After a hiatus of nearly 90 years, moose hunting was reintroduced in northern New England in the mid to late 1980s. Wildlife biologists in the states of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont issue moose hunting permits through a lottery system to help stabilize the growth of the moose population. Join host Lawrence Pyne as his name is finally drawn in New Hampshire for the 2005 moose season. When it comes to hunting big game in New England, nothing compares to the thrill of pursuing moose, North America's largest deer.

Perfect shots leading to quick kills are what hunters strive for. But it doesn't always happen. Sometimes a hit a fraction of an inch off means the difference between a fast drop and a long and sometimes fruitless chase after wounded prey. Not being able to recover your animal is every hunter's worst nightmare. And there wasn't much you could do to remedy the situation until now. A small group of expert trackers are coming to the aid of Vermont hunters who have lost their quarry. They're fast. They work for free. And for them, tracking is just a big game. They're leashed tracking dogs. Tracking wounded game is a centuries-old tradition in Central Europe. Leashed dog tracking was first introduced in the U.S. in 1986 when an organization called Deer Search Inc. convinced New York lawmakers to legalize it. You must be licensed to track deer with a dog in Vermont, and it's illegal to hunt deer with a tracking dog. But a licensed tracker may recover a wounded animal. The training starts when the dogs are puppies. They're introduced to the scent of deer early in life, first by following a deer tail dragged through the woods, and then graduating to the blood scent. A wound can produce a fine mist-like trace of blood scent that humans can't smell. But for a well-trained tracking dog, it's like walking in front of him with a hot apple pie. The success rate for these dogs is high. And occasionally these same trackers are even called on to find humans that have wandered off the trail. Host Lawrence Pyne joins Tim Nichols to learn training techniques for leashed dog tracking then heads out with Todd Whitaker of Whitaker's Leashed Dog Tracking on a mission to find a wounded deer during bow season.

There's nothing like calling in a big gobbler during the spring wild turkey season. But fall turkey hunts can be every bit as exciting. The tactics and calling are quite different, however, as the birds are more interested in food than mating. Mature male turkeys most likely won't respond to a hen call in the fall. What they will respond to is the call of other members of the flock that have been separated from the main group. This is where the dogs come in. In Vermont, dogs may be used in fall hunts to flush birds and break up the flock. The dog must also be concealed and remain calm during the calling, which adds yet another challenge level to the day. All of these factors make coming home with a Thanksgiving gobbler a rare event. But with good scouting, breakup by the dog and excellent calling skills, it can go a long way toward putting a wild turkey on the table. Host Lawrence Pyne goes fall turkey hunting with Marc Brown, Steve Hickoff and his turkey dog Midge.

The Missisquoi National Wildlife Management Refuge is home to one of the largest and most productive waterfowl habitats in Vermont. Although the refuge attracts waterfowl most of the year, peak use is in the fall when more than 20,000 ducks are anticipated annually. Thanks to a managed hunting program, duck hunters can enjoy an experience like no other in Vermont. Host Lawrence Pyne joins hunter Dave Greenough for a day of duck hunting at the Refuge.