ORIGINAL: Dr Andy
Foamy bright red blood tip to nock=dead deer, give em a little time and go get him. Dark red, last half of arrow might be liver, give em plenty of time, hours,may also be a flesh wound. Green smelly stuff on arrow=gut shot give em 6-8hrs.
Well said. If your nose isn't very good try looking for bits of leaves and grains on the shaft. If ya can't smell you can see.
I have only lost 1 deer and that was a buddies. It started to snow! BIG wet flakes that mounted to 2-3" in 10-15min. We had to get out. We wnet back the next morning and I tracked it another 200yds until a clearing. Just too many tracks to work with. I found the trail a couple of times by looking for odd steps a nd then kicking the snow aside until I found the smallest bit of red. Got on her trail again and lost it in the next clearing....... I just couldn't find it.