Miller Deer Tracking.

Miller Deer Tracking. Where out of Genessee Co. Michigan. 810-240-4891
(2)

Great job! Amazing weekend. Great race
06/08/2026

Great job! Amazing weekend. Great race

Public land turkey ✔️Crappie ✔️Morels✔️Florida vacation ✔️Bull gills✔️NOW ITS TIME TO START WORKING ON THE NOSE SO WE CA...
05/31/2026

Public land turkey ✔️
Crappie ✔️
Morels✔️
Florida vacation ✔️
Bull gills✔️
NOW ITS TIME TO START WORKING ON THE NOSE SO WE CAN CONTINUE TO BE THE TEAM YOU TRUST👊🏻
Pure Michigan.
William Buckingham, Whitetail Properties Land Specialist
Land-O-Lakes Bowmen
Oddside Optics
Vic Bond Sales
Kalkal

Very blessed to kill this tom on state ground this morning in Livingston co. Share your successful pictures in the comme...
04/22/2026

Very blessed to kill this tom on state ground this morning in Livingston co.
Share your successful pictures in the comments.
Last year I killed on state ground on 4-21 and again on 4/22.
For me chasing turkeys on public land is the only way I’d hunt them.

03/29/2026

This one is hard to believe…

I got a call yesterday from a client we helped back on 11/23. The buck was shot with a .450. It mule kicked, but there was no blood at all.

We put Silo on the track about 24 hours later. No confirmed blood, but he worked it with confidence. At one point, he jumped a deer and took off on a long race. I called him back before he crossed a road. When he came back to me, he turned and picked the track right back up like nothing happened. That told me everything I needed to know — we were on the right deer.

After working it, I told Roger I wasn’t going to continue pushing a deer that didn’t appear to be fatally hit. We searched thoroughly, and Silo kept wanting to go back to that original line, but there just wasn’t enough to justify continuing.

That buck has been MIA ever since…

Until two days ago.

Roger laid eyes on him again — alive — with a hole in his side exactly where he was aiming. And if that isn’t wild enough… the buck is still carrying his antlers.

Unreal.

This brings a lot of peace of mind to both of us. Just because a deer isn’t recovered right away doesn’t always mean it’s laying dead somewhere.

Deer are unbelievably tough animals.

Was the Sypris era the best my team will ever be?Truth is… I was pretty clueless as a handler back then. I didn’t guide ...
03/27/2026

Was the Sypris era the best my team will ever be?

Truth is… I was pretty clueless as a handler back then. I didn’t guide her—she guided me. I just followed. She had her flaws, just like I have mine, but she was special… a once-in-a-lifetime dog for me.

Sargent? He was a disaster for four years. No sugarcoating it. It wasn’t until Sypris passed that I was forced to buckle down and really learn. Looking back now, if you asked me who my best overall dog was—I’d say Sargent. He earned every gray hair on my head, but he also made me a better handler.

Social media can paint a picture that isn’t always reality. I’ve always tried to be an open book and keep things honest—good or bad.

If you asked me what my next dog would be, I’d tell you: probably a breed I’ve never owned. Why? Because I love learning. I love problem solving. Every dog teaches you a different language.

Silo… he’s got the tools to surpass both Sypris and Sargent. My only concern is whether he has that elite-level IQ. Time will tell.

Running multiple dogs is tough. It slows development, and sometimes you lean on the veteran when the young dog might be the one that needs the opportunity. That’s part of the game most people don’t see.

And that’s why I’m saying this—
The team that shows up today might not be the same as last time. It might be better… or it might still be developing.

Choose a handler you trust. Someone you connect with. Someone willing to put in the time to recover your deer.

As trackers, we can’t live off the past. Reputation might get the phone to ring, but it shouldn’t be the only reason you call.

Sarg is easing into retirement—he’s earned that spot on the couch. Silo is about to take on the heaviest workload of his life. I’ll still work Sarg when I can—his back is improving, and I’m hopeful he’s got some part-time work left in him.

As for me… Miller Deer Tracking is slowing down.

The days of sleeping in my car and chasing tracks across state lines are over. The days of trying to take every call are behind me. I’ve got nothing to prove.

2026 is about showing up rested, focused, and giving every track everything we’ve got.

I’m not chasing numbers anymore.

I’m chasing 100% customer satisfaction.
Fact is we can’t find every deer!!
Fact is we can’t make everyone happy!!
Fact is if you made a perfect shot we never get to meet and you don’t get a cool picture with my dogs. Sometimes our mistakes turns into a lifelong friendship that you will never forget. 🤙🏻

PART 3: continues…. Finally closure. “No Guarantees – The Reality of using a Tracking dog”By the time we circle back to ...
03/22/2026

PART 3: continues…. Finally closure.
“No Guarantees – The Reality of using a Tracking dog”

By the time we circle back to Buck #2…

Silo is done.

Physically. Mentally. Just running around with no focus.

So I try one last move—take him downwind of the thicket, hoping he’ll air scent the buck. Strong wind hitting us in the face he shows no interest all. I turn my headlamp on the highest setting in hopes I find some evidence.

Nothing.

So I circle back to the beer can and slow down and start tracking by eye.

Silo sticks with me… and then I hear it.

That sound.

His nose clears.

He found something.

Silo finds a pile of coagulated blood indicating the buck doubled back
and is heading back north NE of the blind.

Four of us track it as far as we could and lost blood heading into the clear cut…

That was it nothing more my team can do.

Dog was done. I was mentally done.

⸻

Fast forward to now…

The neighbor finds the buck just off the property line. NW of the blind approximately 200 yards from the blind.

Right where we were working for Buck #3

Based on everything I saw—I believe that deer was still alive when we were tracking him. Likely died later from infection or starvation.

Coyotes got to him after death, not before. The visible red meat on the ribs indicates death sometime during the winter months.

Here’s the truth about tracking:

There are no guarantees.

Dogs are not always the hero.

That night had everything working against us—wind, multiple deer, not a season pro dog,however a dog that did give everything he had.

Could a top-tier, elite dog have changed the outcome?

Maybe!!!

But maybe not! Live deer are not always located.

And here’s something most people don’t think about…

Sometimes when you push a deer, you lose it forever.

And sometimes… not finding it right away keeps it close enough that it’s eventually recovered.

That’s the reality.

Takeaways:
• Avoid shoulder shots with straight-wall cartridges
• Use high-quality ammo
• Respect the process—this isn’t easy work

From my side?

I’ll train harder in the offseason.

Because I may never see a day like that again…

But we will be better prepared if I do.

End of the day we all went through this together and we all will learn from this. Maybe they will never choose Miller deer tracking again and that’s okay.
A hunter needs to go with whoever they feel is best for them. Even the best teams will never be 100%.
Each track silo goes on is one track closer to becoming that elite dog and because last year he may have failed you doesn’t mean the next time he can’t be your savior.

Please check out my sponsor
👉William Buckingham, Whitetail Properties Land Specialist

Not sponsored by SCCG however they promote MDT and they make the best made in America protection gear for working dogs.
👇👇👇👇👇👇👇
Southern Cross Cut Gear

If you want to partner up send me a DM
All proceeds will cover tracking rates for those in need.

PART 2/3 2 bucks from the same blind. Party in the blind!! After that first track this morning , Silo and I go 2-for-2 o...
03/22/2026

PART 2/3
2 bucks from the same blind. Party in the blind!!

After that first track this morning , Silo and I go 2-for-2 on the next track.
Dad and Mom sitting together with their entire family. The oldest son takes a shot with a 44 mag rifle, shortly after dads hitlist buck shows up and he uses the same gun and takes a 80 yard shot just before the buck exits the narrow food plot. They searched briefly and no blood to follow they quickly called to see if my team was available. Thankfully we were!!

No blood trails however both deer where hit great and truly didn’t travel very far. No blood just solid work by silo. As it was easy for silo it wasn’t easy trying to search without blood. So close yet so far away. High fives and pictures were taken 🤙🏻


Then I get a message:

“My wife just shot the #1 hit-list buck on our farm.”

I knew right away this was a big one.

I try calling other trackers that I felt had a more proven team! Truth is, there are better dogs than mine for certain situations and all clients best interests come first.

But it’s opening day.

Everyone is booked.

So I tell him the truth Sarg is out, and all I’ve got is Silo… my high-energy tornado.

He says, “Let’s do it.” They also couldn’t find any local trackers.

🔎Three Bucks, One Blind – Chaos Unfolds

I show up, and here’s the situation:

Three deer. Same blind.
• Buck #2 – Wife’s hit-list buck
• Buck #3 – Older son’s buck (confirmed broken leg on camera)
• Buck #4 – Younger son’s buck (maybe hit, maybe not)

Two shot down the same lane. One off to the west in a clear cut.

Wind is still ripping so scent conditions continue to decline.

High deer density farm that can be overestimating for Silo. Something we have to continue to work through.

We start with Buck #2.

Silo takes it about 80 yards to last blood—marked with a beer can. It’s fairly thick in this thick. When they were tracking they thought they heard gurgling… however never heard the deer run off.

Silo pushes in deeper and starts baying.

We move in, thinking we’ve got him.

Nope.

He’s trying to kill a possum.

Reset! Decided to go after the broke leg.

⸻

On to Buck #3.

I try to speed things up by taking silo to the trail cam but Silo backtracks to the shot site. The positive was I could tell this deer is severely injured.
I turn him around and get him moving the right way.

This deer is hit hard.

We get back to the camera—blood everywhere. The deer was stumbling bad.

Silo works it out, jumps him, short chase, and bays him up.

The son makes a perfect finishing shot.

Finally—a recovery.

⸻

Now we go after Buck #4.

Open ground. Heavy wind.

I cast Silo downwind—he gets interested, nose up. I like it.

We find blood…

But it’s from the wife’s first buck.

More confusion on my end. I was told she killed a deer here earlier and already removed the deer from the woods.

We move north based on what the son saw.

Nothing.

I push Silo deep into the woods.

Still nothing.

At this point, we circle back for Buck #2 because I know Silo is exerting a ton of energy and mentally draining

Silo is running on empty.

And the night is catching up to us.

PART 1/3 Opening Day – When Things Start Going SidewaysNovember 15th, 2025.Opening day, first call—broken leg in a stand...
03/21/2026

PART 1/3
Opening Day – When Things Start Going Sideways

November 15th, 2025.

Opening day, first call—broken leg in a standing cornfield. Tight property lines, no permission to continue. If we were going to bay this deer, it has to happen very quickly.

I brought Sargent.

Sarg is 9 years old now with back problems. This season, his job has been simple—find the dead ones and stay healthy. No more bay work unless absolutely necessary.

But this one called for him.

The wind was ripping through the corn—terrible scenting conditions. The hunter tells me he didn’t track far. Sarg gets us to last blood quick, and I’m finding bone fragments along the way.

Not good.

Sarg pushes past last blood… but I spot something he missed—blood cutting down a row.

I pause, waiting for him to correct himself.

He doesn’t.

Next thing I know, he jumps a deer—no bark. That’s not like him. I stop him, and instead of coming back to me, he heads straight for the truck.

Limping.

Sarg was done.

Now it’s time for Silo.

Young, high drive, and absolutely wild. I keep him on a leash because with these property lines, he’ll be gone in seconds.

We hit the same spot—and Silo misses the turn too.

Then I see it… boot tracks.

The hunter had walked past last blood, unknowingly spreading it with his boots. Both dogs followed that instead of the deer.

That’s where experience matters.

I reset Silo. Second approach—he nails it.

We reach the edge of the cornfield. Wind howling, leaves blowing everywhere. The buck had looped back and was bedded.

Silo jumps him.

400-yard race. Straight north, through a yard, across a road.

I shut it down.

No permission… and honestly, not a lethal hit.

That was the first track of the day.

Buckle up it’s going to be a rollercoaster of emotions type of day.

As a tracker, this is never the message you want to get.I’ve always believed in keeping things honest and transparent ab...
03/20/2026

As a tracker, this is never the message you want to get.

I’ve always believed in keeping things honest and transparent about what our team does because not every story ends with a recovery we can celebrate.

This buck was found today by a neighboring landowner. He was originally shot late morning to mid-day on November 15th. We put in the effort at the time, but just couldn’t get it done.

The silver lining my client finally has closure, and that matters.

If anyone is interested, I’m willing to share the full story of our tracking efforts and what we ran into along the way. There’s always something to learn from every track.

Address

Linden, MI
48451

Telephone

+18102404891

Website

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