Page 12 - NOV2025

Page 12
Community
By Jeff Beach
One of the great privileges we have in the Granite State is to hunt and fish on public property, which is plentiful in our State. And it demands a necessity of responsibility to identify our target, know the current laws, respect the land, and know that our shot will hit the vital area of the target where we aim. If we, in the hunting community, start to get lax in these areas, more of this public land will start to close up as posted land. Many other states are private land with per- mission only or leased lots and acreage.
Recently, we had some fam- ily members up from another state for the early bear hunting season. Bait buckets and stands were set up in preparation, with
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November 2025
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trails cleared for quiet access. Seasoned hunters they were, and certainly aware of the re- sponsibilities as a hunter. This edition will speak more to us as hunters, being good ambassa- dors for the sport, than to the results of the hunt.
During one of the late af- ternoon hunts, a good-sized bear came into the bait, and the hunter was able to aim and touch off what seemed to be a good shot. The bear ran off. He called one of the other hunt- ers to help search and track the bear. For four hours, they tracked the blood trail, other game tracking signs, and possi- ble side paths the bear may have taken. Retiring for the night, they planned for a daylight search in the morning, know- ing the bear would be found.
But after spending a good part of the morning tracking, they came up empty. Now making a decision to call in a handler with a wildlife tracking dog.
In the State of New Hamp- shire, there are a number of folks who train dogs for tracking and recovery of lost wounded animals during the hunting season. While I stress a first priority that we should get our guns and arrows on a target before the season to fi- nesse the shot placement in a vital area, occasionally the shot misses the mark. The second priority is to give full effort to find the wounded quarry ethi- cally. And after the hunter does his due diligence, he would be wise to call on a blood track- ing dog team to complete the effort if possible. The tracking
and wildlife recovery handler brought his dog to the site and conversed with the hunter on the hunting scenario that led to a demand for him. They are required to fill out a track- ing waiver and provide infor- mation on the hunter and the game that was lost. Then sub- mit a post tracking report to a local Conservation Officer. These dogs are trained to sniff out blood trails and the scents of the big game animal that was left at the shot site. Many types of hound dog breeds are trained and used for this skill. Plott hounds, Blue Tick, and Walker hounds are notable breeds with many cross-breeds to genetically enhance vari- ous skills. The trackers do not charge for their services in NH. However, the hunter should be
respectful of the tracker's time and effort and offer a tip or some type of gratuity worked out beforehand.
The blood trail of a lost animal brings to mind what our savior has done for us. By grace, which is a free gift, Jesus has left a blood trail for us to bring us back to a right rela- tionship with a Holy God. In the Old Testament of the Bible God’s requirement to remove transgressions from His chosen people was to offer an animal blood sacrifice to atone for sin. Through centuries of dis- obedience, consequences, and captivity by enemies, God's ultimate plan was ready to be launched. A New Testament. A rescue mission. To send his son Jesus to us as a man and teach us the way back to God, then to suffer and shed his blood for us. In Chapter 3 of the book of Romans gives us a clear version of the blood trail of Jesus to grant our salvation as a path to our recovery. It states that God presented Christ as a sacrifice for our sins, for those who have faith, through the shedding of his blood. This demonstrates His righteousness that is now imparted to us.
The Granite State hunter education classes build on a foundation of firearm and bow safety with a high empha- sis on ethics. We are to be our own referee in the woods, wa- ters and fields that we hunt in. Using a recovery handler with a wildlife dog tracker should be used as a last resort to eth- ically recover your wounded game animal. The takeaway for the hunting community is to prepare for the hunting sea- son using your chosen hunting methods, to ethically carry our- selves in the public eye and to follow through diligently after our shot to recover the game animal. It’s a great practice for all of us to keep our public lands open to all.
Be safe in the woods.
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