When you think of Batman, you might think of the superhero that wears a cape and a mask, but the Batman in my life is different and much more significant to me. My favorite pet is my hunting dog Batman. Batman is a five-year-old beagle, which I use as a deer dog. He is probably the best dog that I have. Batman can do it all. He can track a deer and jump it when we shine a buck, trail a deer that has walked across the road during the night, and trail a deer that has been wounded.
The first thing Batman does in the morning is wake up as I put him into the dog box. After gathering up a few more of his friends, I put tracking collars on them. My hunting crew and I wake up early and shine to see if we can find a buck. Most of the time, we will have two or three bucks shined. If we shine a buck, we take the dogs to the spot that we looked at the buck last. Batman is the first dog I let out. He is the best at picking up a trail, so I let him find out which way the deer traveled. When he straightens the trail out I send the rest of the dogs behind him. Eventually they jump the deer and run it. Batman is usually the first one to strike. I can tell because he is the first one to start barking.
After the dogs jump the deer, Batman runs the deer through the woods. We follow him by his bark and try to stay in front of him. Batman will sometimes run for many miles before I can cut the deer off. When the deer has been cut off, I look to see if it is a buck or a doe. Batman is usually the first dog to cross where the deer came out, so if it is a doe I try to catch him and the other dogs and put them into the dog box. Batman is pretty hard to catch, so sometimes he will continue running. I have to follow him wherever the deer crosses next and try to catch him there. Sometimes he will lose the deer in a pond and he will either stay in there or, if I am lucky, he will come back to the road and it will be easy to pick him up.
