Information on how a dog uses scent to "Blood Trail"

[WildHeritageTaxidermy]

Since hunting season is coming around again I thought I would post some information on blood tracking with a dog. We received quite a few calls last season for our Blood Hound to try and help find wounded game, I also read many posts where hunters searched for days for their wounded animal before calling in a dog, I'm hoping this post sheds some light on how, your search actions, timing and weather conditions can effect a tracking dog.

SCENT-TRACKING---AS IT RELATES TO WORKING BLOOD

Utilizing the DIRECTIONAL SCENT FUNNEL produced by a wounded animal

Tracking with a dog is all about "scents'". Obviously, a tracking dog does not depend on its sight to follow a visible blood line to where a wounded animal is located. The scent-quality of the blood track that a dog is trying to follow is not always determined by the amount of blood that the hunter or dog handler can SEE. Actually, scent-quality boils down to what the dog is able to smell---and move in the proper direction.

 

A concept that MUST be imprinted in the mind-set of anyone who is handling tracking dogs is this---WHAT A HUMAN IS SEEING IS NOT THE SAME AS WHAT A DOG IS SMELLING!!! You may not be able to see one drop of visible blood, but the dog may be able to almost run along an apparent "invisible" blood trail like there was blood poured out from a bucket. Then on the other hand, you may SEE a significant amount of blood, yet the dog may act like he doesn't have a clue where to start the blood line. In other words, one track may seem good to you, because you can see a steady visible blood line, but that does not mean that the tracking dog is SMELLING what you are SEEING. Another possibility to consider is that the dog may not actually be having any problem SMELLING, but a lot of trouble ATTACHING A DIRECTION to the scent it is smelling.

 

Actually A TRACKING DOG IS NOT JUST DEPENDING ON THE SMELL OF BLOOD to find a wounded animal. There are all types of external body scents---as well as various fluids(sera) and pheromones---that a distressed wounded animal may be emitting along a "blood" line. A good tracking dog will not only associate blood with a wounded animal--- but also the other tell-tale scents that are left along the trail of a retreating animal in distress. So when "blood scent" is limited---there may be other scents that can be easily picked up by the discerning nose of the wounded game recovery dog. If blood volume is lacking along a track line---there may be plenty of other scents available---that enable a dog to easily follow the retreating animal. An animal that has been hit hard by an arrow or a bullet in a vital area is going to definitely be leaving behind more discernible "distress scent" than an animal that has received a marginal hit. The more external blood---and the more physical stress involved---usually the easier the track (but not always). "Much blood" cannot always be associated with "much DISCERNIBLE scent"---especially when you mix in the TIME ELEMENT involved. A lot of good scent from blood and the distress factor can be tainted and easily diminished by a long time delay or from interference from human activity.

 

When I was a kid, I loved it when a jet would streak across the sky leaving a narrow vapor trail behind it. You could not always SEE the aircraft itself, but you could definitely follow the flight of the airplane by the vapor trailing behind it. Right behind the jet, you always had a very narrow line of vapor that helped you pin-point the exact flight that the aircraft was taking. If you looked farther back behind the jet, however, you would see that the once-narrow vapor line has gradually grown wider. What was once a clear line has started to become torn apart and spread out by upper winds. The older the segment of the vapor trail---the more dispersion and the less visible discernment of the exact direction that the jet had taken.

 

A wounded animal is leaving behind a trail that is similar to the vapor trail you have seen from jets flying across the skies. Immediately behind the fleeing critter is a narrow line of strong directional scent. The strength of this early directional scent may be determined by the amount of visible blood, but not necessarily. Again, remember that BLOOD IS NOT THE ONLY SCENT INVOLVED IN THE SCENT (VAPOR) TRAIL THAT IS BEING LEFT BEHIND. As the animal puts distance along its escape route, the funnel of scent is expanding and dispersing similar to what you are seeing with the vapor trail of the jet. As time passes, the scent is dispersed by a prevailing wind (or possibly in many directions by variable winds). Atmospheric conditions---like barometric pressure, surface-ground moisture, and relative humidity---are factors that may also influence the "scent cone or funnel" left behind by a retreating wounded animal.

THE "SCENT FUNNEL" LEFT BEHIND BY A WOUNDED ANIMAL

is greatly influenced by time and human interference.

PRESERVING THE DIRECTIONAL ASPECT OF THE SCENT FUNNEL (CONE)

 

1. Put the tracking dog on the scent trail (blood/body serum) of wounded animal as soon as possible.

a. As soon as the hunter has determined that there is a possible wounded animal, he (or she) should back off and call for the blood tracking dog.

b. Putting the tracking dog owners phone number in cell phone is very helpful in speeding up the process.

2. Eliminate interference from human trackers trying to visually locate animal.

a. Feet of hunters attempting to track their animal will not only pick up blood and widen the directional cone---but the feet will also pick up and scatter the scent of invisible body serum and pheremones that a dog can also utilize to successfully track the animal.

b. Keep in mind that blood is NOT the only scent item used by a dog to track a wounded critter

 

THE "TIME FACTOR" IS VERY IMPORTANT WITH RESPECT TO THE DIRECTIONAL SCENT FUNNEL PRODUCED BY A WOUNDED ANIMAL---FROM BLOOD LEFT BEHIND---BUT IT IS CRITICAL WITH RESPECT TO THE MORE SUBTLE INVISIBLE SCENTS PRODUCED BY BODY SERUM AND PHEREMONES.

Many wounded animals are lost forever---not because they did not leave behind a significant amount of blood and other scent elements---but simply because there was too lengthy a time delay in getting the dog on the track. There may have been enough scent, but the directional aspect of the scent funnel was hindered by the wind and the evaporation of the invisible body fluids and hormonal elements.

EVERY MINUTE COUNTS---WHEN IT COMES TO THE USE

OF A TRACKING DOG TO RECOVER WOUNDED GAME

Delay in getting a tracking dog on the site---along with excessive human interference---has a detrimental effect on the directional scent funnel produced by a wounded animal.

1. Visible blood is not the only important aspect of a wounded animal track

2. Keep in mind the "scent funnel" element of tracking wounded game

a. The scent funnel is not just from visible blood, It is a mixture of the blood, the actual body scent of the animal being pursued, and also other invisible scents produced from the wounded/distressed animal (body serum, pheremones, etc.)

3. Time delays and human interference can hinder (or even completely eliminate) these

invisible elements of BODY SCENT that might have accompanied any blood that is

present. Take away the enhancement of these body scents and a "blood trail alone" may

not be sufficient for the tracking dog to successfully track the animal. Blood scent---

without other valuable body scents---may not be sufficient for the dog to line-out even

blood that is visible to the human eye.

a. The loss or disruption of any scent element---from time delays or by human interference ---will have a detrimental effect on the DIRECTIONAL ELEMENT of the scent funnel left behind by a retreating wounded animal.

b. The wider and more dispersed the scent funnel---the more difficult it is for a dog to line-out what we have traditionally called "the blood track".

4. It might be helpful to THINK in different terms about what your dog is actually tracking.

a. Blood is only ONE ELEMENT of scent involved in tracking a wounded animal.

b. Actual body scent and various invisible fluids are often more critcial in locating a wounded animal than the visible blood that is present.

c. Thinking in terms of a "scent funnel or cone"----not just a "blood trail" ----will help you to better understand what you are up against when you put your tracking dog on the trail of a wounded animal.

 

 

[Jimmer Negamanee]

Wow Dale! A lot of information here. You put a lot of work into it. Thank you for posting.

[WildHeritageTaxidermy]

Yes there is alot of information there, I can't take credit for most of it though. Most of the info came from another gentlemans website. Just wanted people to understand some of the variables that can affect a dogs success.

[az_shooter]

That was a read and a half, but good information, thanks for that.

[CouesWhitetail]

Thanks for the info Dale!