Tracking - When all others give up, our work begins.
Tracking wounded game is more than a craft – it is a living responsibility. For Sascha and his Bavarian Mountain Hound Rocky, every tracking job is an act of dedication, experience, and deep respect for wildlife.
Tracking Work
Sascha is an experienced tracking handler who lives his calling with true devotion. When an animal is not fatally hit, that is when the real work begins for him and his Bavarian Mountain Hound Rocky: the tracking. With patience, skill, and the utmost respect for the animal, the team follows the wounded game to end its suffering.
For Sascha, this is not the most spectacular part of the hunt – it is the most important one. Animal welfare, ethics, and responsibility are not just words to him but lived principles of every tracking partnership.
“When all others give up, that’s when we come – always following the trail. That is it, good boy, lead on! There, the first blood – now we’ll show you true hunting passion.”
The Tradition of Tracking Work
I came across this saying years ago during a hunting trip to Hungary: a woodcut showed a hunter with his lead dog – the direct ancestor of today’s tracking hounds. Thanks to these loyal dogs and their handlers, wounded game is not only recovered humanely but often, their work also brings relief to the remorseful hunter.
When a shot animal flees, the shooter examines the point of impact. If he finds clear signs of a lethal hit, he may follow the trail himself or use his dog. If recovery fails or difficult terrain is expected, a specialist is called in.
Dog and Handler – a Perfect Team
The blood-tracking hound is bred and trained specifically for post-shot recovery work. Together with its handler, it forms a close team capable of mastering rough terrain, road crossings, storm-felled areas, and thickets – and sometimes facing dangerous wild boar.
Beyond skill and a fine nose, the team needs proper equipment. Their firearm and ammunition must be completely reliable: in finishing situations, uncompromising stopping power, high directional stability, and minimal fragmentation are essential – for the safety of the dog.
For tracking, I rely on the GECO Plus in calibre 9.3×62.
A Sunday Morning Tracking
It’s Sunday morning when the phone rings: a tracking job on a wounded boar. I put on my gear, still damp from the previous day. On site, I examine the shot site and find signs indicating a demanding search ahead.
Together with the shooter, I follow Rocky along the red trail. After a while, we find a warm wound bed. I slip Rocky off the leash – moments later, he gives tongue. Soon he has bayed the boar.
Carefully, I approach from downwind. Rocky holds the wounded boar firm, preventing it from escaping again. I wait for a safe moment to place the finishing shot. When the boar turns on the dog, I take the shot. In such moments, a calm head and absolute trust in one’s equipment are vital.
Responsibility and gratitude
Trackings are not heroic stories, they are responsible work in the service of game. A good tracking team needs time, training and the right equipment. Thanks are due to the dogs, their handlers and, last but not least, the right ammunition, which enables quick, humane solutions.
