911 Deer Recovery

05/17/2026

Wrapped up my Turkey season and now it’s time to get back to work. Be on the lookout for more practice line posts as we gear up for the 2026-27 Missouri whitetail season. We’ll also be sharing more GoPro footage from my POV, along with some clips from Ember Jo’s harness GoPro.

Labs Lead The Way

04/13/2026

Ember Jo has been crushing her practice lines lately! 156 sleeps until opening day of archery 🦌🐾 🍻

02/10/2026

This evening, Ember Jolene and I ran two 24-hour-old practice lines laid with hooves and minimal blood. The first line focused on transitioning across different ground types, starting in grass and crossing gravel lots and roadways.

The second line I posted a screenshot of below was the closest I could come to a UBT 2–style test line without checking my phone while laying it.

The lighter shaded track is from yesterday, and the brighter one is from today’s run.

Today’s lesson: always double-check that you grab the frozen deer hide and not the raccoon hide. Thankfully, Ember was still perfectly happy with a stick/fetch and some extra lovins as her reward.

Labs Lead The Way

12/12/2025

Ember Jo and I got a call for a track the other day. The hunter said he had no bolt and barely any blood to go off of, so he asked us to come take a look. We went out the next morning, found the hit site, and noticed a good amount of long white hair with a little blood mixed in. Ember took off and found two beds and some fresh drops further down the line!

We had to stop at a property line, then came back that evening for round two. She tracked the deer out to an open field and started a grid search. Even after a restart and walking the whole field to see if she’d pick up anything new, we still came up empty.

We’re sitting at 0/5 now, but honestly it’s all good. We’ve gotten better every single time, and I’m proud of this pup! My Pops always said, “It’s called hunting, not shopping,” and he wasn’t lying — it goes for tracking too.

Labs lead the way

11/20/2025

After taking some time off from tracking to focus on my health, I’m officially jumping back in. I’ll be back on the map and taking tracks again starting Sunday, November 23. In the meantime, Ember Jo and I have been helping a couple buddies with their tracks and keeping up with obedience work and practice lines. Excited to get back out there!

Labs Lead The Way

10/18/2025

The last 12 hours have been a long one for Ember Jo and me. We ran a track last night for a hunter who thought he’d hit a buck around area 5B right before dark. With no blood, no arrow, and a grid search that came up empty, they backed out and called us in.

We got there around 10:30 p.m. and put Ember on the trail. After several attempts and restarts, we came up empty. This morning we went back for confirmation, gave it another go, and still found no sign. As a last-ditch effort, we worked Ember downwind hoping she could catch a whiff—but nothing.

At this point, we’re confident the buck made it and told the hunter to keep an eye out for him.
0 for 2, but that’s part of the game.

Labs Lead The Way

10/03/2025

Some good info below

Proper wait times will put the odds back in your favor on a marginally hit deer. It can be a game of inches and hours. Contact a tracker near you and discuss your shot details. Happy October!

10/02/2025

When the tracking gets tough, the tough go fishing! Ember Jo and I are 0/1 this season, and we believe the deer is still out there after a single-lung hit. Ember made the most of her day off—fishing with dad and making a few new friends.

Labs Lead The Way

09/02/2025

Ember Jo and I have been soaking up the cooler weather lately! Today we worked a 24-hour old line I laid out with hooves and just a touch of blood. Right before our second 90° turn, she had to slow down and puzzle through a solid scent pool after our water break—but once she locked in, she flew through the rest of the track. Couldn’t be prouder of how far this dog has come.

On top of that, i squeezed in some bonus cardio to walk the roads and pick up trash. Do your part and help keep our conservation areas clean 🤘🏼

Labs Lead The Way

08/31/2025

Yesterday was the perfect day to get the labs out for some tracking and a little swimming! 🌊🐾

Despite the hot and dry conditions, every dog worked their lines like champs. Watching Evee with smelly benelli wounded game recovery run was a blast—she’s well on her way to that UBT 2 title in no time! Thanks again Josh for laying the lines and showing us around your side of the tracking map. And Happy Birthday!

Labs Lead The Way