Tracking Colorblind Question

[xziang]

I’ll be hitting CO solo this year for Elk and I haven’t shot at one yet but I’ve been trying to research what products are out there that will assist with blood tracking. Being partially color blind I’m looking for any added advantage I can get. For me water droplets on the ground (at night) can look similar to blood.

I always carry and mark a blood trail with TP paper and will dab what I think is blood on the TP paper to confirm it.

Items I’ve heard of being used:
Peroxide in a spray bottle for when it hits blood it’ll bubble. Might leave a bottle in the truck.
Starlight Bloodhound – this has me very curious for I believe it comes in tablets so it’ll be light. (I hike in/spike camp 75% of the time)
Coleman Gas powered lantern – could leave at truck but PITA to take back into the forest
Bloodtracker flashlight – heard they aren’t all that great I have one but haven’t had a chance to try it with deer.

Really curious if anyone has any experience with Starlight blood hound product. One issue I have heard is it'll make EVERYTHING stand out even slugs slime trails.

Thanks

 

[WoodBow]

I am color blind as well and terrible at blood trailing. I have used the starlight stuff before and it seemed to work well. It literally makes the blood glow. It will not help you in the daytime. I recently bought a cheap bushnell headlamp as a backup that has a "blood tracking" mode. I have always thought those were stupid. It's kind of a bluish light. I have not had it on blood yet but using it around the house I was really impressed by how it makes red pop and kind of washes out all the other colors.

Best option, hunt with someone that can bloodtrail. That's what I do.

 

[FreeRange]

Interested to hear what others have come up with, I'm colorblind as well and struggle with this especially at night. My dad, who is also colorblind, is like a bloodhound and has a serious knack for finding deer without being able to see blood, so I hunt with him and he's found the last 3 deer we've shot in archery season as I helplessly stared at the ground looking for blood. I seriously consider my shots and where the animal is going to run if it's getting to be fading light and too warm to wait until morning to find it.

 

[Felix40]

I am color blind as well and terrible at blood trailing. I have used the starlight stuff before and it seemed to work well. It literally makes the blood glow. It will not help you in the daytime. I recently bought a cheap bushnell headlamp as a backup that has a "blood tracking" mode. I have always thought those were stupid. It's kind of a bluish light. I have not had it on blood yet but using it around the house I was really impressed by how it makes red pop and kind of washes out all the other colors.

Best option, hunt with someone that can bloodtrail. That's what I do.

I've helped blood trail one or two times for this guy but typically I think his secret is to not let them run out of sight. Seems to be working pretty well.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

I have a friend who I hunt with that is color blind. In addition to taking me along he uses peroxide. If he runs out of peroxide I have seen him pick up foliage and run it between his fingers. He told me that he can feel the difference between blood and water that way.

 

[danarnold]

If using archery equipment,use Rage, short blood trails that are very heavy!!

 

[crmiller84]

Also partially colorblind myself. I've never actually used any of the methods mentioned, but I did get a friend of mine to help me and train me with blood trailing. Since I DO actually see color (just not like everyone else), I found that blood does have a distinct appearance, even to me. Now I don't seem to have much issue with blood trailing, and if I'm not sure about something I simply rub it on my fingers. If it's clear it's water, if it's not, odds are it's blood.

 

[bojangles808]

If using archery equipment,use Rage, short blood trails that are very heavy!!

x2 this is what works best for me with deer. heavy arrow with a big cut rear deploying broadhead for big entry holes. i use killzones but very similar to rage. also on ebay you can get a cheap 100 led blacklight flashlight for about 15 bucks. i bought one just havent had the chance to use one on a nighttime blood trail

 

[xziang]

Thanks for input. Does or will a blacklight flashlight accent the blood without the use of 'luminol' or some additive sprayed on it though?

More than likely I'll probably take the 'tablets' and spray bottle for that seems to be the lightest/easiest thing right now.

 

[bojangles808]

Thanks for input. Does or will a blacklight flashlight accent the blood without the use of 'luminol' or some additive sprayed on it though?

i think you might be right about needing luminol with the blacklight. oops oh well it was cheap

 

[crmiller84]

i think you might be right about needing luminol with the blacklight. oops oh well it was cheap

Ready to use luminol is'nt too expensive on Amazon, assuming you only utilize it when you LOSE a blood trail. Running a blood trail with luminol the entire way will be extremly expensive at $6.00/oz.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

If using archery equipment,use Rage, short blood trails that are very heavy!!

Rage?

They call em Rage because that's what they make you do after failing you! Well, with one exception. This guy: Expandable Broadhead Failure Spares Hunter's Life

Google Rage broadhead failure to see why I'm laughing so hard.

 

[cornfedkiller]

Sorry I don't have any advice for you, but being colorblind myself, I feel your pain...

 

[camping1601]

The black light doesn't work by itself, but it will make your fletchings glow like you won't believe!

 

[Flatgo]

I am partially color blind too, and it can be pain to track. I pack a pair of orange or red shooting glasses. it'll make red and orange stand out a lot better. you have to continually put them on and off to really tell, but it does help a lot. try 3 or 4 different pairs some work better for some people and not so good for other people. as far as night tracking goes that's hard for everyone, and i've never had to track at night so i don't have good advice.

another tip is don't freak out if you can't find blood. a lot of animals take sometime to start bleeding, or the just don't bleed very much even with a good shot. being color blind can make you freak out because you think you can't see it. stay calm and take your time. I rely on tracks and other sign too a lot more than a non color blind person. you may miss a lot of blood, but if you stay on the tracks and find enough blood to know your on the right trail it just as good as seeing all the blood. the number one thing though when tracking being color blind is to go slow it takes a lot longer for us to realized something is blood. good luck

 

[DangerDunn]

I'm not color blind but there is a pair of glasses called EnChroma that supposedly separates the overlapping red and green cones.

[video=youtube;o6QuYiY1EJg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6QuYiY1EJg[/video]

 

[slick trick]

View attachment 38630 here is what i blood trail with Texas Blue Lacy

 

[xziang]

I'm not color blind but there is a pair of glasses called EnChroma that supposedly separates the overlapping red and green cones.

Thanks! Very interesting product would love to try a pair for I am curious about them.. Start price 349.00 from a quick search. To bad they can't be had for around 100 I would give them a shot.

*edit* 60 day buy back policy so if they wouldn't help I could always send them back. Still has peaked my interest.

 

[mhedlund]

Thanks! Very interesting product would love to try a pair for I am curious about them.. Start price 349.00 from a quick search. To bad they can't be had for around 100 I would give them a shot.

*edit* 60 day buy back policy so if they wouldn't help I could always send them back. Still has peaked my interest.

I was thinking the same thing, I have always struggled at blood trailing due to some color blindness. I wish they had a deal near me. Which lens were you looking at? CX-25 or CX-65? Hopefully someone who has tried them will chime in.

 

[larryschwartz]

here are some tips that may help...

hydrogen peroxide will make blood foam, any kind of blood, so it stands out and you an use it to test a liquid to see if it is blood and not water.

if there are insects like ants and other bugs drawn to it, or eating it, then it is likely blood.

look for other evidence of the animal passing by such as broken spider webs, bent over grass, broken branches or twigs, and of course tracks.

look on both sides of the trail for blood and other sign.

turn over leaves to see if there is blood on them. they may have flipped over as the animal went by and the blood is now on the underside instead of on the top.

don't just look down, look out ahead of you and to the sides as well. nothing worse than busting a deer that is laying down 10 yards in front of you and adding a few hundred yards to your tracking job.