Alaska Game Search is an association of handler and dog teams with the ability to track blood trails and assist in the recovery of “shot-lost” game after it has been wounded or injured and has not been located.

Alaska Game Search services are requested by game management officials or law enforcement officers, but are available to any hunter at no cost when the need arises.

Contribute to the conservation of game

Increase public awareness of the benefits of blood tracking

Certify the demonstrated ability of dog/handler teams

Conduct testing, evaluation and demonstrations of blood tracking

Provide training opportunities for dog/handler teams

Alaska Game Search is an association of handler and dog teams with the ability to track blood trails and assist in the recovery of “shot-lost” game after it has been wounded or injured and has not been located. It is envisioned that Alaska Game Search services will be requested by game management officials when hunters report “shot-lost” game.

There are some situations when a team might be called directly by a hunter, but the information will be referred to either a law enforcement official or a game management official for situation management.

Our dogs are trained on moose and bear blood, but have the ability to track any furred animal that has been wounded or injured, even slightly. Animals that have been shot (rifle, muzzleloader, arrow, etc.) or hit with a vehicle are potentially trackable. The dogs can follow a blood trail that is several days old, in wind, rain or light snow, regardless of temperature.

We do not track live, uninjured animals. Our dogs are specifically trained to ignore the scent of healthy animals. We also do not track humans.

The success rate for blood tracking depends upon the actual extent of the injury to the animal, the animal's ability to recover from the injury and keep moving, the complexity of the terrain and cover, and other factors.

Members of Alaska Game Search, a local versatile hunting dog association, maintain teams of trained blood tracking dogs and handlers in the Anchorage/Mat-Su area that may be used for locating wounded game animals.

This service is available at any time, day or night, and is offered at no cost.  The handlers are volunteers. We are not acting as employees of federal wildlife agencies, the State of Alaska, or the Department of Defense and have no enforcement authority whatsoever.

These services are provided in accordance with the State of Alaska Game Regulation which permits the use of a leashed tracking dog for blood tracking, and the use of a light at night while tracking.

These dog/handler teams are certified by Alaska Game Search at various Demonstrated Ability Levels using a field testing and judging system unique to blood tracking in the Alaska environment.

The objectives of this organization are to:

• Contribute to wildlife conservation by assisting in the harvest of legally hunted animals
• Reduce the suffering of wounded animals
• Assist hunters in the recovery of game for their use when it has been taken legally, thus reducing Alaska’s “shot-lost” rate.

If you, as a hunter, believe you have wounded an animal and you are unable to locate that animal, with or without a search, the services of blood tracking dog/handler teams are available to you.

Your request for these services should be made through a Game Management Official or law enforcement officer. Only in rare cases will a blood tracking handler accept a direct request for tracking services.