Tracking techniques for Rocky Mountains

TaperPin

WKR
Joined
Jul 12, 2023
Messages
3,092
It‘s always fun hearing hunter’s techniques and frustrations tracking wounded game, and I’ll gladly change my technique as better ideas pop up. I don’t have 3d vision, so tracks are a little harder to see.

Maybe the hardest thing is to keep calm enough to pin point the exact location the animal was standing when it was hit, and that spot never looks the same as you move closer. I keep a small roll of plastic flagging for marking trails, kill sites, or whatever - unless I’ve been somewhere multiple times I never seem to intuitively find the same path twice bushwhacking. If an animal runs off I try to remember to put a few inches of flagging held down with a small rock or stick on his exact track before looking around. Unlike bow hunting I don’t tend to wait before looking for an animal because the assumption is it didn’t go far - if a quick 50 yard scan doesn’t show the animal I may go to 100 yards rather quickly, but really just guessing at the direction. Even in the thick sage an antelope can be a few feet away and be almost completely camouflaged. If nothing shows up, then it’s time to go back to square one and actually follow the tracks.

Of course if there is snow on the ground, or the ground is muddy it’s a no brainer to follow, but during dry late September or early October hunts it’s a bugger to see let alone follow tracks in the pine needles. Since the animal’s tracks were marked where it was shot that helps a ton. At every visible foot print or drop of blood I’ll put a few inches of flagging there - if the track is totally lost just looking back at the trail of flagging shows a pretty good direction. In sagebrush, flagging is tied on top so it’s visible. Focusing downward it’s easy to forget the big picture.

Staring at the ground looking for hoof prints, a freshly broken plant/limb, or blood is so tedious it has to be one of the hardest things we do. Forest that opens up and crosses a mostly rocky ridge is almost impossible, at least for me - instead of tracks, a turned up small rock or indented patch of dirt of a partial hoof is all there is.

If an animal made it 100 yards I’ll try to be patient and take a break, although that’s easier said than done when it seems like it took forever to follow the track this far. Mulies seem to lie down rather quickly in cover, antelope run until they can’t stand up, and elk are tough and seem to head for dense areas even if it’s quite a ways away before feeling safe enough to lie down. I‘ve assumed a hurt deer or elk will go downhill, but that varies with topography so much maybe not so? At timberline often the easiest cover is downhill, but I’ve seen mulies work their way across or up a steep slope almost impossible to follow on foot.

If I jump the animal and it looks healthy, I’ll try to give it 4 hrs before following it further.

If the tracks are headed in a specific direction and you’re not sure why, a quick look at a topo map can show a saddle, thickly vegetated drainage, or some other feature that’s funneling them in that direction.

I‘ve pushed an unwounded big wide deer over a ridge where it was shot by other hunters who traveled 10 miles in from the other side - it was close enough I could hear them cheering and probably doing a happy dance. That experience makes me cautious popping over a saddle if some trigger happy goof thinks my pant legs or daypack is the big deer he just got a glimpse of.

Has anyone had luck with the pocket size flir cameras picking up body heat at night?

Thats about all I’ve got. . .
 

BFR

WKR
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
428
Location
Montana
Seriously though, after 25+ years bow hunting I’ve become pretty adept at blood tracking. Only problem now is eyes getting weaker as I age.
 

Hnthrdr

WKR
Joined
Jan 29, 2022
Messages
3,405
Location
The West
Pinpoint shot location. Rarely do you need to run or even move for a follow up shot. 2) take a picture of shot location in relation to where animal was standing. Depends on archery or rifle. Archwry I typically take some serious time 5-10 min to approach where animal was standing and 40ish before I start tracking. Rifle less time, depending on shot with the rifle if the animal is down I stay on it in the scope for few minutes. If it moves into cover/ over a ridge will move up after it. Then it’s looking for blood/ disturbance in the soil/ plants, I too use flagging, if I run out I will use sticks to mark an (X) near the sign or prop them against a close tree, flagging is better but this works in a pinch.
 

Stalker69

WKR
Joined
Apr 12, 2019
Messages
1,801
It‘s always fun hearing hunter’s techniques and frustrations tracking wounded game, and I’ll gladly change my technique as better ideas pop up. I don’t have 3d vision, so tracks are a little harder to see.

Maybe the hardest thing is to keep calm enough to pin point the exact location the animal was standing when it was hit, and that spot never looks the same as you move closer. I keep a small roll of plastic flagging for marking trails, kill sites, or whatever - unless I’ve been somewhere multiple times I never seem to intuitively find the same path twice bushwhacking. If an animal runs off I try to remember to put a few inches of flagging held down with a small rock or stick on his exact track before looking around. Unlike bow hunting I don’t tend to wait before looking for an animal because the assumption is it didn’t go far - if a quick 50 yard scan doesn’t show the animal I may go to 100 yards rather quickly, but really just guessing at the direction. Even in the thick sage an antelope can be a few feet away and be almost completely camouflaged. If nothing shows up, then it’s time to go back to square one and actually follow the tracks.

Of course if there is snow on the ground, or the ground is muddy it’s a no brainer to follow, but during dry late September or early October hunts it’s a bugger to see let alone follow tracks in the pine needles. Since the animal’s tracks were marked where it was shot that helps a ton. At every visible foot print or drop of blood I’ll put a few inches of flagging there - if the track is totally lost just looking back at the trail of flagging shows a pretty good direction. In sagebrush, flagging is tied on top so it’s visible. Focusing downward it’s easy to forget the big picture.

Staring at the ground looking for hoof prints, a freshly broken plant/limb, or blood is so tedious it has to be one of the hardest things we do. Forest that opens up and crosses a mostly rocky ridge is almost impossible, at least for me - instead of tracks, a turned up small rock or indented patch of dirt of a partial hoof is all there is.

If an animal made it 100 yards I’ll try to be patient and take a break, although that’s easier said than done when it seems like it took forever to follow the track this far. Mulies seem to lie down rather quickly in cover, antelope run until they can’t stand up, and elk are tough and seem to head for dense areas even if it’s quite a ways away before feeling safe enough to lie down. I‘ve assumed a hurt deer or elk will go downhill, but that varies with topography so much maybe not so? At timberline often the easiest cover is downhill, but I’ve seen mulies work their way across or up a steep slope almost impossible to follow on foot.

If I jump the animal and it looks healthy, I’ll try to give it 4 hrs before following it further.

If the tracks are headed in a specific direction and you’re not sure why, a quick look at a topo map can show a saddle, thickly vegetated drainage, or some other feature that’s funneling them in that direction.

I‘ve pushed an unwounded big wide deer over a ridge where it was shot by other hunters who traveled 10 miles in from the other side - it was close enough I could hear them cheering and probably doing a happy dance. That experience makes me cautious popping over a saddle if some trigger happy goof thinks my pant legs or daypack is the big deer he just got a glimpse of.

Has anyone had luck with the pocket size flir cameras picking up body heat at night?

Thats about all I’ve got. . .
Toilet paper is a far better marking material then flaging tape. Sucks seeing that tape laying around for years.
 

2-Stix

WKR
Joined
Oct 7, 2020
Messages
526
I range the shot, I flag where I shot from, take a picture where I shot from, mark my elevation and the animals elevation and the distace on onX and head over. onX shows my grid when I look for the animal.

This has worked very well for me shooting across canyons. If I have the elevation right and line up on my flag where I was, and then have the distance its pretty solid process.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Oct 5, 2018
Messages
2,042
Location
Colorado
Toilet paper is a far better marking material then flaging tape. Sucks seeing that tape laying around for years.
Definitely annoying to find orange flagging all over the place. People just need to pick it up.

Not sure about using TP though. I don't see that holding up in rain or high wind and it could be a little hard to see it in the snow...
 

Dave_

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 3, 2017
Messages
173
Location
Austin, TX
All good info. Also unless you see it fall don't start whopping, hollaring, & recording your videos for the gram yet. Be silent for a good long while and listen for a death moans, crashes, hoofs, rocks etc. Don't be the dude that's yelling you "smoked him!" celebrating early and then can't find the bull.


Espscially with a bow. I had a bull a few years ago I wasn't sure where arrow hit, only 1-2 drops of blood at shot site, a crazy matrix of fresh tracks and sign everywhere. I heard the death moan ~1.5 hours after the shot on the other side of the drainage 200-250 yards away while giving the bull some time to sit. Single lung & liver shot.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 

Rich M

WKR
Joined
Jun 14, 2017
Messages
5,531
Location
Orlando
Don’t take this wrong but you are doing something wrong.

Why are your critters running 100 yards or more? Im not a superstar but have 100 or so kills and only a handful have run when shot w rifle only 3 or 4 more than 100 yards.

3006 w 150 gr, 357 mag w 158 gr, 350 Legend w 165 gr. Nothing special and nothing over 350 yards.

If you have onX you can mark the exact spot of the hit before walking over. Should wait an hour if hit w bow, critter should be dead within 5 minutes of a good rifle hit.
 

Wellsdw

WKR
Joined
Jul 11, 2017
Messages
487
Location
Belews Creek NC
One different suggestion I’d have is make contact prior to season with some dog handlers in your area. In recent years it’s become legal to use leashed recovery dogs in about every state. United blood trackers is a good resource to make contact with handlers.

Other than that, if you think you’ve waited long enough…… wait longer
 
  • Like
Reactions: MJB

SDHNTR

WKR
Joined
Aug 30, 2012
Messages
7,002
YES! So refreshing to see a thread about actual hunting and woodsmanship skills. The nerdy ffp vs sfp, moa vs mils and tactical shooting threads been getting worn out around here!
 

SDHNTR

WKR
Joined
Aug 30, 2012
Messages
7,002
All good info. Also unless you see it fall don't start whopping, hollaring, & recording your videos for the gram yet. Be silent for a good long while and listen for a death moans, crashes, hoofs, rocks etc. Don't be the dude that's yelling you "smoked him!" celebrating early and then can't find the bull.


Espscially with a bow. I had a bull a few years ago I wasn't sure where arrow hit, only 1-2 drops of blood at shot site, a crazy matrix of fresh tracks and sign everywhere. I heard the death moan ~1.5 hours after the shot on the other side of the drainage 200-250 yards away while giving the bull some time to sit. Single lung & liver shot.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
Even if you do see it fall, don’t think it’s all over!

I whacked a giant 5pt a few years ago and knocked him flat on his ass in thick brush. Whooping and hollering and high fives ensued. Was the biggest 5 anyone had ever seen. I walked up there 20-30 min later to claim my trophy only to find torn up snow and two small drops of blood. I followed the tracks for close to two miles. The bull was never found again. Still alive somewhere. Just clipped the spinous process, stunned him hard, then he got up…
 

Stalker69

WKR
Joined
Apr 12, 2019
Messages
1,801
Definitely annoying to find orange flagging all over the place. People just need to pick it up.

Not sure about using TP though. I don't see that holding up in rain or high wind and it could be a little hard to see it in the snow...
In the snow ? Why in the world would you need it in the snow, you can see the tracks themselves. Snow is the best tracking material there is ! Wind use a small rock or twig to hold it in place, same thing you would do with flagging.
 
Joined
Jul 7, 2018
Messages
959
Location
Montana
A few years ago I shot a whitetail buck over in Idaho that decided to tumble down a steep escarpment after it was hit. I used a Chemlight on a tree branch to mark the location I went down, and left one on a snag next to the buck when I got down to him. Made it easy for my buddy to find me, and for us to locate the deer again.

I have since used chemlights for tracking deer in the evening shot during archery season. Just leave one light where the deer was hit, or arrow was located. Then one chemlight at the last spot of blood you track. Gives a good direction of travel in the dark where you lose landmarks and allows you to walk right up to your animal. Like having a lighted back azimuth, and is quicker than looking up your tracks on the garmin for reference.
 
Joined
Oct 5, 2018
Messages
2,042
Location
Colorado
In the snow ? Why in the world would you need it in the snow, you can see the tracks themselves. Snow is the best tracking material there is ! Wind use a small rock or twig to hold it in place, same thing you would do with flagging.
Using TP as a marking device in place of orange flagging would be - at best - an improvisational tactic. If the best reason you can come up with to use TP is that it's more bio-degradable than flagging if left out in the wild I'll say this; Don't leave either one out there, ehh? But TP? Here is why I would never use it unless it were an emergency. And not that type of emergency.

Snow; Maybe in a new fresh perfect snow you can easily track and not need any kind of flagging. What about when the snow is patchy and a few days old or fresh but already mostly melted out by 11am? Now you're looking for pieces of white TP amongst lingering snow on the ground and on branches etc.? Why not just use camo flagging at that point?

Wind; it's a lot easier to tie flagging to a branch and not worry about it blowing away because it's not paper thin. Hope you at least use 2 ply.

Rain; TP in the rain? Just no. What if it rains all night and eventually all the TP you used as flagging is you know, how wet TP looks?
 
Top