FAQs

What can these dogs track?

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Blood tracking is a specialized skill among tracking dogs. These dogs are specifically trained to follow a trail of blood left by a wounded or injured animal and to ignore the scent of healthy, live animals. That is what enables them to follow a wounded animal (e.g., a moose) through an area where other animals can be found and still stay on the track of interest.

Does the trail have to be fresh?

To the contrary, the tracks we train on are typically 24 to 48 hours old. We have had success with a track that was over a month old. In some cases, depending upon the type of wound, it might be advisable to wait overnight to begin following a blood trail because of the behavior of an animal that has been wounded in certain areas of the body. It is rarely necessary to respond immediately when an animal has been wounded or injured.

How much blood is needed for the dog to follow it?

This is the essential difference between a hunter's ability to track a blood trail and a dog's ability to do so. Most experienced hunters can visually follow a trail of fresh, bright red blood spattered every few yards in the daytime. A trained dog can follow a trail of blood that has dried to dark brown, with far less quantity on the ground, by scent alone (dogs are color blind), day or night. A human can typically follow fresh (same day) blood trails in quantities of around a pint splattered evenly along 100-150 yards on leaves, plants or dirt. A good dog can easily track that quantity of blood spread sporadically over 500 yards, and can follow almost imperceptively small droplets and smears.

How does weather affect the dog's ability to track blood?

These dogs have been successful tracking wounded animals in steady rain and when several inches of snow have fallen on a track. Wind is typically not a problem, since the dogs are tracking ground-borne scent rather than air-borne scent.

What kind of dogs are used?

Any of several breeds of dogs are used for blood tracking. The trainability for this specialized skill appears to be found best in a few of the wirehaired breeds that also make excellent versatile hunting dogs. We use German Wirehaired Pointers and Wirehaired Pointing Griffons. Other blood tracking organizations have found Wirehaired Daschunds to be well-suited to this task.

What kind of animals can be blood-tracked?

In Alaska, the animals most commonly blood-tracked are moose. However, these dogs can track black bear, caribou, deer and virtually any domestic animal like goats, cattle and horses. These dogs would track wounded grizzlies, but as handlers interested in self-preservation, we typically decline those invitations.

What does it cost for blood tracking services?

Alaska Game Search requests no fees, and we do not accept them if offered. We do not ask for other compensation, like a share of game meat or other gratuities. We are volunteers, and we enjoy what we do, almost as much as our dogs enjoy the activity. We will travel to remote sites if needed and we will take as much time as necessary to either locate the animal or determine that recovery is unlikely.

What restrictions are there on blood tracking activities?

Blood tracking is allowed under the game laws of the State of Alaska. The dog must be kept on a leash at all times, and a light may be used at night while tracking. Note that a blood tracking dog (or any dog for that matter) may not be used for hunting furred animals in Alaska, with a few specific exceptions. So if a wounded animal is spotted while blood tracking and is still viable, the handler and dog will stop and back off to avoid the appearance of assisting with a hunt. It will be up to the hunter and any accompanying game management official to determine the course of action.

The handler will typically not be armed, and will not assist with dispatching an animal. An exception might occur when a bear is being tracked, or when there is a reasonable threat of bear activity in the area. In that case, the handler's weapon would only be used in self-defense.

What authority does the dog handler have with regard to Game Laws?

Blood tracking handlers are not game management officials. We do not look for game law violations. Our only objective is localization and recovery to avoid loss or suffering of the animal being tracked. Any issue with regard to the legality of a hunting situation, the hunted animal, the hunter, licenses and permits, hunting areas, etc. are entirely up to the hunter and the cognizant game management officials or law enforcement officers.

How would the blood tracking effort be managed?

The hunter notifies law enforcement or a game management official that an animal has been shot and lost. The GMO notifies the Alaska Game Search contact who selects a handler/dog team. The GMO will establish a rendezvous point and time for the hunter, dog handler, and other officials to meet near the area where the animal was shot. The handler will interview the hunter, asking questions only related to how and when the animal was shot, where it was hit, how it behaved when shot, and what tracking activities the hunter attempted prior to calling in the tracking team.

The handler will brief the entire tracking team, including observers, on the tracking plan. The dog will be permitted to sort out the area where the shot was taken and to begin tracking the animal as it departed the immediate area. The dog is kept on a 30-50 foot check cord dragging behind on the ground, tended by the handler.

The handler and dog work closely as a team to determine the intensity of the scent, changes in the direction of travel, visible signs that corroborate the blood scent, etc. The entire tracking party will remain behind the dog and handler, with the hunter armed and in a position to deal with the animal when and if it is encountered.

Although sometimes slow and methodical, these dogs can often track at impressive speeds. The tracking party needs to be equipped for moving briskly through cover and well-supplied with water and other outdoor clothing and essentials.

The handler makes final decisions with regard to the health and safety of the dog and the details of tracking.

The GMO makes final decisions with regard to continuing or abandoning the track, the composition of the tracking party, the use of weapons, disposition of the animal being tracked or other animals encountered, and issues of law.