Geralds Deer Recovery Service

08/20/2026

A little Rip update. He sure growing like a w**d and filling out. House breaking is going pretty well for an 11 week on bloodhound pup. He has learned to sit and let us know he needs a drink because we put his water bowl up so he doesn’t gorge himself on water. Bloodhounds are known to drink till the a so full they will vomit. He eats like a horse!! Walking on a leash well for our nightly walks. You can definitely tell he’s growing because he takes his naps very seriously 😂. He knows his name well but in true bloodhound fashion doesn’t always respond to it! Doing excellent with his nose which is pretty good at getting him in trouble as well.

08/13/2026

Be sure to check the map out before season as it’s coming quickly. We are all prepping for a great season while getting dogs tuned up and getting new pups started. I encourage everyone to reach out to their local trackers before season to maybe have some questions of “what next” in the event our services are needed. Remember WHAIT TIMES are critical. Good luck to everyone this year!

🦌🐾 THE MAP IS HERE. KNOW WHO TO CALL.

The official 2026–2027 Illinois Deer Tracker’s Network map is ready.

These aren’t just names on a map.
They’re vetted. Certified. Proven. Trusted.

Trackers spread across Illinois, working together as one network to give hunters the best chance of recovering the deer they worked so hard for.

📍 SAVE THE MAP. SHARE THE MAP.
Because you never know when you’re going to need the nose that can finish the job.

Illinois Deer Trackers Network
🦌 One network. One mission. Recover more deer. 🐾

www.ildeertrackersnetwork.com

08/12/2026

Did a short little track with Rip this evening as the sun was going down. First track we have been able to do since it’s been so hot plus just getting him used to everything at the house. Article was a 6” strip of hide and a deer leg that had only been out of the freezer 15-20 minutes. No blood involved in this line. I was just seeing how he would handle it to give us a baseline to build on. Needles to say a was throughly impressed with what I saw!! This dudes got a BRIGHT future ahead of him!

08/10/2026

These are some amazing creatures!!

08/06/2026

Most forgiving broadhead on the market. Don’t get me wrong I like a fixed blade but when things go bad you want a big expandable.

08/01/2026

The new generation has officially made his entrance. Working on bonding and getting used to the other dogs at the house. Rip is settling in nice and is currently passed out on my lap on the couch.

07/17/2026

Can’t find them all and a lot of times it’s because they aren’t dead.

07/13/2026

So as everyone saw the pic of the new pup Rip. I’d like to give yall a little back ground that has transpired over the last 18 years to get where we are today.

I got my very first bloodhound Magic in 2008 to start in SAR mantrailing work. She was definitely cut out for the job and one of those dogs that you’ll never replace. She was certified through AWDA as a level 1 tracker (highest level) with many deployments in her career. She was all old school tracking lines originating back to prison tracking dogs out of the south. She was extremely fun to learn with and is the dog that made me the handler I am today. I always knew when I screwed things up with her because she would just look back and give me the “really” look and march straight back to the line. I bred her only 1 time to keep a pup for my next tracking dog as I didn’t want to have her laid up with pups all the time while being my search dog.

The pup I kept back from Magics litter was also a red Male named Merlin. He was also used in SAR work. He was a quick all drive no quit type of tracking dog with the brains to go with it. When we would get to a trouble area he would slow way down and pick up every puzzle piece and put them all together to figure the track out. He was AWDA certified level 2. I had purchased a Liver and Tan female Fantasia out of Indiana as an 8 week old pup. Who I also certified to AWDA level 2 in SAR. I waited a few years to breed as I had 3 certified tracking dogs and it was a lot of work. Finally we timed everything right and had a litter out of Merlin and Fantasia. I had originally had a pup picked out then that plan got changed. We had a pup at 4 days old who got a really back cut on his back from momma picking him up and her teeth cutting a big gash in his back. Kelley rushed the pup to the vet for care where they got him all STITCHED 😉 up. I figured I’d keep this pup since he wasn’t “perfect”. I had sold a female out of this litter to a dear elderly friend of ours Bob and tragically she was hit by a car. He asked if I still had any pups and I told him I had the male with the big scar on him and he asked if he could get him so he came and picked him up. This is where Stitch got his name. Shortly after that the Bob became sick with cancer. When he went to the hospital the family asked if I would keep Stitch while he was sick, which I was more than willing. After he was out of the hospital Stitch went back home 🥹. Another couple months went by cancer reared its ugly head again sending Bob back into the hospital. After this though his health was to bad for Stitch to go back home. Bob would stop by almost every day to see him until his last days. While he was sick know Stitch wouldn’t be coming back he told me to start tracking deer with him in case his grandsons ever needed help find a deer. So that’s where we became the deer tracking journey not having a clue what it would turn into. At 9 months old only ever seeing a real dead deer one time Stitch made his first recovery for a young man from town who was hunting close to our house!! Right then I knew we were on to something. Fast forward nearly 10 years, I was a little behind on getting a new pup going and Stitch was getting older. We teamed up with Best Effort Recovery and Bloodhounds to try and get a pup out of Stitch and Pixie after that season as Stitch was going to be 10 that summer. We had high hopes but it just wasn’t in gods plan for us. We were going to try again in the fall but god had other plans again as we missed Pixies cycle. So this spring we were going to make on last ditch effort for pups. After many prayers and vet trips making sure everything was good to go we let them have a shot again. This time SUCCESS!! Pixie dropped a beautiful little!!

I have included pics of Stitches grandma,mom and dad. Along with Stitch

07/11/2026

I would like to introduce the next generation for Geralds Deer Recovery Service to every one. Geralds’ Deer Trackin Stitchs’ Raging Red Ripper AKA “Rip”. This little fellow has been a long time in the making. Stitch teamed up with Pixie from Best Effort Recovery and Bloodhounds for this wonderful litter. We still have a few weeks before he comes home with us yet, but when he does we will start training. He will be riding along this year during season. If anyone close to us shots one that’s a known kill we would greatly appreciate every chance we can to get him on deer.