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This
story starts 24 hours after this animal was hit, when Kevin Leslie; the
owner of Rocky Creek Ranch called me about a monster buck that was shot at
his ranch 24 hours prior and had yet to be recovered. As per our tracking
SOP while taking a call, I asked all the important detailed questions and
Kevin explained the who, what, where, when & why about the situation. I then
explained we could not leave immediately for his call because we had two
prior calls to attend too and at the time of Kevin’s call, there was a
persistent light rain that made tracking the next day look like a hail-Mary
pass to the end zone. So I then explain that the soonest we could get to him
would be tomorrow around mid-day. He concurred and then we exchanged numbers
and hung up.
The next day we
arrived at the ranch at 03:00pm and it was 47 hours after the shot. Kevin
then put Hunter (my senior tracking dog) and me on the bucks trail
and we were off to the races. Turns out the light, rain was a blessing in
disguise. If the rain is light enough, like a mist, it takes a scent,
rejuvenates it, and makes it easier for the dog’s nose to pick it up. Hunter
looked like he was on rails as he was following the bucks scent, there was
no visible blood, but Hunter had the animals scent and he was going from
clump of grass to prickly-pear cactus and every so often he would cast and
then back track to check himself and then he would progress. All the while,
he was persistent, his concentration was up, and I could tell by Hunter’s
body language he had a faint scent, but it was there and he was on the
trail. After one forty-five degree turn, two nineties and one one-hundred
eighty degree turn, we were headed back to where we had left Kevin and his
son, at the last place the buck was seen two days before. Then it happen,
Hunter takes us down a 40-degree hill and as we get to the bottom and we
clear the standing cypress trees and we break into the open, there before us
is a 3-acre pond and before us floating 5 yards from shore head down is a
body of a deer. I sound off to Kevin that we found a deer floating and Kevin
and his son start there 4oo yard walk to meet us, all the while Hunter has
already jumped in and was trying to drag this deer’s body to the shore,
quite a funny sight; a thirty-pound dog trying to water retrieve a 160 pound
deer, LOL!
I then took off
Hunter’s 30foot lead, tied a rock to the end and tossed it over the deer,
this was happening as Kevin and Preston was arriving, well as I grabbed the
tail and started to pull the animal ashore it happen, the animal rolled over
and there it was! The biggest deer I have ever personally seen and I was
touching him. He was and is a magnificent animal. After dragging the buck to
the top of the hill for a few quick pictures and a breather, we took a green
score and it totaled out to be 164, WOW! It took us one hour to find the
animal, which put us at 48 hours after the shot, this is our longest time
find, and our biggest buck ever so far, and we were and are still stoked!
To say the least and I am so proud of Hunter.
Two hours after
arriving back home Hunter was still running around the house barking and
telling everyone he was the man, LOL. Kevin Leslie has a really super nice
ranch from what I seen and you should see the lodge, MAN you talk about
nice! He has dedicated bow hunting ONLY areas on their ranch and they have
spots for gun hunters. Kevin thank you for the opportunity of a lifetime for
a tracking team it was fun. Kevin was very grateful and he took good care of
us he gave us $$ for gas and dog food for two weeks, Kevin thanks again
Brother!
Time and day of
shot: 04:00pm, 06-Dec-02
Time / day, called: 04:00pm, 07-Dec-02
Time on station: 03:00pm, 08-Dec-02
Time of find: 04:00pm, 08-Dec-02
Total distance by GPS was 752meters = ½ mile approx
Kevin & Stacey Breaux
Vom Klaren Bach Kennels
Copperas Cove, Texas
1-254-518-7763
Wirehaired Dachshunds from hunting lines,
Where dogs are raised as family
And trained for Tracking!
May your shots be straight and your blood trails short!
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