Sublime Tracking

08/27/2026

08/27/2026

Let’s go! 2026 deer season coming up!

08/21/2026

Great team!! Ya just cant beat a good Lab.

FEATURE FRIDAY – Lab Tracks Deer Recovery

This week we’re featuring Randy and Karen Epley and their tracking partner, Zoey!

Zoey is a 4½-year-old yellow Lab and is UBT 2 certified. Randy and Karen live in Illinois, just across the Mississippi River from Hannibal, Missouri, and are members of both the Missouri Blood Trackers Association (MBTA) and United Blood Trackers (UBT).

The team is heading into their 5th tracking season and averages around 60 tracks each year. They typically travel about an hour in any direction from home and may travel farther depending on their schedule.

Because of their location, Lab Tracks Deer Recovery is also a great resource for Missouri hunters along the eastern Missouri border who may need tracking help from across the river in Illinois.

For Randy and Karen, tracking is about helping hunters recover their deer. As hunters themselves, they understand exactly what it feels like to make a shot and then struggle to find the animal. Tracking has also become something they can enjoy together as a family.

The work doesn't stop when deer season ends. Randy and Karen continue training with Zoey throughout the offseason so she's ready when fall arrives—and tracking is truly her favorite thing to do.

They're looking forward to another season, meeting new hunters, and helping bring more deer home!

Lab Tracks Deer Recovery
Randy & Karen Epley
Zoey – UBT 2 Certified
Serving western Illinois and helping hunters along Missouri's eastern border
217-242-2203

Need a tracker this season? Visit https://www.mobloodtrackers.com/ to find a tracking team near you.

08/21/2026

Hunters I have a tall order to ask! Need some known kills this season for this pup! Give me a call! Ideally deer travels 50 - 100 yards after the shot, would make for great training lines. Thanks!

08/02/2026

When the weather finally gives us a break… what do trackers do?

We run dogs! 🐕🦌

Had an awesome morning getting together with a few tracking buddies and putting the dogs to work. They all absolutely crushed it today! Nothing beats watching these dogs do what they were bred and trained to do.

Bear The Big Black Dog Tracking Tom’s new trackin machine Hyde showed us he knows this game! Watch out world he’s a trackin monster.

smelly benelli wounded game recovery wow evee wow! This dog is line committed, driven and handled by one of the best.

Jim Trendle and Gracie with fairweather tracking, did awesome on some open field work today. They will be tracking for the public this year, located in south city Afton area.

Ruca did her thang. We worked through a creek then a common walking path then across a gravel road. Fun to watch her this past year..

Mary Wilson even got to join today and share her expertise.. pure gold. We plan to run jinx later this week.

Days like this remind you why all the training is worth it. Looking forward to another great tracking season!

08/01/2026

Ruca and toast both got cleans bills of health today at the vet. Scent work, line trailing and Ruca trying to accept the fact our game is now shared.

07/29/2026

Meet Toast!!!

I’d like to officially introduce the newest member of the Sublime Tracking team to the hunting and tracking community.

Toast is an 8-week-old Fox Red Labrador Retriever, and while she’s got a long road ahead of her, her journey has already begun. Right now we’re focused on puppy imprinting, confidence building, and early scent work—the foundation that will eventually make her a dependable tracking dog. That training won’t stop after this season; it will continue for years as she gains experience in the field.

Don’t worry—Ruca is still in her prime and will continue handling the majority of our tracking calls this season. Ruca looks to have accepted the new pup! Right now, our days are filled with playful bursts of energy, followed by plenty of puppy naps around the house.

That said, I’m looking for a few opportunities to help Toast learn. If you have a known kill this season and don’t mind letting a young pup work the track first, I’d love the opportunity. These controlled training tracks are invaluable for building a future recovery dog. If she reaches her limit, Ruca will step in and finish the job.

Every great tracking dog starts somewhere, and I’m excited to see where this little red pup’s nose takes her.

Welcome to the team, Toast! Here’s to many years of helping hunters recover their game.

07/18/2026

Go shoot your bow! These guys are great!

Bring a friend, Tag a friend!
See you next week!

07/02/2026

🔥 💨

06/21/2026

We have been working on some fun lines this season. From 1/2 mile spirals, large scent gaps, blood identifying reads, speed to hard surface challenges.

This one had the same hit sight with two different set of deer hooves. (One was a gut shot deer and the other was dropped immediately during firearm season) I was curious in what line the dogs would prefer, had a trackin buddy out with his lab Martin. Both dogs choose to take the gut-hoof line first but had no problem indicating the other line. We let Martin run the gut line, they did great. (2 oz of blood, 1/2 mile)

We let Ruca run the dropped immediately-hoof track had several 90s. She did blew the first 90 by 30 foot or so and required no problem and then rocked out the rest. I laid a portion of the line 50 yards down a gravel rd. I tried to trick her on that area when coming from the timber onto the gravel road, I crossed the gravel road and threw some blood in the wood line across, she bit on it for about 20 foot turned around and stomped down the gravel. She did bracket the gravel. She found the exit into the woods perfectly. (1 oz of blood, .38 mile)

She has really matured over the last year and it shows … a lot.

Watching a dog mature in the world of tracking is incredibly fun. Long story short, Trust the process!