Some blood trails go cold. A phone app can keep you organized, and a trained tracking dog can find deer people can't. Whether you can use a dog depends on your state's law. This page covers both, with sources at the end. For reading sign and wait times, start with blood trailing.
Apps: keep track of the trail
- Record your path. onX's Go & Track records your route with time, distance and speed. NDA suggests a tracking mode and waypoints at good blood. See how to use onX Hunt.
An app helps you organize the search. It doesn't find the deer.
Dogs: what they add
- Results. The Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation cites a South Carolina study where almost 20 percent of 493 harvested deer were found only because of blood tracking dogs.
- How they work. A QDMA (now NDA) report says tracking dogs follow the blood and scent of the wounded deer, not other animals at random. QDMA supports their use.
- Checking the rules. United Blood Trackers keeps state-by-state regulation pages for hunters and handlers.
How state laws differ
Counts vary by source and year, so check your own state's current rules.
| Source | What it found |
|---|---|
| Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation | Allowed in 44 states. Allowed under certain circumstances in California. Not allowed or unclear in Arizona, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Nevada and Oregon |
| QDMA Whitetail Report (2019 survey) | 35 of 48 states allowed tracking dogs, and 25 of those required a leash in at least some situations |
Examples of how rules differ, quoted by CSF and United Blood Trackers:
- Virginia: dogs on a lead, during deer seasons or within 24 hours after, with permission to access the land. Its current code, per United Blood Trackers, lets a licensed tracking hunter carry a legal weapon to humanely kill the deer.
- Colorado: a leashed dog with an annual tracking permit, during legal hunting hours unless a wildlife officer gives permission to continue.
- Louisiana: HB 802 (2024), as reengrossed, lets tracking dogs use a handheld leash or a GPS collar, outside wildlife management areas, with one dog per tracking party.
- West Virginia: leashed dogs for deer and bear since 2020, per CSF.
Common rule types include leash requirements, permits, time limits, landowner permission and limits on weapons. Read your state's regulations or call the wildlife agency before you bring a dog in.
When to call a tracker
NDA's guidance in blood trailing is to try a blood tracker with a dog, or a grid search, when a gut-shot trail runs out.
Other good options
- A good light for night trails. See blood trailing lights compared.
- Flagging tape for marking blood.
Questions hunters ask
Are blood tracking dogs legal in my state? Most states allow them in some form, but rules differ. Check your state's regulations or United Blood Trackers' state page.
Do tracking dogs have to be leashed? Many states require a leash, and some allow GPS collars or off-leash work. In the 2019 QDMA survey, 25 of 35 states that allowed dogs required a leash in at least some situations.
Can an app find my deer? No. It records your path and holds waypoints, so the search is organized.
Sources
- Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, "Use of Tracking Dogs to Recover Game": https://congressionalsportsmen.org/policy/use-of-tracking-dogs-to-recover-game/
- United Blood Trackers, Virginia state regulations: https://www.unitedbloodtrackers.org/state-regulations/va/
- QDMA Whitetail Report 2019, blood tracking dogs (hosted by Washington DFW): https://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/Blood%20Track%20Dogs%202019-WR%2034.pdf
- Louisiana Legislature, HB 802 (2024): https://legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1364162
- onX, Go & Track: https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt/app/features/tracker