Author Topic: Tracking shot game... (Read 1294 times)

huntswithdogs · « **on:** December 16, 2011, 06:00:20 AM »

Is it a lost art? When I was in training with my dad and others, I was taught to pay attention to where the deer was WHEN you shot. Also pay attention to where you last see the deer. You started at where the deer was shot, looking for blood. You walked towards where you last saw the deer, usually finding blood starting within 10 ft of where it was shot. You then stayed off to one side and followed the blood to the deer. This was done after waiting for at least 15 minutes. With a perfect shot right behind the shoulder it may go 30yds or 200yds. It depended on the deer.

Unless a deer is hit dead square center in the shoulder(destroying entirely too much meat in my opinion), head shot or has it's spinal column disrupted, it's gonna run. Period. How far is up to the deer. I've shot deer with stuff from 12 slugs on down to 22 centerfire and with the exceptions listed above, they run. So many folks on this and other forums complain about a deer falling 50yds from where it was shot. Some complain about no penetration, over penetration, holes blown out big enough to stick your fist in or the lack of. They want them DEAD RIGHT THERE(DTR) and blame it on the caliber, bullets or whatever else they can come up with to explain or accuse of something that's natural...to run when hurt.

I realize that I'm probably gonna get slammed for this, but I needed to get it outa my system. Maybe I'm not explaining or expressing myself enough. Heck I may not even have my feelings worded correctly and may add more as I think about it. I just needed to get this out and vent a bit.

Oh, a little history on me. I'm 52, I've hunted since I was 10 and have killed a whole bunch of game(big and small) over the years. I don't have any idea as to how many deer I killed, but it's a lot so I have an idea and a clue when I talk about this.

HWD

Silvertp · « **Reply #1 on:** December 16, 2011, 06:54:34 PM »

Only thing I'd add is to check for hair at the location where the deer (or what ever) was standing. After you've skun a bunch of deer you start identifying the different kinds of hair / color / length/ found on various parts of the body. Finding hair can give a good indication about the location of bullet or arrow strike.

Sometimes only a drop or two of blood can be found. In those cases I sacrifice a little of my toilet-paper which I hang near each drop of blood. Helps determine the line of travel and makes it easier to find your last drop if you have to start over.

Silvertp

curteric · « **Reply #2 on:** December 17, 2011, 01:13:17 AM »

Silvertp: Thanks for sacrificing some of your TP. It goes away in the first rain. There is nothing I dislike more that finding plastic flagging tape hanging in the woods. When I run across plastic tape I remove it.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #3 on:** December 17, 2011, 02:03:21 AM »

Ill argue a little bit. I shoot MANY deer every year. For the most part I shoot them behind the shoulder half way up the deer. At least thats my aiming point. I shoot the at ranges between 50 and 450 yards. I use alot of differnt guns and caliblers to do it. The gun you pick does have a big determination in getting a one shot bang flop kill and chasing a deer for a bit. Example would be a deer at 300 yards. Shot with a 140 grain 7 mag or something simular probably half the deer will drop at the shot and very few will go more then 50 yards. Shot with a 308, 257 ect. it will be rare to drop one. They will all die and die realitivly quick but your probably going to do a bit of tracking. Now if im hunting a spot where i know tracking is going to be difficult or if weather (rain) is a factor i will shoot them right on the shoulder. Id rather loose a bit of meat then loose an entire deer.

Head shots or spine shots are never taken past a 100 yards. To easy to wound a deer with a shot to such a small target and you will be a lucky sob if theres any blood trail to follow. Head shooters are stunt shooters in my opinion. If you want to anchor a deer the biggest trick is to use the right equiptment. I hear all the time guys saying cup and core bullets are to fragile. HOGWASH! Shoot any deer behind the shoulder with a 264mag or a 7mag using a 120-140 grain cup and core bullet or something simular at any range out to 300 yards and more times then not your going to walk up and put your tag on a deer. Once in a while your going to get a bit of meat damage but ive found that even those violent loads very seldom waste meat if the shot is precise. Take the same gun and load barnes bullets or even some of the bonded core bullets and other premiums and theres a good chance your going to get a chance to use your tracking skills. It may not be far but sometimes even a short track can be very challanging. Me ill take a bit of meat damage to insure a quicker kill. Less tracking and less time that animal is running off hurting.

As to how to track. My best advice is to be the deer. A wounded deer more times then not will take the easiest path. Look around for any natural trails. Especially those the dont involve hills. Just say to yourself if i had to run wounded where would i run. Ive found deer that way that have traveled a good distance and didnt blead a drop. Between that and knowing exactly where you shot it. will recover most deer. Most guys i have helped get so excited when they shoot that they dont know where the exact spot was or where the deer went into the woods. Get in the habbit of telling yourself just as your about to shoot to pick out some landmark that will help you know where the deer is and tell yourself not to take your eyes off the deer and pick a landmark where it went in the woods. Most deer will also try to go pretty much staight to put as much real estate between you and them. So if you know both spots you know the direction. Add that to looking for the easiest path and ill bet you find a deer alot of times even without blood.

jackruff · « **Reply #4 on:** December 17, 2011, 01:13:23 PM »

Quote from: Silvertp on December 16, 2011, 06:54:34 PM

. Helps determine the line of travel and makes it easier to find your last drop if you have to start over.

Silvertp

The toilet paper also makes it easier to find your way back to where you started!

Empty Quiver · « **Reply #5 on:** December 17, 2011, 01:50:23 PM »

I've always shot deer with arrows so expect to track. I have been very disappointed at how poorly bullet shot deer bleed though.

At the shot I watch the deer as far as I can see it then I mark where I lost sight and immediately take a compass heading to that spot. Trees change their look as you move through the woods, that compass heading won't change though. To be honest I just follow that compass to the spot I last saw the deer. Then I look for blood. If I can find the trail 100 yards from the impact site well I'm that much further down the trail. If for some reason I don't find spoor I'll go back but generally I can find something.

Another thing about that compass heading. You will find the animal has pretty well figured out the straight line to where they want to go. If I get really stymied I stay on that heading while searching. It ain't always perfect but it has served me well over the years. Of course typography can change things but on the Illinois pool table topography hills were measured in inches not feet.

Silvertp · « **Reply #6 on:** December 17, 2011, 02:01:49 PM »

Curteric...Im with you on the plastic ribbon. I tear down every piece I see in the woods. Ribbon is almost as bad as "paper plates" that have directional arrows on them and are nailed to a tree.

Lloyd made some good comments about bullet placement in regard to potential for tracking game. Head and neck shots have to be among the worst. Yes, with precise placement they will drop most any animal in its tracks. All to often they result in a long track job, and possibly a game animal lost to die a long and painful death. Ive helped recover 3 "headshot" deer. Two were recovered after long track jobs and had most of their jaws shot off, not a pretty sight. One deer died very quickly after having its tongue severed and it left a blood trail that even I could follow.

Hunts with Dogs: Given your screen name Im just guessing that you have used your dogs on occasion to recover wounded game? Must admit my Labs have helped me out on occasion.

Silvertp

BBF · « **Reply #7 on:** December 18, 2011, 04:04:58 AM »

+1 for dogs !!

jackruff · « **Reply #8 on:** December 18, 2011, 08:43:05 AM »

Years ago we hunted deer with hounds. There was lots of open land and relatively few deer. I shot my first buck in front of a pack of Walker hounds. It was a great tradition. It's still legal, but very few do it now because most land is now leased and is not accessible. Tracking wounded deer on the other hand is greatly enhanced by a good dog. Currently one of our group has a yellow lab that is very good at both retrieving ducks and trailing and finding wounded deer.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #9 on:** December 19, 2011, 12:56:27 AM »

I was informed this year by a guy that it was legal in MI to track with a dog. I allways thought it was a no no. We used the buddys dog once this year and it sure saved us!

huntswithdogs · « **Reply #10 on:** December 20, 2011, 05:51:11 AM »

Silver,
Until last year(I think) it was agin the law to use a dog to find a wounded deer in Va.
The huntswithdogs moniker comes from when I was rabbit hunting a lot with my and others beagles.

HWD

Silvertp · « **Reply #11 on:** December 21, 2011, 05:58:05 AM »

huntswithdogs...

Makes sense to allow dogs for locating wounded game. After all no one should want a deer or other game animal to go to waste. No different than duck hunting.

I used to do a lot of rabbit hunting with my Beagle "Sport". Lots of fun and good eating.

Silvertp

deersearch · « **Reply #12 on:** December 30, 2011, 04:18:34 PM »

You should all check out www.unitedbloodtrackers.org they have a state by state current listing of the laws and yes a lot of states are warming up to tracking wounded deer with a dog. My dog cooper made alot of hunter happy this year with his finds. And with that I will say a wounded deer will do just about anything. Ive tracked them straight up hills to find them dead at the top. I will say that most of my deer will find the thickest crap to crawl in to. John Jeanneney just finished a good book called DEAD ON! In the book he goes over all types of shots and what to look for, when and how to track. Also what types of shots should be avoided. this book goes over both bow and guns...

chefjeff · « **Reply #13 on:** December 30, 2011, 04:38:08 PM »

Hey,thanks 4D link....

bigswede · « **Reply #14 on:** January 27, 2012, 06:32:36 PM »

[quote author=huntswithdogs link=topic=247218.msg1099432227#msg1099432227 date=1324054820
Unless a deer is hit dead square center in the shoulder(destroying entirely too much meat in my opinion), head shot or has it's spinal column disrupted, it's gonna run. Period.

HWD

I agree that many people, especially newer hunters don't know how to track game. I have had many people tell me, it ran off after I shot, so I must have missed. These people usually get an eat full. I will argue with you though about deer running off. I shoot nothing but cup and core bullets in everything from 7mm-08 up to my 375 Ruger and all my many 35's in between. Most of my shots are in the lungs behind the shoulders, the majority of the time the deer just fall over. This goes for whitetails, mulies, and elk. Of course with anything there are always exceptions. Several years back i had a nice 4x4 whitetail in my sights, where he was at I didn't want him to go anywhere, so I shot him right through both shoulder blades with my 358 Norma and a 250 Hornady. The darn deer didn't even fall down at the shot, he took off running with no lungs and no shoulders. He made it about 60 yds before he relized he was dead. Just my .02

jackruff · « **Reply #15 on:** January 29, 2012, 03:48:22 AM »

It's just completely unpredictable. I've had them do everything you can imagine after being hit. In addition to hunting with rifles I have also hunted with recurves and longbows for many years. Several times I've had deer shot with an arrow drop on the spot. The largest buck I ever shot with a longbow did that!

zacharoo · « **Reply #16 on:** January 29, 2012, 01:55:38 PM »

Break the shoulder. To old to track and don't like to carry!!!!
Zaqcharoo

Flash · « **Reply #17 on:** February 01, 2012, 01:18:10 AM »

Actually, I never had to track a deer. I had them run but never too far. I was always one to let my rifle solve the tracking issue.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #18 on:** February 01, 2012, 01:33:36 AM »

there is alot you can do to reduce the amount of times youll have to track. One is like zach said shoot them in the shoulder instead of behind it but ill say this. If youve never tracked a deer you just havent shot many. I shoot upwards of 50 a year and out of that id say at least a half a dozen require tracking and many of those were well hit deer with guns many of you would think an overkill for whitetail.

Quote from: Flash on February 01, 2012, 01:18:10 AM

Actually, I never had to track a deer. I had them run but never too far. I was always one to let my rifle solve the tracking issue.

Flash · « **Reply #19 on:** February 01, 2012, 04:05:38 AM »

Lloyd, if "many" is 50 per year, you're right.