After The Shot

[pulleye16]

I've seen already in the archery post people asking for help on tracking wounded animal, so I thought we could help put together a list of helpful tips that people have used to help find / get their deer after the shot. If we only help just one hunter, I'd think it would be worth it... so here's some ideas that I do!

After I shoot at a deer regardless of how effective I think the shot was, I wait for atleast a half hour before getting off my stand. For more then one reaseon, but for hunters who can shoot multiple deers, I've often had deer come in only minutes after my gun as fired. Some may argue to stay longer (longer is better if time permitting) but I think most can agree on that some length of time is needed. I make a mental picture of where I fired a shot at the deer and I also make a note of the last location I saw the deer before it slipped from view. this allows me a "back-up" spot to help trail the animal. I always mark my tree stand before getting down with something bright, usually my blaze orange muff hand warmer high in the tree I am sitting in so I can also get my bearings to where I fired my shoot from.

I will make my way to where I "fired" my first shoot looking for blood and tracks on my way to ground zero. This way I can get a feel of where some past deer tracks are heading and to avoid starting off tracking some other deers path. Once I get in the general area I will hopefully find blood and the search is on. I also again mark this area with something visiible to help in the search so I can refer to my starting grounds if I need help. If no blood is found, I start making circles around the area I though I took a shot at the deer. I start small while increasing the size of my circles to broaden my search of hoping to even find a trace of blood. I'll also be making mental notes of deer tracks exiting the area and the ones where leaves and debris are flowen from, usually indicate a running deer. I won't folllow these tracks yet as I still have one more spot to check before I change my circling pattern. If no blood has been found where my initial shoot was, and my circle had far exceeded to where any point I beleive the deer was, I'll go to where I last saw the deer.

I start making smaller circles again going to larger to cover the most area without back tracking. If no blood is found, I then go to trying to find his "tracks." Hopefully from the first shot to where I last saw him I can make out his tracks. I'll again flag this trail so I can see where if came from, where he's going and hopefully it all gets put together like a puzzel. By visiualizing my stand (blaze orange muff) looking at where I first took a shot (red tape) looking at where he has ran (usually my gloves of other highly visible objects) and where the deer was last seen (more red tape) I can get a feel of what this deer is doing.

If still no blood is found in both sites and I'm having trouble finding his trail or no blood is found on his trail, I'll start all this over with more circles. If you have a map, now would be a good time to record all this on there and see if you can make out where the deer was heading a go from there.

Other tips:

1)look both high and low for blood, sometimes you can find just a drop on a twig or branch and find nothing on the grownd below.

2) Never think you missed a deer...ALWAYS look and make the better part of your day looking for it for the deers sake.

3)get an extra set of eyes if possible, but don't stampead the area, walk over each others steps.

4) If you see thrown leaves from a deer running, pick up the leaves and look at the other side for blood.

5) a coleman white gas lantern reflects blood great at night (IMO)

6)circles, circles, circles

Hopefully this helps someone out there and feel free to change anything I've said and add your own helpful tips!

GOOD LUCK OUT THERE!!

[MUSKY18]

Excellent post Pull! Great tips that everyone can use!

[Triple_D]

Anyone use those "Blood finding" flashlights I've seen? I think they are Primos brand?

Just wondering if they work.

[broken line]

Agreed - great post. Over the last couple years, I've tracked several deer in the dark. A second person is great to have assist. I also like to use a quality headlamp and we "leapfrog" with each other,one standing at the last sign of blood or track and the other walking to the next one. I also have found it is best (for me anyway) to wait until it is completely dark versus looking at dusk. It seems to me I can see the blood much better during the dark.

And finally, TAKE YOUR TIME. I find myself getting sloppy and missing things if I try to hurry while tracking. I have now made the tracking part one of my favorite parts of the hunt and actually look forward to it.

[BLACKJACK]

A couple more:

1) In my experience, deer will head back/circle back in the direction that they came from, so if you lose the trail, look back that way.

2) I like the pink tape, I will rip off a piece and put it by every blood spot, if the trail is getting tough, you can look back and see the direction of travel. Then after recovery I will go back and pickup the pieces.

3) When you get to the point of doing circles, the phrase 'needle in a haystack' comes to mind.

[Deep]

When I have limited people to help track, I will wait 1/2 hour and shoot a tree where I shot at the deer, (things look alot different when you get on the ground) it gives me a good point to start looking for hair or blood.Then take your time.

[bigbucks]

My neighbor has one, we tried it looking for a lost blood trail last week. We went back to the blood & couldn't see it well at all with that light. Neither of us was impressed. He'd gotten it for Christmas last year & hadn't had a chance to use it yet.

[Triple_D]

Thanks bigbucks

One more tip:

I will sometimes go back into my stand and "direct" one of my hunting partners to exactly where I think the deer was when I took the shot. This has helped us out in finding the initial blood trail, it's amazing how much things look different once you are down on the ground.

[kelly-p]

Anyone use those "Blood finding" flashlights I've seen? I think they are Primos brand?

Just wondering if they work.

Our experience with them during bear hunting a year ago was not good. The blood drops did not seem to "glo" any more then a spot of mold or pigment on a leaf. After 1/2 an hour we decided that they were just confusing things and went back to regular light. I cann't remember what brand they were.

[madbomber10]

One trick that I did pick up is to use Hydrogen Peroxide to locate blood. The peroxide causes the blood to "boil" when it comes in contact with it. Its cheap to pick up, all you need is a spray bottle (I clean out my wifes hairspray bottles and use them) and is pretty darn effective in my opinion. All you do is spray the ground/branches in the area that you believe the animal was in and watch for the reaction. Some of the best tools out there are things we overlook.

I have tried the blood illuminating flashlights and I personally dont think they are effective.

[CSTPETER]

This is critical and rookies never take this serious enough...Always focus on where the deer was the last time you had visual contact. This is tough to do with all of the excitement of the shot but will help immensely with the tracking. a lot of times you will not have good blood where the shot was taken,(unless your rocking a rage it might take 30-40 yards for it to really start bleeding. I know this sounds simple but you really need to focus after the shot, make a mental note of a landmark where you last saw the deer, and if you need too, sneak down and mark it immediately. then wait your 30 minutes or so to actually start tracking.

When it comes to deer hunting success is really about doing the little things very well!!

[jay83196]

I have one not impressed used it twice not worth the money at all.

[Musky Buck]

Go for the neck, either clean kill or clean miss. Deer can't run too well with a hole in their neck. It drops them on the spot.

[Getanet]

One trick that I did pick up is to use Hydrogen Peroxide to locate blood. The peroxide causes the blood to "boil" when it comes in contact with it.

That's a great tip and something I've never thought of. Very cheap and it never hurts to have some peroxide around anyway in case someone cuts themselves field dressing a deer or in camp.

[gurkster]

I use TP for marking the blood spots/trail. I go back and pick them up, but if one is missed or blows away they decompose quickly, rather than the orange surveyors tape.

[Bear55]

This is critical and rookies never take this serious enough...Always focus on where the deer was the last time you had visual contact.

I agree, this is very very important. When I was younger I couldn't tell you how many times I would wait a half hour and then jump out of the stand and just go the area I thought I saw the deer last. You really need to pick out an exact spot, many times the distances can fool you up in a tree. Pick a spot, a tree, log anything and mark it in your memory. Also things can look much different once you get down there, you might even try and line up your stand with a tree or two so when you look back at your stand you can get a better idea of where the deer was.