With the start of fall, deer hunting season is right around the corner, and local hunters who have previously run into trouble tracking their prize after a well-placed shot can hope to have a better season thanks to some canine assistance.

Craig and Pam Campo run Sasha’s Whitetail Deer Recovery, a free service providing hunters in the area with the nose and tracking skills of the couple’s Bavarian mountain hound named Sasha.

Craig spoke with the Republic-Times to discuss the particulars of the service.

He explained that the concept came given his love of whitetail deer hunting – though this passion has only gotten harder for him to keep active in as he’s gotten older.

“I’ve been an avid bow hunter for 35 years,” Craig said. “I was getting older. Not really safe for me to be climbing trees anymore like I used to… I love whitetail deer, and I wanted to stay in the game, so I got interested in the deer tracking aspect of it.”

Thus began the Campos’ extensive research into the art of deer tracking, which culminated in the purchase of 7-week-old puppy Sasha in December 2020.

Since then, the Campos have offered their services for three hunting seasons, helping a number of locals track down prized bucks as well as smaller deer.

What was originally just meant to be a small hobby to help out friends and family has boomed into something of an obsession, according to Craig.

Craig said he and Pam don’t charge for their services. While tips are accepted to help take care of the cost of gas, they just like to get out there and join in the whitetail hunting at any opportunity.

“We’re not a business by any means,” Craig said. “We don’t charge. It’s a hobby. Like I said, I just love being involved in anything whitetail deer.”

Craig offered some insight into how the tracking process works as well as what Sasha’s training looked like.

Sasha is built for tracking given her breed. As Craig said, Bavarian mountain hounds are especially suited to tracking older trails, and they also have a naturally high prey drive.

“They’re known for their cold-nose tracking,” Craig said. “They can take a track that has no blood, just scent, three, four days old and been rained on, what have you, and they can still track that wounded animal. They’re a specialty dog.”

While many might believe Sasha’s tracking revolves around following the blood of a deer, Craig said it’s actually all about a particular pheromone deer release from their hooves while stressed, chiefly when they’ve just suffered a fatal wound.

Sasha’s training revolved around getting her focused on tracking that particular pheromone. Craig said this required getting specialty boots that are able to hold deer hooves in the sole.

He recalled how, during football season, he would go out to the park and wander around the football field, waiting until a game or practice had taken place and the field had seen plenty of activity before bringing Sasha out to see how she followed his original trail.

Per Craig, Sasha took to tracking exceptionally well, and she is able to hone in on trails that are 40-50 hours old with ease.

While the training was undoubtedly important, he did note that the breeder he and Pam received Sasha from was rather up front about how quickly the skill would come to her.

“I’ll never forget, the breeder told me, ‘You just hang on to the end of that rope, and that dog’ll train you,’ and for the most part I think that was partly true,” Craig said.

For the past three seasons that the Campos and Sasha have been doing their thing, they’ve had some positive experiences.

Craig recalled working with a number of hunters over the past few years who were quite surprised and pleased with the dog’s abilities.

He was particularly happy as he spoke about getting to help at least two young hunters with their first big prize.

“One of our biggest joys when we do this is tracking for kids,” Craig said. “That’s been my dream since the first track we ever went on was to find a kid’s first deer.”

He also pointed to a number of hunters he has had the pleasure of working with on several occasions.

Dan and Megan Menke are two such hunters who each spoke quite highly of Sasha’s work.

Craig himself had tremendous words of praise for Megan as she owns and operates M&M Taxidermy in Waterloo and has been instrumental in Sasha’s training, supplying deer hooves and pelts to keep her tracking skills sharp.

Megan recalled how she first heard about the Campos getting a tracking dog and started sharing supplies with them, also directing her hunter clients toward their services.

She noted how Sasha helps fill a major niche in the area, as many other tracking services are located at least an hour away.

Megan also emphasized just how impressive it is watching Sasha do her work, as the hound as helped her score at least a couple of deer that would have been quite difficult to find otherwise.

“Watching her, it is awesome,” Megan said. “We’ve looked for a few deer of mine, and the one for sure we would have never found without her, 100 percent.”

Dan voiced similar praise for Sasha, saying he feels confident in her ability given the number of times she’s helped as well as the obvious confidence Craig has in her.

“He knows from just handling her all the time, but you can tell once she’s locked on and when she’s going in the right direction and actually has the scent, you just know it,” Dan said.

Kevin Matzenbacher is another local hunter who has made use of the recovery service the past two hunting seasons.

He similarly commended Sasha for her nose, being able to sniff out deer with seemingly nothing to go off of.

“That dog is a miracle worker,” Matzenbacher said. “Two years ago, she found the smallest deer I ever shot, and then last year I called Craig, and that dog found the biggest deer I ever shot… The dog is so smart. You have to see her work to believe it.”

Robert Schultheis is a neighbor of the Campos and has also accompanied them on a number of their excursions.

He noted how distinct Sasha looks while she tracks, with her head down and tail up, practically dragging Craig along behind her.

Schultheis also expressed great confidence in Sasha’s abilities.

“Sasha will find it,” Schultheis said. “She hasn’t let me down yet. Trust the dog. Let her do her job.”

While the Campos and Sasha have helped many hunters track down their deer, Craig pointed out that their success rate currently stands around 40 percent, which is in line with the 40-45 percent success rate he’s heard other trackers tend to stick with.

While there is an element of luck in each tracking attempt – the quality of the shot is also a major factor – Craig offered two pieces of advice for hunters looking to reach out for assistance.

Waiting can be vital for a hunter as deer can take an exceptionally long time to actually fall. He noted that deer can be like tanks during their November rut in particular.

He also advised hunters to simply step away rather than chase their recent shot.

Not only could they chase off a deer that, though wounded, could still have the strength to run miles away, they could also wind up spoiling the trail as they get the scent on their shoes – or the shoes of anyone they’ve called out to help – and leave Sasha following countless trails that don’t actually lead to the deer.

“When in doubt, back out, and give the deer a sufficient amount of time to expire,” Craig said.

Those interested in Sasha’s Whitetail Deer Recovery’s services can call 618-612-6179 to let the Campos know about a recent shot, regardless of the deer’s size.