Southern Fire Kennels

10/25/2026

10/24/2026

ANOTHER BIG BUCK RECOVERED BY JETT! 🦌🐕💪

Had a hunter call me the other morning saying he had shot his biggest buck ever with his bow the evening before, but he knew the shot was back.

I got to asking him some questions like I always do. He said the buck was quartering away pretty good, and he thought the arrow hit around the middle of the body and possibly drove into the offside shoulder. And that’s exactly what we were hoping for!

He was shooting a G5 Mega Meat broadhead and said when the buck took off, about half of the arrow was still sticking out of him. He looked for about an hour that night but couldn’t find a single drop of blood!

He told me he wouldn’t get off work until around 12 the next day, so we came up with a plan, and I met him around 1:30 that afternoon. We were going to be around 20 HOURS POST SHOT!

We walked into the hit site, and I got Jett harnessed up and ready to work. At first, Jett wasn’t really coming up with a line, so I told the hunter, let’s take him back to the hit site and see what he comes up with.

Well, the second time was a different story! Jett picked up a line and started working it good!

We worked through a section of woods, came out onto a pond dam, crossed the dam, and headed out into a BIG wide-open field.

At this point, I still hadn’t seen a single drop of blood!

We got about halfway across that field, and I happened to look down and spotted a little bit of dried blood on the grass! That was the first blood we had seen the entire track!

And the way Jett was working that line, I was pretty confident he was on that buck!

We were probably a good 400 yards or so from the hit site by now.

I looked up, and the wind was blowing straight toward us. I noticed about five buzzards flying pretty low over the next section of woods. Now that’s always something I like to see on a track like this!

I told the hunter, “I bet your buck is going to be in that next section of woods!”

We made it to the woods, and Jett kept working that line all the way through until we came out onto a power line.

At this point, I was really thinking we were getting close!

Jett worked about 80 yards down that tall power line and then made a hook up the power line.

I looked up, and THERE HE WAS!! 🦌🔥

THE HUNTER’S BIGGEST BUCK WAS DOWN!!

We walked up to the buck, turned him over, and the arrow was STILL lodged in him!

After looking everything over, the shot was actually farther back than the hunter originally thought. The arrow had entered high in the hindquarter, appeared to have hit an artery, and possibly caught some guts as well.

That buck had traveled a LONG ways! We figured he went close to 800 YARDS from the hit site!

No blood at the hit site, hardly any blood the entire track, and nearly 800 yards of traveling, but that didn’t stop Jett!

THAT’S WHY WE TRUST THE NOSE! 🐕💪

Jett stayed on that buck’s line and got the job done!

This is another great example of why you shouldn’t give up on a deer just because you can’t find blood. These dogs don’t need blood to track a wounded deer!

A huge congratulations to the hunter on recovering his biggest buck ever! I know he was excited to put his hands on this one!

Thank you for giving us the call and trusting Jett and me to help bring your buck home! We sure appreciate it!

WHEN IN DOUBT, BACK OUT AND GIVE US A CALL!

LOW TO HIGH DROPTINE RECOVERY 🦌🐕

THE NOSE KNOWS — ALWAYS TRUST THE NOSE!

📞 Zack Porterfield — 919-949-1589

10/19/2026

Jett and Zack Porterfield on fire already this season

When in doubt, BACK OUT! Another buck recovered by Jett! 🦌🐾

I got a call the other night from a hunter who said he had shot a buck and knew his shot was high and back. He knew he had made a bad shot, so instead of pushing the deer, he made the decision to back out and give him time.

And that’s exactly what I like to hear! When you know you’ve made a questionable shot, one of the worst things you can do is keep pushing that deer. This hunter did everything right from the start!

He wanted me to come out the next morning, so I arrived around 8 AM. We walked into the hit site, and I put Jett in his down/stay position to get him started. It didn’t take him long at all to pick up the line!

I’ve worked behind Jett enough now that I can usually read him pretty quickly by the way he’s working a track. His body language, how hard he’s pulling, and how confidently he’s taking the line can tell me a lot about what we might have waiting at the end of it.

And on this one, I had a pretty good feeling we were going to find a dead deer!

Jett took the line through an oak bottom before hooking a hard right, pulling hard and working with confidence. We crossed a path into another section of oak ridge, and about 80 yards farther up, I looked ahead and saw that white belly!

There he was! Another buck recovered!

The deer had traveled around 250 yards total from the shot.

After looking the deer over, everything started making sense. The buck had been quartering away pretty hard when the hunter shot him at just 10 yards. Knowing that, I was hoping the arrow had entered back and angled forward into the liver and lungs.

And that’s exactly what happened! That buck was running dead from the shot, but there was no way to know that for certain the night before.

That’s the thing about these back shots. You just never know exactly what you’ve hit until you recover the deer. Some are lethal, and some aren’t. That’s why giving them time is so important!

The meat was perfectly fine, too, because we had cold temperatures that night.

I tell hunters all the time, TIME IS KEY! If you’ve made a questionable shot, don’t let the excitement get the best of you. Back out and give that deer time. If the shot was lethal, that deer will still be there in the morning. There’s no reason to risk jumping a wounded deer and turning a recoverable buck into a much harder track.

When in doubt, back out!

Big congratulations to the hunter on a beautiful buck, and thank you for doing everything right and trusting the process!

Another great job by Jett! 🐾🦌

Low to High Droptine Recovery

The nose knows — always trust the nose!

10/15/2026

Tracking has been very slow for us in Maryland and Delaware, so we ventured up to Pennsylvania for the day. Luna's Deer Tracking came in clutch getting us loaded up with tracks for the day. Millie went first and recovered a great PA buck. Unfortunately Hank wasn't able to recover his buck. I don't believe that deer was fatally wounded.

09/27/2026

09/25/2026

🦌 YOUNG MAN’S FIRST DEER EVER! 🦌

Got a call from a hunter’s father last night. His son had shot a very nice buck with a crossbow yesterday evening, and when the shot hit, the buck took off hard.

I started asking the important questions—How was the deer standing? Was it a complete pass-through? What did the arrow look like?

He told me the arrow was covered in blood and had gut matter on it. I immediately told him, “Do not track that deer tonight. Give him time.”

Time is absolutely critical on a gut/liver hit. I see it all the time—hunters get anxious, go in too early, bump the deer out of its first bed, and turn what could have been a short recovery into a very long track.

These guys did it exactly right. They backed out, waited overnight, and didn’t go back in until Jett and I arrived this morning.

I got Jett harnessed up, put him in his sit/stay, and when I released him, he took the line with ease. We hadn’t gone far when I looked up and saw a white belly. Jett was heading straight to him!

The buck didn’t even make it 100 yards! 🦌🐾

This is a perfect example of why giving a questionable hit plenty of time can make all the difference. I really appreciate this father and son for being patient and doing everything they could to make this recovery successful.

And most importantly—congratulations, young man, on an awesome buck and your FIRST DEER EVER! That’s one you’ll never forget! 👏🦌

We’ve also been on several live-deer calls this week, and we’re already getting pictures of some of those bucks back on the hunters’ cameras. That’s always great to see.

We truly appreciate the call, and thank you for trusting Jett and Low to High Droptine Recovery to help recover this young man’s first deer! 🐾🦌

When in doubt, back out and give us a call!

Low to High Droptine Recovery
📞 919-949-1589
Available 24/7

09/25/2026

Buck in the truck baby and it’s a big un ! Here’s sneak peak story later.

04/05/2026

03/11/2026

Enjoying some sunshine. This early summer time weather. I don’t know who enjoys it more me, the kids or the pups. Won’t be long and they will all be headed to their new homes. Big thank you to everyone who is getting a pup. Both pups that were available have their homes.

03/02/2026

Update: Both pups have found their home going to some great folks!
These pups are starting to really grow in to their personalities and causing chaos🤣. I have two available for anyone that has been waiting for a pup without having to get on a long wait list. Had two folks that had to back out. They will be ready to go in 3 weeks. Anyone interested scroll to top of page and read the pinned post there and shoot me a private message.