Bloodtrailing

[Craig Van Arsdale]

Doesn't work out well here in the warmer western states if the temps are typical for Sep...the next day your elk is bloated and smelly...and maybe half eaten.

I'm just telling ya what I've learned from experience. I've never lost an animal to an overnight recovery. I have lost animals because I pushed them though. Just saying patience wins.

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

I'm just telling ya what I've learned from experience. I've never lost an animal to an overnight recovery. I have lost animals because I pushed them though. Just saying patience wins.

I've had opossums eat the ass out of a whitetail doe overnight but most of the meat was recoverable.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

In the Kaibab I'm told the only question is who finds it first, the coyotes, lions or bears. Heard stories of guys spotting their elk from the circling birds, walked up to find a lion sitting on it.

 

[tttoadman]

This is some great info on here.

I run as fast I can to the shot location. I stare and listen for the slightest sound and then mark the last sound I heard with an arrow or a stick on the ground. If I know I hit em good, or it is getting dark, I will go after them right away. You are sneaking up on an animal that is wheezing and hacking. Even if you get a little closer, you may hear the death tumble or some of that wheezing that you may have missed otherwise. The last 2 elk I got with my bow, I was able to sneak up and find them and wait for awhile for them to expire.

I don't know about deer, but I have seen elk linger around. When you bump elk out in the dark ahead of you, you may have found your animal.

My most important thought:
Don't jump around and high-five your buddies until the job is done. Some A-hole that I hunted with once shot a buck at relatively close range. He turned around and started screaming immediately how "awesome" that shot was. Then we found an arrow. Then we searched for this buck all night and part of the next day. I don't know if his lack of focus made the difference, but it bothers me to think it could have.

 

[Randle]

The best way is experience, and obviously you cannot do that right now. so Have someone go out and make a blood trail to follow. You can go to a local meat shop and get enough blood to do this. Then have really brushy area to lay the trail, you can start easy if you want or have them go right to the most miserable trail they can. I carry a small bottle of peroxide, this is the best tool to have other than a good set of eyes. Go slow as if you are truly tracking the only thing missing is the actual tracks and scuff marks a wounded animal will make. Have them put it on the ground and on leaves grass and branches, Like a animal is going thru there with a side wound. You will be going slow so take your time.
They do this in the hunters ed classes up here and my kids enjoyed it and learned from it.
This is probably the best you can do before you have to bloodtrail Good luck and have fun with it.

 

[Schleppy]

Give the animal enough time to expire before heading out on the bloodtrail. A half-hour is a safe bet if you make a good hit, if the weather is good wait an hour. Mark the last spot of blood with something, usually the arrow if you found it. At some point you're going to think the animal must not have any blood left becasue of all of it that you have seen on the ground, but dont be fooled they go a long ways sometimes. I've been on several deer blood trails that were incredible to begin with and eventually became less and less and the animal wasnt found slow down and take your time. Some people also cant see blood as well as others, certain types of colorblindness makes it almost impossible to see blood on the ground and I think that some guys have a small degree of that. If that's you then you need to look for other signs like tracks etc. Forget about the BS that wounded animals will always go downhill or toward water or take the path of least resistance, it's simply not true. Slow down, mark the last sign of blood before moving on to look for another, and slow down. Did I mention slow down.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

This is some great info on here.

I run as fast I can to the shot location. I stare and listen for the slightest sound and then mark the last sound I heard with an arrow or a stick on the ground. If I know I hit em good, or it is getting dark, I will go after them right away. You are sneaking up on an animal that is wheezing and hacking. Even if you get a little closer, you may hear the death tumble or some of that wheezing that you may have missed otherwise. The last 2 elk I got with my bow, I was able to sneak up and find them and wait for awhile for them to expire.

I don't know about deer, but I have seen elk linger around. When you bump elk out in the dark ahead of you, you may have found your animal.

My most important thought:
Don't jump around and high-five your buddies until the job is done. Some A-hole that I hunted with once shot a buck at relatively close range. He turned around and started screaming immediately how "awesome" that shot was. Then we found an arrow. Then we searched for this buck all night and part of the next day. I don't know if his lack of focus made the difference, but it bothers me to think it could have.

That kinda behavior always bothered me too. I prefer a sense of reverence and a silent thank you Lord to a hillbilly "Heeeyaaa!!" any day. Besides, sometimes the animal doesn't realize what's happened and staying quiet will keep it nearby. I've seen arrowed deer return to feeding, then just topple over.

 

[Shane]

Rain may wash away blood, but it will make for easier hoof print tracking. Fresh stumbling/dragging tracks in the mud that tie in with your last blood trail before the rain would be good to follow.

 

[Randle]

Also more times than I can count I have thrown out a few cow calls after the shot and the bull has either stopped or turned around and came back to me. This has shortened the blood trail considerably because he stayed around long enough to bleed out while We watched thru the trees. Yep, stay quite accept for elk sounds is key.

 

[Jpeaston]

Keep your mouth closed. If you have to breath through your mouth you are moving too fast, you can usually smell elk before you find em in the thick stuff.

 

[Buglebrush]

One thing I forgot to add. There is no greater aid in tracking than lighted nocks IMO. Knowing exactly where the hit was is invaluable in aiding recovery. You know whether to back out for a while on a gut shot animal, or follow up quicker on a double lung hit. Where they are legal, they should be everywhere, but that is a rant for another day, there is simply no excuse not to shoot lighted nocks. Borderline unethical not to IMO.

 

[gwtravis]

shot

 

[Rich M]

The obvious ones to me are make a good shot (practice, practice) and don't shoot an animal immediately before or during a rain event.

I live in FL and also hunt down here - we get a lot of heavy downpours at times. Trailed 3 deer, 2 died and one was leg hit - we left it after he started feeding. Two of the deer went straight, the wounded one made a loop - marking the blood on your GPS will help give an overall direction when you can't see TP or flagging like we can;t down here in the swamps.

I'm also deaf but the guys I hunt with can hear where the critters go - listen to where it goes.

You'll do just fine.

 

[Summit1]

Give the animal enough time to expire before heading out on the bloodtrail. A half-hour is a safe bet if you make a good hit, if the weather is good wait an hour. Mark the last spot of blood with something, usually the arrow if you found it. At some point you're going to think the animal must not have any blood left becasue of all of it that you have seen on the ground, but dont be fooled they go a long ways sometimes. I've been on several deer blood trails that were incredible to begin with and eventually became less and less and the animal wasnt found slow down and take your time. Some people also cant see blood as well as others, certain types of colorblindness makes it almost impossible to see blood on the ground and I think that some guys have a small degree of that. If that's you then you need to look for other signs like tracks etc. Forget about the BS that wounded animals will always go downhill or toward water or take the path of least resistance, it's simply not true. Slow down, mark the last sign of blood before moving on to look for another, and slow down. Did I mention slow down.

You bring up a good point. I'm red and green color blind so I wind up crawling when tracking a blood trail, otherwise I miss some of the blood. Brad

 

[lang]

You never have to worry about hunting in the rain with the best unknown product for hunting called Blue Star. It is a spray started for law enforcement, but now has a cheap version for hunters. It lights up blood in the dark. If actually works better with rain as the hemoglobin will spread and make it more visible. If anyone doubts this stuff just buy some and try on anything you've packed with even if it has been washed-you will be amazed! I tried it on a pack frame that had been used 6 months earlier and washed profusely and it still lit right up. The next deer season I tried it on an actual blood trail in a light rain and we could see particulates smaller with Blue Star than with a 300 lumen light knowing the exact spot we had seen spots a with Blue Star. It won't fix bad shots, but especially in rain it will give you another tool if the trail disappears. I don't carry it in my pack, but after seeing this stuff work I will always have it in camp during any hunting season!