Phil Huber - Leashed Tracking Dog License #479 NYS Licensed Hunting Guide
I’m a career school teacher who is quickly approaching retirement. My introduction to blood tracking occurred in the late 1990s. I was hunting caribou with legendary tracker & outdoorsman John Engelken AKA Tracker John. Late one afternoon while bow hunting I hit a trophy bull caribou poorly. I was sick about the shot, John just smiled and said tomorrow we will recover that bull. I had my doubts! In the AM John turned his German Shepard Gissell out on the track. The dog never wavered, taking us miles through the heavy northern bush & across the tundra. All of a sudden there was the bull, bedded & unable to stand. I stalked in for the finishing shot on the magnificent bull. I remember being speechless, what just happened? 20 years later, it is my turn to give back to the hunting community.
Jon Betrus - Leashed Tracking Dog License #503 NYS Licensed Hunting Guide
I am an avid outdoorsman and High School Biology Teacher. I am also a NYS certified Hunter Education Instructor as well as a Leashed Tracking Dog license holder. For the past 5 years I have shifted my focus from personal success in the deer and turkey woods to helping youth and new hunters enjoy a passion that has come to define me as a person. I have 2 boys, both are avid outdoorsman that are getting into the family tradition of hunting and fishing. I coach 4 sports at the high school, including the Naples Clay Target Team, soccer, basketball and tennis.
Prior to 2020 I have had very limited, but not great, experiences with tracking dogs in the past. Becoming a tracking dog handler has been a very rewarding experience, every track is it's own unique learning experience. Helping someone recover their deer and seeing the genuine appreciation on their face makes tracking very rewarding for me. I look forward to training in the off-season and tracking as much as my busy life will allow each fall for many years to come.
Jason Pollack -Leashed Tracking Dog License # 483 NYS Licensed Hunting Guide
I was born and raised in the Finger Lakes Region of Upstate NY. My introduction to hunting was as an enthusiastic youngster, it began with small game and evolved later to include big game. Turkey hunting and waterfowl hunting are activities that I enjoy participating in with my friends and family. My wife Megan and I regularly hunt with our four children creating everlasting family memories. I feel strongly about giving kids the opportunity to get out and experience hunting & the outdoors. The Deer Mountain Tracking crew have been avid supporters of the Yates County Youth Turkey Hunts, The Finger Lakes Regional Youth Deer Hunts, Youth Waterfowl Hunts and Youth Trap Shooting Clubs. Hunting has had a huge influence on my life and I enjoy sharing that with others.
Phil and I met during the NYS tracking exam. Since then we have been on numerous successful tracking adventures together with his bloodhounds. In the summer of 2021, I purchased my own bloodhound “Ava” to join the Deer Mountain team. Unfortunately due to illness Ava is no longer tracking with us. In the summer of 2022 a Teckel named Bren was brought down from Canada to join the group. Another Teckel is coming soon from the legendary Jeanneney blood line. I’m looking forward to assisting hunters for many years to come.
