Post by tugrivercopper on Mar 22, 2007 19:54:32 GMT -5
If a Deer is hit well it has been my experience that 99% of the time he will run downhill and/or towards water. Deer that AREN'T hit good, well god only knows what they will do.
Time you wait before tracking is kinda a personal option, with a bow you should wait 30-45 minutes or up to an hour before leaving your stand and tracking, with a rifle or shotgun, myself i prefer to get going as soon as i gather my stuff up, alot of times you can track em down and put another shot in and drop em there rather than chasing/tracking for miles if the deer isn't hit to well.
If you don't find blood right where you shot the deer, don't worry to much this has happened to me on several occasions, walk in the direction the deer ran, u can usually track them by how the leaves get torn up where they run and bound and you will come up on some blood eventually if you hit the deer. Or maybe u won't find blood and u will trakc the deer down by following his trail where the leaves are torn up and dirt is kicked up. Me and my dad once tracked a deer off the mountain by this only and found him laying in a brier patch, he just didn't bleed much or bled inside rather.
If the blood trail stops, and u don't have a clue which way the deer went from here, make big circles to try and pick up the trail again. It's a good idea to mark your last sighting of blood before doing this with a piece of tape, napkin, etc. something highly visible.
Don't be afraid to use a dog!! Whether it's a hound dog used for hunting or youre wife's poodle, they all have extraordinary sense of smell, and can track things we can't see or don't know is there!!
And always be attentive of what's goin on ahead of you, he may be laying 20 yards away from you and ready to bolt at any second, but if you spot him before he gets too spooked or regains just enough energy to take off you can make a 2nd and final killing shot.
Also if you have hunting parteners or buddies, enlist their help, if possible especially if you know you didn't make a good shot. But if you are confident you won't have any trouble then don't bother to interupt their hunt just to help you.
Hopefully these tips will help some of you first timers or people new to our wonderful sport,,,good luck and happy tracking!!
Time you wait before tracking is kinda a personal option, with a bow you should wait 30-45 minutes or up to an hour before leaving your stand and tracking, with a rifle or shotgun, myself i prefer to get going as soon as i gather my stuff up, alot of times you can track em down and put another shot in and drop em there rather than chasing/tracking for miles if the deer isn't hit to well.
If you don't find blood right where you shot the deer, don't worry to much this has happened to me on several occasions, walk in the direction the deer ran, u can usually track them by how the leaves get torn up where they run and bound and you will come up on some blood eventually if you hit the deer. Or maybe u won't find blood and u will trakc the deer down by following his trail where the leaves are torn up and dirt is kicked up. Me and my dad once tracked a deer off the mountain by this only and found him laying in a brier patch, he just didn't bleed much or bled inside rather.
If the blood trail stops, and u don't have a clue which way the deer went from here, make big circles to try and pick up the trail again. It's a good idea to mark your last sighting of blood before doing this with a piece of tape, napkin, etc. something highly visible.
Don't be afraid to use a dog!! Whether it's a hound dog used for hunting or youre wife's poodle, they all have extraordinary sense of smell, and can track things we can't see or don't know is there!!
And always be attentive of what's goin on ahead of you, he may be laying 20 yards away from you and ready to bolt at any second, but if you spot him before he gets too spooked or regains just enough energy to take off you can make a 2nd and final killing shot.
Also if you have hunting parteners or buddies, enlist their help, if possible especially if you know you didn't make a good shot. But if you are confident you won't have any trouble then don't bother to interupt their hunt just to help you.
Hopefully these tips will help some of you first timers or people new to our wonderful sport,,,good luck and happy tracking!!