Sound advice here for blood trailing. The first things I do after a shot is listen for a while then take out my compass. Usually after the shot I can here the deer crash through the woods then one load crash or a dull thud. To me, this is the likely spot the deer went down. I take a compass reading of where I shot the deer, where I last saw the deer and where I last heard the deer. As most of you stated, everything looks different on the ground or after you have been turned around for a while, but a compass reading will always be the same. If I do not find blood at the first spot, I know by the compass reading the direction I have to go, as it is the line the deer traveled. I try never to skip ahead and always stay on the blood trail. I have recovered deer withpoor to noblood trails by walking the compass bearing to the last sound. I just stay on the bearing looking for the deer or any sign. This is especially helpful on rifle hunting when the shots can be greater distances.
On very difficult tracks I will occasionally hang tissue paper in the trees at blood spots. This gives me a place to go back to if I get off on a different trail, allows me to look back and see the general path the deer was running and is quickly biodegradable if I forget to pick them up.

I don't know about ya'll, but I am NEVER comfortable, or even consider the deer dead, or "mine" until I find it. Never. Tracking is a very uneasy time for me. It makes me quite nervous. I guess one of the things I always do is analyze the splatter, even if it is just a mere drop, to determine direction of travel.

When a drop of blood hits the ground, it's of course moving the same speed as the deer. When it hits the ground, it will splatter in the direction it was moving, "pointing" if you will, to the direction the deer was headed at that drop.

As far as superstitions or what have you.......I don't really have any. My stomach is in knots enough as it is w/out that added pressure.

Oh...I know, MO......I know