To what extent will tracking collars help?

[Benny G]

Yesterday I took some dogs out to prowl around the mountain. I had a buddy with me and I was trying to get a feel for the dogs that I had added to my pack this summer. The old dog went to cold trailing a bear, and a couple others helped him out. After a bit I made them stop and come on. Well, we're in the bottom of a canyon, and the dogs were working up to a saddle. The youngest addition (one year old) started squeaking and opened up pretty solid. Then 2, then 3, then all of them lit out of there. The mountain we had to travel to get there was obnoxiously rough, covered in brush and rock, and pretty stinking steep. My mule went down on her knees at least once trying to claw her way up. By the time we got up there, the dogs were out of hearing. About that same time two of my "old" dogs came back, then a couple more, then one of the "new" dogs showed up. I figured we had to have an old fashoned trashy coyote race. I picked up the last of my "old" dogs, leaving 2 of the "new" dogs out. The reason that I'm asking about tracking collars is because I have never owned any, and I don't want to throw money away if it won't help my problems. The last 2 dogs were picked up by a couple of brothers that I believe intended to keep them. This absolutely torques me beyond understanding, and I was prepared to get my dogs back with the assistance of my 40! It took my buddy 3/4 of the day to find some lead on the dogs and we finally got them back this afternoon. How far will each type of collar give accurate readings in steep, straight up and down, canyon riddled terrain? If I could have gone to my dogs, I wouldn't have had to flirt with the "old Benny" (the guy that I don't want to be), but I certainly have my limits regaurding just what I'm willing to put up with.

[Cal Bryant]

Benny,

You would have probably lost a signal on just about anything out there once they went over the top. The tracking equip would have helped alot once you got to the top to let you know which way they were from there, and give you an Idea how far off they are. The garmin if and when you can get a signal will tell you how far within a few feet and a direction. I am not sold on the garmin just yet, they are cool as hell when they work, but I can get to my dogs in this country quicker with the beep beep style. hope this helps. I am trying not to trash on the garmins and dont want to start any problems with anyone but the TWO times I have been around them it took longer to get to the dogs because we were trying to get a signal on them with the garmin. I had a signal (telemetry) but I wanted to see how well the garmin worked. My dogs will have the telemetry untill some one makes a gps unit that actually works off the satellites.

[ferjr]

i dont know about the telemetry, i have never had to use mine. i have johnson collars dont know what there range is but i use my garmin and dc30 collars all the time, they are really nice, you know exactly where your dogs are at all times, there is no guessing or false readings caused from bounce that you get off of the telemetry systems. i get 1-2 miles with just the regular ant. and 3-4 miles with the long range ant. and that is hunting here in the mountains of idaho where it is steep with lots of valleys and high ridges. but i believe it is a good idea to have two garmin units in case one messes up, i have yet to have this problem but have heard of others having it. i do have johnson collars and a blue telemetry box for back up but have never have had to use it, thankfully, i have seen other people use them and spend all day trying find a good signal. they throw false readings, due to signal bounce, which can have you running all over a mountain trying to figure it out. i personaly like the garmin, it will tell you down to the yards how far and were your dogs are.

[M Evertsen]

I have telemetry, and will not turn my dogs loose, at all unless they have collars on.

Just last week, I roaded the dogs, and they went off into a canyon with no roads. I was getting a signal on them, but they were pretty dead set on whatever they were doing.

I was able to keep close to them after they had gone quiet, and found two that evening and early the next morning. I was still able to get a signal on the other three, who were still running.

I went home and got a couple hours sleep. When I got up, I got the tracker out and tried to get a signal. Much to my amazment, I was able to get a signal at approximately 14 miles. This is an exception, not the rule, as it was directly across a valley to where the dog was. They had stopped running, and were back to where I unloaded them the day before.

This could be the same in any area that I hunt, if they go along the mountain long ways, or if something happens and I have to leave, I know that I can go back, and get a reading from the valley floor and find the dogs.


I think they are worth every penny, though I am also not sold on the Garmin units yet either.

Later,

Marcial

[komatsuvarna]

I have telemetry, and will not turn my dogs loose, at all unless they have collars on.

I think they are worth every penny, though I am also not sold on the Garmin units yet either.

Later,

Marcial

+1

[Benny G]

Thanks for the input so far. What little I have been around guys with systems, I've heard the gripes about bounce and such. With the Garmins I've heard good and bad. It's been years since I have had any dogs get completely away from me that I didn't get rounded up within 3 or 4 hours, and those were pups that got boogered. Since I quit chasing bears, things have been mostly uneventful until yesterday. I guess what really concerns me is if I had a system, would I have been able to tell which direction the dogs were, and within reason, how close. They were both picked up very close to where we got started, so in my mind, the dirty thievin SOB's shouldn't have had the chance to get to my dogs before me!

[sourdough]

Benny the wildlife materials tracking system I have, has never let me down they have very good range But, broke up country is a problem, that being said knowing how they work and understanding that they are very line of sight staying high will narrow down where they those hounds went checking each canyon as you go. I don't recall the last time I have had to use it on one of the old hounds but, with the young ones they have come in real handy. and have save me a ton of gas as well as time. I think they are a great investment and have always thought about it this way. What would it cost to replace your top hound? They work and work well once the learning curve is complete.

sourdough

[Trueblue]

They work and work well once the learning curve is complete.

Sourdough gave you the best info. right there.They work very well but you won't learn how to use it effectively overnight.There is definitely a learning curve and if you are only going to need it every great once in awhile then you will probably never learn how to use it to the fullest.I have seen guys that have been chasing hounds with telemetry for 20 years that still don't have it figured out very well.

[sourdough]

I posted right after your post Benny. I think the GPS system can and will become the future in dog recovery systems But, I will wait until they are perfected for trail hounds before I invest the money in one. The bounce phenomenon with beep type collar is some what of what I would call BS and is due to the lack of knowledge in the proper use of the antenna and receiver once a person learns how to use them properly they are a very good tool! Heck those hounds might have been a 1/4 mile from you when you got to the truck and loaded up to go, trailing you out and being as they were not saying anything you drove off thinking they were in part unknown. A quick check on the telemetry would have let you know and with a none directional antenna you could have drove out of there with the channel tuned in on the lost hound and got a line of sight hit on the receiver.

sourdough

[jkcasey]

I posted right after your post Benny. I think the GPS system can and will become the future in dog recovery systems But, I will wait until they are perfected for trail hounds before I invest the money in one. The bounce phenomenon with beep type collar is some what of what I would call BS and is due to the lack of knowledge in the proper use of the antenna and receiver once a person learns how to use them properly they are a very good tool! Heck those hounds might have been a 1/4 mile from you when you got to the truck and loaded up to go, trailing you out and being as they were not saying anything you drove off thinking they were in part unknown. A quick check on the telemetry would have let you know and with a none directional antenna you could have drove out of there with the channel tuned in on the lost hound and got a line of sight hit on the receiver.

sourdough

x2 Once I figured my system out Ive had no problems.

[festus]

Benny,
Sourdough is right on. I also have had really good luck with the wildlife tracking systems, and also the ATS system is very good as well.

How is Val doing anyway?

[M Evertsen]

I agree in taking the time to learn how the system works. Hide collars on a day off and go find them.

One thing I like about my QT box is that I can get a real good idea of how far the collar is away with the attenuator switch. Even in canyons where there is a lot of bounce, minimize it to a point it is fairly easy to figure a location.

Later,

Marcial

[Benny G]

Thanks everyone. I will be looking into some collars.

Festus, Val is doing fine. She sure isn't bashful about starting and running the snot out of a coyote! She was the last dog to be located. A guy dropped her off in someone else's back yard in Roswell so that I still wouldn't know much about him. What these jackasses don't consider is that there is still at least one person in my area that can be very resourcefull, persistant, AND hard to get along with!

[cat and bear]

I'm sure you will stay on top of these guys. With limited experience in the mts. I was in co. two weeks and I had a wildlife box tracking, that is what i suggest. Second the tracker with the three element antenna hooked to it, is as good and accurate as the wildlife, but fold it up and put it in your back pocket hard to beat. As guys have said, line of sight, one suggestion is if your having problems, get as high as you can. Heck, I've lost races once in a while or dog, and went to the nearest fire tower, got as high as i could, and beeped, its amazing, you can beep 20 miles or more, in this flat country, when you above everything here. I know van has lost dogs in big country, and has a buddy with an airplane, which they got up and beeped around to get an idea of the location, if he cant find his dog for three or four days. Which leads to the concern, a dog thief can take the collar off and throw it in the ditch, and nothing works. Good luck on your decision.

[Benny G]

I've got buddies with planes also, and my youngest son flies.

As for removing the collars, I understand. My old dog was apprehended by a buddy, and when he showed up and confiscated my dog, the collar with my info was no longer on him. These would-be dog thievin ra-tards aren't savvy enough to know that I know where thier property on the mountain is, and I don't give a flip about thier property rights when they have my dogs!!!

When I got up to the top of the saddle where the dogs left out of, we were almost as high as we could get without being completely on top. I have no doubt that I could have gotten a signal if the signal would still work a couple of canyons over, even from the bottom of a canyon if that's where the dogs were.

I know that things in this world are changing. This is the first time that I have ever had a problem with POS dog thieves, but that's why I'm asking for info from you guys with experience in these matters.

Thanks again for the replies.