Peacock Deer Dogs

05/17/2023

04/13/2023

Off-season practice can sometimes provide tougher tracking conditions for the dogs.

When it gets hot & dry outside, the scent is harder for the dogs to pin down. It all comes down to those microscopic scent particles.

They can get burnt off if it's a nice sunny day & the track bakes in the heat. The scent also doesn't float in the air as well when there's no moisture for it to cling to, like the last couple of days here. This is a double-whammy if you're tracking over an area that's been mowed or is bare, since there's no vegetation for scent to stick to either.

Plus, the dogs work better when it's cool outside!

All of this is good to work the dog through. It's always a good idea to train for harder circumstances than you think you'll need - you never know how that Missouri weather is gonna go in the fall!

04/04/2023

Icarus says that any day is a good day, especially if it involves tracking down the elusive deer hide toy!

03/31/2023

Both dogs have gotten to go on some solo excursions recently. The training foundations they have make them enjoyable as travel companions when we aren't working!

03/15/2023

Icarus has kept us very busy these last couple of weeks! He was Winners dog three times: at the Belle City Classic on 3/4, and at the Heart of America Kennel Club on both 3/11 & 3/12.

He also went Reserve Winners Dog at the Dalmatian Specialty held by the Dalmatian Club of Greater St. Louis on 3/4.

He is such a fun dog!

03/09/2023

Did you know that taking does during peak rut can improve your chances at getting a buck?

This is a great article on some of the myths that we commonly believe about deer!

Folklore and science come into frequent conflict in deer hunting. Here are eight of the biggest surprises that many deer hunters find difficult to believe.

02/28/2023

Foundation work is not usually very flashy, but we try to keep it fun! Icarus has been learning a chin rest (putting his chin in my hand) so that I can gently encourage a longer "hold" & form muscle memory for head positioning.

He is still a bit chompy, but that's part of what we're working on. I've already seen an improvement in his hand-delivery with shed hunting because of these drills (see first clip).

02/21/2023

There was a much easier opening to get to that deer hide... But head-first into the thicket was where his nose told him to go. 😂

02/14/2023

Here's a throwback of Pilot all GoPro'd up during deer season of '21. The video usually ends up pretty bouncy, but makes for an interesting POV. Should I stick the GoPro onto Icarus next for some floppy-eared footage?

01/30/2023

Happy ! Here's a throwback to baby Icarus learning all about how fun deer hide is.

01/24/2023

This is an excellent opportunity for anyone wanting to get serious about blood tracking! I believe it is one of the biggest events in the country for our niche sport. We learned a ton last year!

01/21/2023

Ran our first practice track of 2023 this morning! Icarus really matured a lot over the winter, which means his focus while on the trail is much better. Other scents are much less distracting to him now.

And of course, he got to goof off afterwards with his buddy Aldo. 😁

01/17/2023

There’s a quick way to look at a shed antler and tell whether the buck that dropped it was in good health back in the fall during the rut. No, it’s not mass. It’s not tine length or count. And it’s not beam length, color or character. New science from the University of Nebraska at Kearney (U...

01/09/2023

Bow season is coming to a close soon, so we are dusting off our antlers in preparation for shed season!

I like to bring an antler with me when we go on hikes. When the dogs aren't looking, sometimes I'll stash it in the brush and then ask them to circle back and retrieve it. It keeps them on their toes!

12/24/2022

Merry Christmas from our crew to yours! 💛

12/22/2022

Blizzard conditions are headed our way! We will not be tracking again until after Christmas & once extreme wind chill advisories are lifted. Stay warm!

12/09/2022

I'm a little behind in getting this posted here, but Icarus got a 3-point major at his second ever show on November 5th! He is now at 3 out of 15 points & 1 out of 2 Majors towards his Championship title.

Icarus made it back into the winners ring the next day on the 6th.

On the 12th, I was able to be there and handle him myself, and he went Winners Reserve.

We'll be pressing pause on entering any shows again until the spring so that we can focus on game recovery during the remainder of deer season.

Icarus is Horizon Fly You Fools.

11/24/2022

We are available to track on Thanksgiving and Black Friday this year! No tracking job is too small for us - does, spikes, or confidence booster tracks (if you're pretty sure you heard it crash nearby). We are currently servicing the Republic/Nixa/Billings area.

No charge for our services this fall, but tips are greatly appreciated!

11/12/2022

Due to a family emergency, we will be extremely limited on what tracks (if any) that we can take during rifle season. If you need any assistance, please take a look at the MO Blood Trackers Association map (linked below) and contact the nearest tracker to you. Thank you for your understanding - we hope to be back in action soon.

https://www.zeemaps.com/mobile?group=3828638

11/02/2022

This is an excellent visual for what the scent on a track "looks like" to a dog's nose before and after an area has been grid searched. Not ideal! Call us FIRST, not LAST.

10/24/2022

Safety is a big priority of mine, so you'll often see my dogs wearing orange even though it isn't required of them. It doesn't take much time to put it on, and it could prevent a trigger-happy hunter from mistaking either of them for common nuisance wildlife when we're out and about.

I have been told before that Pilot looks a lot like a coyote or a fox (probably thanks to that ancestral dingo DNA way back in the Australian Cattle Dog's heritage). I do think Icarus fares better with his unique, spotted coat type, but feral hogs can be white/grey with black spots, too.

Orange is also great for shed hunting season when the dogs have more freedom in the woods. Anybody who's taken a hunter safety course knows just how much of a difference that blaze orange will make for visibility in dense foliage!

10/21/2022

We haven't stopped practicing just because it's bow season! As a new tracker myself, I get a lot of value out of training this time of year.

During our evening practice tracks, it's very dark and chilly compared to the spring & summer. It gives me a chance to test out what combination of gear I want to wear for the weather, as well as figure out the best way to manage a flashlight, a dog, and a GPS all at the same time!

It's also good for the dogs to practice tracks in the dark, too. Icarus is still young and hasn't quite hit his second fear period yet, so I want to expose him to things he might find weird like flashlights making spooky shadows & teach him that his job is the same even at night.

10/21/2022

It's always fun to see a dog's reaction when they get to the end of that very first track and find out what they've really been searching for!

We always put a hoof, a leg, or a hide-wrapped bumper at the end of a practice track to give the dog a reward. Nothing quite compares to finding a real animal, though!

This video is from Icarus's first confidence-booster track last weekend.

10/13/2022

🚨 Hunters near Republic, Ash Grove, or Nixa: We need your help!

If you get a deer and hear it drop or see it go down, we would love the opportunity to come track it if our schedules align. We are mostly available in the evenings or on weekends.

Our dog, Icarus, has been training all summer to blood track deer, but he is still very young & and has not been out on a real recovery yet. He could use some easy tracks to help us build his motivation and drive before rifle season is here. By law, we will be required to inform the local MDC agent for your county that we are out on a track with the dog.

We would also be super appreciative of any donations of hooves or hide to help us continue to train throughout the year. This investment in your local tracking team now could mean the difference between a lost buck & a found one in the future. Any surplus will be passed on to other local tracking teams in need.

09/23/2022

Here's Pilot doing what she loves - looking for antlers! She's been enjoying her time off this season and has been happy to let Icarus steal the show.

09/22/2022

This past weekend, Icarus and I attended our first dog show at Purina Farms in Grey Summit, MO, where he went Reserve Winners Dog!

He is turning into such a nice dog. He's got the beauty, the brains, and the working drive! 😉

Bow season is now open, so we are waiting for our first call to track. I hope to be able to share some hunting content soon.

09/11/2022

Doesn't Icarus look slick with his new Game Recovery Dog patch? 😁

All of the patches on this vest are from our friends at Workingdogpatches.com - in fact, they were able to take my own designs and put them onto custom patches for me. They're a small business here in Missouri that make custom gear for all kinds of working dogs. Check them out!