This post comes to you as a precaution to many posts from the past few years seasons. Hopefully you'll find something here or within those posts that follow that may likely help you find a downed animal you might otherwise have lost or bumped. I think that the biggest reason many animals are not recovered is one of two...1, the animal isn't dead and the bigger and more important 2, the animal is bumped.

What you do following the shot may be the most important decision you make in the hunt. I lead as an example my best buck to date I shot last year and recovered not due to an incredible shot but what I did following the shot.

After I released the arrow is when the real hunter, the real woodsman came out rather than leading up to the shot. I knew I made a bad hit, HOW? I use bright fletch so I can see my arrow in flight as well as/if the arrow stays in the animal. I used binoculars to follow the animal. Bino's are one piece of equipment many fail to take saying things like if I can't see the animal I can't shoot anyway, etc..but I find binoculars to be invaluable when watching an animal after a shot, looking for blood from the treestand and when trailing to look ahead for a bedded animal.

Okay, I determined I had a bad shot. It was far back, angling forward but the indications from the arrow and watching with the bino's I doubted I had anything more than guts, maybe just maybe liver. I knew right then and there I was in for a long wait. A gut shot animal deserves at least a 6 hour preferable 8 hour wait. I've seen animals get up after just 5 hours, sick but they still go a long way. I waited 4 hours in the stand. This gave me a chance to scout for next season. I saw 4 more bucks, one a very good one I hoped to see this year but I heard he was poached last rifle season. I got down after 4 hours and left the woods for a couple more hours. I came back around 8.5 hours after the shot, found where I last saw the animal and sure enough 50 yards into the woods I found the animal bedded.

I am a firm believe that if left alone to die, all animals will lay within 250 yards of where they are hit....if left alone and not bumped...that is the important factor..after being bumped, they can and will go a long way.

Now let's hear on what to do and what not to do after the shots from everyone. Perhaps together, we won't have the lost animal syndrome like we've had in the past.

Here is my guide lines for success....

If you don't know where the shot went, minimum of 4 hours wait, possibly more that is why it is critical to see the shot and why I use bright arrows.

If you think you have double lungs, you should either see or hear the animal go down, if you don't see or hear the animal go down, wait as long as you can, more than the usual half hour if possible. You have nothing to loose, if the animal is dead, he's not going anywhere.

If you have a liver shot, at least and hour suggestively longer. Again, this is a eye witness visual hit, if your not sure, wait longer.

Many hunters think they see what the hit was and most of the time we are mistaken. Wait as long as possible to trail and recover the animal. Again, if the animal is dead, it's not going anywhere.

If possible, leave the woods quietly and get help. They are a pain to drag by yourself and help is always good in that respect. I have many friends who wait for the call as do I when they have an animal hit.

If the shot is right at dark, if you can come back in the morning, do so. If coyotes are a factor in the recovery of the game, sneek to the last visual location, quietly and sit and wait. Listen for activity. Coyotes will normally sound off when they find an animal down to signal other pack members and in return, signal you to the animals location.

No not all of this is foolproof however I promise if you heed the advice and the animal is mortally wounded, if you leave the animal to expire you'll find him close to your location. This is where it's important to know the property you are hunting on, know where the arrow struck the animal and know what to do following the shot.

I hope to hear all of your success stories in the upcoming season. Be safe out there, use your safety harness's, follow your local game laws, hunt safe and shoot straight.

For a complete guide to deers anatomy, see www.kerrlake.com/deer/white2.htm

<font color=blue>Good Luck and Good Shooting</font id=blue>

<font color=red>Rob</font id=red>



Edited by - Rob/PA Bowyer on 09/03/2002 13:26:17