Hunting a deer requires courage, skill, and the ability to go after the prey at long distances. Seasoned hunters would choose their favorite hunting partners for excursions that require them to hunt deer. For most of them, it is a dog that never fails to amaze them while chasing another dog.
These hunting companions not only detect the scent of deer but also hold it and follow the prey to extensive distances. Their olfactory abilities, sharp eyes, and super speed make them the best detectors and chasers of deer.
Be it cold trailing, the ability to follow old scent trails, or blood trailing, the capability to recover wounded deer after a shot, these deer dogs are best at them both! So let’s explore the best deer tracking dogs that know exactly how to follow the trail and hunt the prey!
Best Deer Tracking Dog Breeds
1. Labrador Retriever
There is no dog better than the Labrador Retriever when it comes to deer hunting. It is bred with just the right combination of nose power, physical perseverance, intellect, and temperament.
This British breed, originally bred as a gun dog, can easily be used as a tracking dog for deer.
As a matter of fact, the Labs are a favorite of the newbie hunters who have started this game as professionals who want to know the game at an expert level.
Qualities Making It A Deer Tracking Dog
Super intelligent and sharp, these dogs are really easy to train for complicated tracking tasks.
They have the ability to make quick decisions. They don’t wait for the handler instructions, even in high-stress situations.
With 200 million scent receptors, they are able to track a blood trail and are surely some of the best blood-trailing dogs. They are also incredibly cold scent trails for almost 24–48 hours.
These dogs also have phenomenal stamina, owing to which they can track the prey for hours without exhaustion.
2. Plott Hound
The Plott Hound is not only known for its keen sense of smell but is also phenomenal in terms of its stamina in going after the prey.
Belonging to North Carolina, as AKC claims, these dogs are known for hunting large game like bears and boars. However, they are great at going after the deer as well.
Qualities Making It A Deer Tracking Dog
This dog is known for its phenomenal nose and can pick up a scent from long distances. Even if the smell is faint or somewhat old, the dog will still be able to go after it. The Plott Hound can even spot a dead deer faster than you can!
These dogs are brilliant. They know how to adjust the speed, direction, and intensity according to the particular hunting game and trail deer efficiently..
For hunters, this is a dream partner. These dogs don’t ask for constant instructions; rather, they would make most of their decisions themselves.
Start training this dog when it is still small and give it clear instructions. With persistence and patience, this blood-trailing deer hunting dog would turn into your best partner.
3. Jagdterrier
Jagdterrier is an incredible blood tracking dog with phenomenal tracking abilities.
This dog is not only incredible at hunting but also excels in dog sports, including obedience, agility, and tracking. While hunting, a combination of their unbelievable sense of smell, mixed with elevated prey drive, and a hunger to get the game.
Qualities Making It A Deer Tracking Dog
This working dog from Germany was bred to be a tireless worker, as per PetMD. It has great stamina, which shows itself in the way it can go after the prey for long stretches.
Their strong prey drive makes them great at blood tracking. They would go after a wounded animal with the speed of light when compared to other breeds.
They have an independent nature. Also, they are known to be intelligent and trainable, making them really good partners for seasoned hunters.
The Jagdterrier is a small dog, and its size complements it when it comes to pursuing deer in relatively tough terrain.
4. Bavarian Mountain Hound
The Bavarian Mountain Hound is a calm and composed dog. From the looks of its temperament, it doesn’t appear like a blood dog, but it really is!
Belonging to Germany, this dog is known for its “cold nose” tracking ability.
Qualities Making It A Deer Tracking Dog
This dog has an incredible sense of smell. It is so good at it that it can even distinguish between an injured game that it is hunting and other animals of similar species. It can not only point out a particular scent but can also hold it for long periods.
Being a good dog at tracking the wounded game, this amazing breed can trail on the steep mountain slopes with incredible strength. Finding a fit deer or a wounded deer is no problem for this dog!
Thanks to its phenomenal smelling sense, it’s possible for them to follow old cold lines out to 48 hrs and at times even beyond that.
Their muscular build also helps them get into a fight while hunting and come out of it victorious!
5. Catahoula Leopard Dog
With a high prey drive, strong stamina, and an incredible nose, the Catahoula Leopard Dog is a phenomenal deer tracking dog.
Originally bred as herding dogs, these dogs have great stamina when it comes to finding deer and hunting them down.
Qualities Making It A Deer Tracking Dog
These dogs have a strong natural instinct for tracking. For ages, they have been loyal hunting partners of the Louisiana hunters.
Thanks to their strong sense of smell, it is possible for these dogs to follow both ground scent (hot or cold) as well as the air currents.
This big dog has great stamina to go after a deer on difficult terrain at long distances.
Training works well on them. You can easily mold their behavior and reduce their distraction while hunting.
6. Redbone Coonhound
Though the Redbone Coonhound is an incredibly gentle dog at home, it can be a total beast while hunting down the deer.
AKC mentions they have incredible energy while tracking the deer and can go long distances for that!
Qualities Making It A Deer Tracking Dog
With a strong scenting ability, this dog is a great choice for tracking wounded deer that couldn’t be an end game due to your bad shot.
They are a trusted partner of the frontiersmen as they trail raccoons through the wilderness. They can surely be relied upon when it comes to wounded or other deer.
With their exceptional speed and agility, no prey can really get away and escape from these dogs.
7. Majestic Tree Hound
The Majestic Tree Hound was originally bred for their assertive voice and the capacity to follow a scent trail. They can easily follow a scent and track down a deer.
Qualities Making It A Deer Tracking Dog
This hound dog is easy to train for its treeing game. The process is simple, in which the dog chases the prey up a tree and then holds it at bay and waits till the hunter comes to make a good shot.
Thanks to its solid voice, it communicated with the hunter quite efficiently.
They belong to the lineage of English Coonhounds and share similar qualities of scent training with a very sharp sense of smell.
Conclusion
Dogs are great at tracking deer and hunting them down, no matter how tough the terrain is! German Shorthair, Black Mouth Cur, Jack Russell, and Bloodhound are great at tracking and catching deer while hunting with their human partners.
Just do a bit of hard work with their training, and you’ll be able to have the best possible hunting companion with you.
