The Versatile Dachshund

was granted a special use permit and formed an organization called Deer Search, Inc. This spread out from New York State and now there are 43 states where hunters can legally use a leashed tracking dog (Washington State legalized while I’m writing this article). I was fortunate to sit down with John several years ago. “Whenever you are talking to people about tracking dogs, make sure you use the word leashed!” was the last thing John told me. This is now the law in Colorado and most states.

When I was in high school, I wanted to make hunting more challenging, so I picked up a bow. Over the next 30+ years, I have lost several animals that I was not able to recover. I always wondered if a dog could track and recover a wounded animal. So, seven years ago, I googled tracking dogs and found United Blood Trackers. I was shocked at how organized and how popular tracking dogs were on the East Coast. I thought to myself, “I need to check this out; I wonder if it works on elk; where do I start? I guess I