United Blood Trackers held a three day Blood Tracking Workshop on April 28-30, 2017 at Switzkill Farm, Berne, NY, about 50 minutes from Albany, NY. This workshop was for both beginner and advanced handlers, as well as anyone else interested in learning more about the use of tracking dogs for the recovery of wounded big game. Saturday’s Hit Site Evaluation Seminar was of great value to all hunters and tracking dog handlers in attendance.
United Blood Trackers offered evaluations of tracking dogs at UBT-I, UBT-II and UBT III levels on Friday, April 28, 2017.
On Saturday, April 29, we held the popular Hit Site Evaluation Seminar. This seminar, with the use of a roadkill deer, focused on determining where you have hit the deer, reading sign at the hit site as well as reading sign found along the trail in order to develop the proper strategy for tracking that particular animal with or without a dog. In the afternoon classroom presentations covered the nature of scent, European search techniques, and how to interview
hunters before taking a call. Demonstrations in the field addressed specific training problems.
On Sunday, April 30, we had presentations on the handler’s relationship with a tracking dog, equipment, techniques for putting down a live wounded deer, GPS use, early conditioning of tracking dogs, talks on tracking game species other than deer, breeding working dogs with emphasis on dachshunds, and addressing problems in training and tracking. There was a panel discussion on audience submitted questions from three different points of view – European, Southern States and Northern States. The final session was on outreach, publicizing
tracking and attracting new handlers to the sport. Demos in the field were focused on reading a tracking dog and improving handling skills.
The workshop instructors were Andy Bensing (PA), Darren Doran (NJ), Cheri
Faust (WI), Larry Gohlke (WI), Gary Huber (NY), Marianne Jacobs (Luxembourg), John Jeanneney (NY), Jolanta
Jeanneney (NY), Cliff Shrader (LA), Al Wade (LA) and other experts in the field.