My name is Don.  I created the ZivaTrackerApp to help hunters of all backgrounds have as much fun hunting as I do.

I’ve hunted all my life, and in March 2012, I adopted a hound/lab mix from a local Humane Society with the intent of having a true hunting companion.  

Then, I purchased John Jeanneney’s “Tracking Dogs For Finding Wounded Deer,” and a passion was ignited. 

I started training my dog and joined the national organization that Mr. Jeanneney and his wife, Jolanta, founded, United Blood Trackers (UBT). You can find them at www.unitedbloodtrackers.org.  This organization of over 400 trackers is chock full of sincere, knowledgeable, and helpful trackers from across the US and Canada.

Over the past decade I’ve been involved with hundreds of attempts to recover wounded whitetail deer.  Every encounter with the hunter is filled with high hopes and mixed emotions. When a successful recovery is made, the exhilaration is indescribable.  When a recovery is not possible, the despair is equally devastating.

In addition to my real-world experiences, my association with UBT granted me access to an untold number of experiences through the anecdotes shared on the group’s social media site.  Stories and the associated details provide a virtual database of what to do, and what not to do, in the minutes after taking a shot. Every tracker will tell you: Recovery success increases exponentially if the right decisions are made in this critical period.

I want all hunters to have the best possible chance of recovering their deer, but not everyone has the opportunity to spend the time necessary to develop tracking stills through anecdote and experience.  It is for that reason I developed an app that is intended to put fast, credible information in the hands of hunters before a hasty mistake causes them loss of the harvest.

The ZivaTrackerApp allows hunters immediate, direct access to critical information, exactly when they need it.  After a shot, the hunter inputs four pieces of information, and is immediately given circumstance-specific advice on what to look for at the hit site and suggestions for the next course of action.  Hair and blood samples can be matched to validate the type and severity of the wound.  Tracking advice garnered from thousands of similar circumstances can lead to actions that will substantially reduce the “regret factor.”

Ziva and I will not be in the woods too much anymore. We hope our lessons learned will help you celebrate your successful recoveries.

Don P & Ziva