 After being asked many times to hold one of our successful training days in Scotland we are pleased to announce that we can now confirm that we will be holding an Introduction to Deer Tracking Training Day, North of the border in Dumfries & Galloway sometime in the next 6 months.
We just have a few more details to finalise and then we can set an exact date. The venue will be around 15 miles from Newton Stewart and 35 miles from Stranraer for anyone interested incoming over from N. Ireland. There will be a presentation covering subjects such as equipment and clothing required, training a puppy/novice dog, preparing and storing blood, laying a scent trail, identifying a wound site, reporting types and much more. We will also be working in the forest where every candidate will have the opportunity to be mentored whilst they lay and follow up their own tracks with their own dogs. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Course price will be £125.00 and places will be limited. We would love the cost to be lower but hope you understand that we have to cover the teams travelling expenses, accommodation and training venues. Please email us at: [email protected] to register your interest. We will then contact you with more information as it becomes available. Thank you.  A fairly new clothing company by the name of Shooterking® has been designing and making a range of clothing for shooting and outdoor use and is constantly developing its range of products. With this in mind I paid them a visit at this years C.L.A. Gamefair to have a look at what they had to offer. I was immediately impressed by not only the quality but the thought and design that has gone into their garments. Looking at their clothing range all the items had features that were not a gimmick, but had serious functionality. The fabrics and other material they use is first rate and designed to withstand the abuse that a working garment can be subject to. In need of new shirts, one of their items I was drawn to was their 'Free Move Shirt', made from a strong 65% Polyester; 35% Cotton, and with the following features:
Having come away with a bag full of clothing, I decided to wear this shirt the same weekend on a training day in the forest. The shirt immediately felt comfortable when first put on and was warm enough in the early morning temperature. However the the temperature changed later in the day to around 25 degrees C and remembering the openings on the back soon unzipped them to let the air through. This was heaven and having other shirts with this kind of feature I can honestly say Shooterking® have got it sussed when it comes the its effectiveness. Although still warm the shirt was comfortable to wear.
When tracking in a forest environment in hot weather you still need protection, and the strength of the fabric came into its own here, fighting off branches, brambles, bugs and flies. I cannot rate this shirt highly enough and whether tracking, stalking, shooting or fishing this is a great choice, and will certainly be buying more of Shooterking® clothing in the future.  Do you work your dog in the summer? Has your dog ever been bitten by a snake? You may think that this would be a rare occurrence in this country but Veterinary clinics are seeing an increasing number of dogs with varying degrees of snakebites. We are constantly aware of the possibility of our hounds being bitten by an Adder as we work and train them in areas where they are known to be prolific. Fortunately none of our hounds have yet been bitten but we have customers whose dogs have been. Thanks to their quick actions and getting them straight to a vet the have all survived, but it could have been fatal. This article although basic cover some of the important things to look out for and do. Please read and be prepared. http://www.vets-now.com/pet-owners/dog-care-advice/adder-bites-dogs/  In a bid to strengthen our services offered for the up and coming Roe rut and tracking work in general, we are now pleased to announce that we now have another great team to cover the Dorset Area. Don't forget if you call and get our business answer phone please leave a message and will will get back to you as a priority.
For more details please go to: http://www.deertrackingservices.co.uk/tracking-service.html
 Team 'Deer Tracking Services'. L to R; Vicky Gamble, Jim Bolton, Jimmy 'the tree' Barker and myself. Today, team 'Deer Tracking Services' entered a 4 person team in the annual charity rifle shoot organised by Chris Rogers, Deer Manager and his estate at Euston. We had an amazing time shooting at some great target scenarios, some of which were against the clock, and either prone, standing, seated or freestyle! We would all like to express our thanks to everyone involved in arranging and organising the day. The food and refreshments were great, and it was interesting to catch up and have a chat with friends both old and new.
Our score? Well lets not talk about that, but next year we vow to return (if you'll have us), and next time we will even try to hit the targets. Good job we have dogs for the follow up! For those of you that weren't there you missed a great day of fun held in a good cause of the Suffolk Community foundation.
For more details please go to: http://www.deertrackingservices.co.uk/tracking-service.html
Tick warning issued by health experts at Porton Down  See the full story here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-33062352
Please feel free to follow this link: http://deertrackingservices.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/heidi-next-step.html
It is taken from our old blog from 2010, that is basically the first years diary in training one of our B.M.H. pups to the world of Deer Tracking. It has had a lot of hacking in the past so you may find some photographs and links missing for which we apologise.  Deer Tracking Services - Our new stock has just arrived so get your orders in fast, the last lot went quicker than you could imagine-must be word of mouth!
These really are the best Tick Removal Tool on the market, so much so we use them ourselves, proving they must be easy to use.
Check them out here and watch the video: http://www.deertrackingservices.co.uk/store/p16/Trix_Lasso_Tick_Remover.html  Deer Tracking Services - Yesterday one of our hounds, 10 month old Anja (Bayervalley Rose), successfully completed a mock Schweisshund II tracking test. Basically a track of 1000m, around 24 hours old, two turns, one track back and two wound beds to declare. She completed her tracks in under 30 minutes despite estimated temperatures of some 23 degrees in the forest! Congratulations also to Steve Williams with Bayervalley Ash, another of our pups who also successfully completed the same mock test in the same time frame. A point worth noting is that the actual test allows for 100ml of blood to be used. The tracks we layed used only 40ml! This was used for the first 100m, on the track back and on both wound couches. Bayervalley Bavarians - Born to Track!
 Brand new to us and now in stock the SportDOG® SD-1875E Remote Trainer with Beeper Locator, audible up to 450m. This is a top of the range product that enables you to locate your dog at the touch of a button. It also has remote trainer functionality if required that will reach out to a staggering 1600m.
This is a must have product for working dogs like HPR's that work in thick cover and can go on point unseen!Click HERE for more details. Please remember that whether you are live tracking or just training it is extremely exhausting for your dog using their olfactory senses. In this hot weather we are having please make sure you carry plenty of water for your tracking hound, (and yourself).
As we know tracking in dry conditions is not ideal anyway but even in the late or early hours it can still be warm enough to exhaust your dog to a point where they need to re-hydrate. A point of note is that having a wet nose from drinking will also help open up their nasal passages giving their scent receptors a better chance of working to the their full potential. |
