Blood trailing wounded deer

If a buck lies down, gets back up and runs off, stay on the trail for this trophy.

As much as a bow hunter may dislike it, some knowledge of blood trailing is required for those occasional times when a shot is taken just as a deer begins to move. The result may be the arrow entrance wound is off slightly, and a trailing job is required.

There are several rules to follow. The first is to use people with excellent vision to follow the blood trail. I used to be sharp on spotting blood until glaucoma robbed me of some of my vision.

Now, I am always ready to help. I always stay with the last blood as people with keen eyesight take the blood trail. I help keep the trailers centered and keep us from following a blood trail that we've already covered.

Three people make an ideal trailing team. Forget the mob scene.

Another part of a this necessary trailing job is to limit the number of participants. Mob scenes with six or eight people casting about for sign makes an easy job much more difficult. Often, blood can only be seen when traveling in one direction, and too many people usually manage to trample most of the sign into the ground or snow. Use only those people who have demonstration a keen ability to spot blood, know enough to check other trail when the sign is lost, and who can anticipate when the wounded animal is close.

We've learned over many years to give suspect (those hits that may not be immediately fatal) two hours before we take up the track. We head back to the house, relax, warm up, have something to eat, and then return to pick up the track. Often, if the shot is suspect, a two-hour wait will result in finding the deer immediately.

Here's how we do it: Two people take the track with each person walking two or three feet off to each side of the trail. A third person hangs back to stay with the last blood sign. Lacking a third person, small strips of white tissue paper or orange surveyor's tape will work although it won't prevent someone from doubling back and picking up the same blood trail again. A person sticking with the last blood can usually help prevent unintentional back tracking.

The two men work slowly if necessary or fast if a good blood trail is present. It's important they don't over-run the blood trail very far.

A wounded deer usually follow a well established trail, and then start to circle or meander around as blood loss takes over. Or, the trail may peter out and the trailers must spread out, and follow other trails until more blood is found again. Often, if a deer is hit on higher ground, the animal will almost always head downhill and back toward bedding cover.

Stay with the blood trails and don’t get off that trail.

I was with a friend who wounded a deer. He has eyes like an eagle, and saw where the deer entered heavy cover. The blood trail was weak but we found several places where it laid down and bled, and then got back up and ran without bleeding at all. We found the animal only 75 yards into the woods, but some of the trailing was done on our hands and knees, and covering those 75 yards took us over one hour.

It's important to know where the deer was hit, and often the hair color or texture will indicate the wound location. As much as a blood trail is important, and a knowledge of hair color and texture is, it's vitally important to see where the arrow struck the animal.

A deer hit in the guts or liver should be given at least two hours to lay down and stiffen up. A minor flesh wound, if quickly followed, will result in a fast trailing job. The faster the travel, the less chance there is of the blood clotting, and the greater the chance of recovery. However, such marathon trailing jobs may cover a mile or two as the deer continue to run in front of us.

Hunters must learn to think like a deer. Most deer will stick to main deer trails, but as they begin to weaken, they often begin to circle, bump into trees or stumble. That deer is usually recovered within 25 to 50 yards.

Use a Game Tracker when bow hunting. It will help hunters recover more deer.

We advocate the use of a Game Tracker tracking device. It gives us a clear line of travel, but sometimes the line will break. The longer the string stays with a wounded deer, the better the chance of recovery.

There is an art to blood trailing a deer. It's not difficult to learn, but experience is a great teacher. None of us enjoy a blood trailing job, and most of us don't enjoy moving through the woods after dark, but it is a job that ethical deer hunters must do.

Reducing a wounded deer to possession is our No. 1 priority. Giving up on a blood trail after five minutes is not acceptable. We stay on the trail until it becomes obvious that the wound is not life-threatening, and even then, we often return the next day and try again. Sometimes coming back during daylight hours will make successful blood trailing much easier.

One important thing to remember is that an unrecovered animal will usually be tracked down by a pack of coyotes, and they will eat a deer alive. Nothing should suffer that kind of death. Coyotes are on the rise everywhere that deer are found, and often it becomes a race to see who gets to the deer first.

True deer hunters respect the animals we hunt, and following a blood trail to the deer is what we do. It's our responsibility to do so.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors