Diane;
As you know, my shed hunting season was winding down in 2014 when Scout arrived. After the break-in phase of getting him used to me as his master, we got to train a lot around the house but didn’t get to go on a real shed hunt until last weekend ( almost a year later ). My kids and I were really excited to go after seeing so many great bucks post season.
After pulling into our favorite spot, Scout had his nose to the ground and did not miss a beat after hearing my “SEARCH” command. He found a small five point right of and brought it to me. Not long afterwards, he saw the big drop tine about 70 yards away in the food plot and had it back to me in seconds! In all that afternoon, we found 21 sheds and Scout located and retrieved 16 perfectly! He uses his eyes a lot more in the open, but really uses his nose in cover, woods, and in a good breeze. I’ve seem him get a whiff of a shed 75 yards downwind and go straight to it in thick cover! He is just amazing. I’m going to work him pretty hard this year as long as we can stay after it! Just wanted to let you know how he was doing and thank you again for the best antler dogs out there!
Sincerely,
Lance H Nichols
Update on SCOUT (November 2016)
Hi Diane!
I just wanted to update you on Scout since he’s beginning to mature. I have begun cross training him to retrieve while still practicing his antler searching. He is simply amazing. He has completely bonded to me now and everyone notices that he is a total “pleaser” for me. He absolutely loves to retrieve, but has never waivered on the sheds either. He actually hunts harder for sheds because it seems he knows something must be there if I told him to search. His skills are incredible. One day, he found a whitetail shed in a foot of leaves..it was two years old! He went back after I walked off, and I thought he was just hung up on the scent of the first one..he brought me the matching shed! He has never failed me once on a shed or a retrieve. I’ve sent him back as many as three times, but he has never given up. He has been worth every penny I paid for him for his training and bloodline. He is the smartest dog I’ve ever seen.
Lance Nichols
