Wow gentleman, I'm impressed! Posts came rolling in with some very good ideas. Everyone put down some good information we all can consider and add to our own repertoire or bag of tracking tips!
I must say, a few posts caught my eye. The first was from 7.62NATO, where he suggests:
"
WAIT for at least 30 minutes before trying to track a wounded deer"
This I believe is where trouble starts for many of us. Through the excitement, etc, we often take to the trail too fast and bump the deer that should have been given more time to expire. Sometimes we may witness a bad hit, like far back liver or possible gut shot, then we should consider waiting up to 6 hours or more.
The next tidbit of advice comes from zrexpilot when he explains:
"
biggest tip is knowing exactly, and I mean exactly where he was standing at the time of the shot."
I find this to be vital, because while some may feel it isn't that important if you skip to where you last saw the deer and start trailing from there, but you miss something in that process.
If you do as zrexpilot suggests, the exact spot where the deer was standing, can lead to some crucial evidence. One can maybe identify what part of the deer was struck by what the blood looks like there, what kind of hair was found and if there are bone fragments or tallow/fat at the scene. This info can better give you an idea of shot placement and how to track accordingly.
The biggest tip of all, for me anyway, hits on something I value in life, and that is the tip offered up by Jimmy S. as he says:
"
I believe persistence is the biggest factor in recovering a wounded deer. I honestly believe many hunters give up too soon."
I too believe in persistence... BIG TIME! The reasons are obvious, but I've learned a person can achieve big things if they don't give up and keep being persistent.
Great info guys! A post filled with info we can all learn from.
Thank you very much!
iSnipe