interest in tracking dogs out in the Midwest, members of United Blood Trackers organized a three day tracking workshop in June 2006 near Quincy, Illinois. Our hosts were Neal and Debbie Meyer who run Adams Pike Outdoors for deer hunters. Neal is one of a number of deer hunting outfitters who have recognized that a tracking dog makes good business sense. When hunters pay thousands of dollars for an opportunity to shoot an outstanding buck the cost of buying and developing a tracking dog is a sound investment At Trackfest 2006, as we called it, there was a total of 39 people from Illinois and from other states including Maine, New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Georgia, Louisiana and Arkansas. The program was about half talks and slide shows under a pavilion, with the other half devoted to hands-on work with young dogs and their handlers out in the woods and fields. The main focus was on starting young dogs, but there were presentations on tracking techniques in the field, dog psychology, physical conformation, health, genetics, care and even grooming. The enthusiasm was so strong that people didn’t seem to get bored. And we had a very good time as many stories were told and grew some more in the telling. We had a presentation on putting down wounded deer, which is a big problem in the Midwest. For example in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana it is not permitted to carry a weapon of any sort when tracking wounded deer. It is just a matter of time before a big buck seriously injures a handler, and then perhaps these regulations will be changed. In other states such as Illinois firearms are prohibited at night, which is when most tracking actually takes place. Out in the fields and around the food plots we had plenty of opportunity to watch pups learn to stay on the right line and ignore all the hot lines presented by feeding deer. Keeping a dog calm and focused in the midst of these distractions is the most important part of training. After the workshop our host Neal Meyer had his young wirehaired dachshund Chloe run a special test line, as required by the State of Illinois, to legally track wounded deer on public lands in that state. No test is required for dogs working exclusively on private property in Illinois. Chloe is a very good little bitch, about a year old, and she had no trouble at all with the test line which was a quarter of a mile long with two right angle turns The blood line, laid in a field, was only four hours old, but very little blood was visible. Next fall Chloe will track some real wounded deer lines that are much more difficult. Still the UBT judge, Larry Gohlke , could see that she was already a useful dog that knew what she was supposed to do. That is the idea behind the Illinois requirement for tracking on public lands. This is unique to Illinois.. The whole idea of a Trackfest workshop was so successful that United Blood Trackers is planning to do another one in 2007.
Trackfest 2007 Was held in St. Francisville La.
Trackfest 2008 Each year United Blood Trackers holds a two and a half day “Trackfest” which is the highpoint of our promotional and educational activity. Trackfest 2008 was held on April 12, 13 and 14 at UBT President Andy Bensing’s place just north of Reading, Pennsylvania. Forty-two people with twenty different dogs attended. They came from 12 different states. Enthusiasm was strong. Many of those attending had been tracking and finding wounded deer in their home states, but they were hoping to train their dogs to higher levels, and to improve their own understanding of deer tracking tactics. To meet trackers’ needs the Trackfest Workshop combines hands-on field work with indoor presentations on such subjects as starting young puppies, being patient with adolescent dogs and establishing working communication between the handler and canine partner. One of the highlights was a panel discussion on various tracking breeds, the advantages and the disadvantages of each. This was a lively subject because the diversity of breeds and breed supporters exceeded anything we had seen at earlier Trackfests in Illinois and Louisiana. There were 11 different breeds, some of which we had never even seen before. These were: Wachtelhund, Dutch Partridge Dog, Jagdterrier, Bavarian Mountain Bloodhound, Catahoula, Kurzhaar, Drahthaar, Beagle, Dachshund, Black and Tan Coonhound and Basset Fauve de Bretagne. It was fascinating to observe the different working styles as the dogs worked on training blood lines out in the open fields. This 73 year old writer found that he could identify best with the slower, closer-working dogs! Wachtelhund owners, led by Dave Pepe from Wisconsin were the strongest breed contingent represented with their seven dogs. The Wachtelhund is a versatile German breed with some characteristics of a large spaniel, but a toughness and ground-scenting capability that are all its own. On an overnight, half-mile evaluation blood line Bella, owned by Bob Sifrit, showed excellent nose for ground scent. She was a bit fast, and she could have been more accurate, but an experienced eye could see great deer tracking potential in this bitch. At Trackfest 2008 the Wachtelhunds announced their presence in the American blood tracking world. The type of dog a handler prefers is very much a matter of individual taste. The dog becomes even more a part of your own personality than your favorite shotgun. There is no sport in which the handler/dog bond grows closer than in the adventures of tracking wounded big game. In our sport you are first of all doing the right thing to minimize animal suffering and waste. At the same time you enjoy meeting a challenge, solving a problem, with a loyal canine friend. Your combined abilities, human and canine, make the tracking team more effective than either of its individual parts. These were some of the concerns and the satisfactions that brought people together at Trackfest. UBT TRACKFEST 2009 The United Blood Trackers TRACKFEST 2009 took place in western Alabama in the heart of Gulf Coast deer hunting country. Our base was at the hunting lodge and lands of the Wade family situated in a heavily wooded bend of the Tom Bigbee River near Demopolis. The expanses of big timber, the logging roads and the lush green food plots were ideal for the Trackfest emphasis on field work. We alternated between indoor presentations and outdoor sessions in the woods. Indoors we talked about dog training, dog behavior and practical tracking tactics for finding wounded deer. For outdoor work we had seven different breeds of dogs present: Dachshund (wires and a smooth), Lab, Catahoula, Blue Lacy, Southern Black Mouth Cur, Beagle and Bavarian Mountain Blood Hound.. At this Trackfest we had 26 participants and seven spouses present, who came from eight different states. There was a strong representation of experienced southern trackers who could compare notes, and share experiences with people who were just starting out. The Northerners, who offered most of the illustrated presentations, learned as much as they taught. In many of the southern states it is legal or acceptable to release dogs when a wounded animal is jumped or to work the tracking dog off-lead from the beginning if conditions permit. This is illegal and politically unthinkable in the North, but in the South it does result in a higher success rate in tracking certain categories of wounded animals. The new Garmin GPS dog locator is now being used by a number of southern trackers. It seems that they eat very well in the South. Gastronomical highlights of the Trackfest weekend were Al Wade’s fish fry one day and Greg Accardo’s famous jambalaya on another. To go with the good food there was much good conversation and much less bragging than you would expect. Blood tracking is a game where the performance of the handler dog team can usually be verified. When a handler can show a GPS-produced map of what his dog did on a certain deer call, there is no need for unsupported bragging. The UBT tracking tests this year didn’t lend them selves to much bragging either. We had seven fairly experienced dogs entered in the UBT II test, which is given on a blood line laid the previous day with eight ounces of blood laid over a half mile. Only one dog, a nine-year old beagle named Lilly, passed this test. Lilly is owned and handled by Susan Edwards from Ford City, PA. The other dogs, who had found a number of real wounded deer in the woods, were perhaps distracted by the abundant whitetails present. There was fresh hawg sign in many places, but most of the southern dogs were familiar with this. The successful beagle, on the other hand, was from Pennsylvania where these feral pigs are just beginning to be a problem. On the easier UBT I aptitude test we had better results. The judges saw focused tracking desire and good working styles appropriate to the breed of dog that they were observing. Thanks to the careful planning of the Trackfest Chairman Al Wade and UBT President Andy Bensing , the whole program was very well organized. There was always something to be learned and no time was wasted. Trackfest 2010 Marshall, MI
Trackfest 2010 was held in Marshall, Michigan, with headquarters at Squaw Lake Farm, owned by John Walters. UBT hosted the event with the assistance of UBT Member, Don Dickerson. Not only did Don secure the beautiful headquarters property for our use, he was called upon to locate additional nearby training and tracking land due to the event being so well-attended. Twenty-six trackers participated in the event, with nine additional family members in attendance.
Trackers by Location | Michigan | 9 | Illinois | 4 | Missouri | 3 | Indiana | 2 | Wisconsin | 2 | Ohio | 2 | Kentucky | 1 | West Virginia | 1 | Pennsylvania | 1 | Canada | 1 |
UBT President, Andy Bensing (Pennsylvania), UBT Vice-President and author of Tracking Dogs for Finding Wounded Deer, John Jeanneney (New York), UBT Secretary, Cheri Faust (Wisconsin), UBT Director of Testing, Larry Gohlke (Wisconsin), and UBT Director, Alan Wade (Louisiana), served as instructors for the event. During the classroom portions of the event, UBT instructors spoke and gave demonstrations on topics, such as Blood Tracking as a Team, How to Lay Artificial Bloodlines, Working with Puppies and Adolescent Dogs, Training Techniques, and Weapons and Techniques for Putting Down Wounded Deer. UBT Member, Chuck Collier, gave a helpful update and explanation on the most recent tracking legislation in Michigan. Additional presentations included GPS Use in Tracking and a show-and-tell of tracking lights, leads, and collars. Twenty-two dogs of 10 different breeds or varieties received individual and group training during the field work sessions.
Breeds/Varieties of Dogs | Dachshund, Wire | 12 | Dachshund, Smooth | 2 | Dachshund, Long | 1 | American Foxhound | 1 | Bloodhound | 1 | Deutsch Drahthaar | 1 | Deutscher Wachtelhund | 1 | Basset/Beagle mix | 1 | Bavarian Mountain Hound | 1 | Jagdterrier | 1 |
The weather was nearly perfect for the weekend’s tracking events, with mild temperatures and partly cloudy skies. Participants got better acquainted while eating lunch catered by Marshall’s Cedar Crest Banquet Centre while seated in the shade at the picnic tables located on the property. A feast of swiss steak, cod almondine and baked pork chops was enjoyed at the Saturday evening buffet, with more chances to share tracking adventures and tales of “the big one that DIDN’T get away” (thanks to our wonderful tracking dogs). On the Monday following the two-day Trackfest 2010 event, evaluations were conducted for 15 dogs. While these evaluations are “pass/fail”, they provide invaluable feedback to trackers on the strengths and weaknesses of their handling techniques and help determine future training goals for the dogs. The criteria for passing the test is for the judge to determine, based on the performance that day, whether they would recommend the tracking team to their friends or family members if they needed help in finding a wounded deer. The UBT 1 evaluation is a 400 yard artificial trail with two turns and one wound bed. The track is aged at least 2 hours. Eleven dogs were evaluated on UBT 1 tracks - ten on trails with 8 ounces of dripped blood, and one on a trail with 3 ounces of dripped blood in addition to tracking shoes with deer hooves attached. Eight of the ten dogs on blood-only tracks passed. The one dog on the hooves/blood combination track also passed. The UBT 2 evaluation is an 800 yard artificial blood trail with three turns and two wound beds. The track is aged over night, or at least 8 hours. One of the three dogs tested on the track with 8 ounces of dripped blood passed, and the one dog tested on a track with 3 ounces of dripped blood, in addition to tracking shoes, passed. As always, the weekend ended with new friends having been made, plans and goals for future training, and renewed enthusiasm for the next tracking season.
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