I was reading while my daughter had her endoscopy yesterday and the article said that after you make the shot and the deer disappears out of sight, instead of waiting before tracking you should get down and put a marker at the spot where you hit the deer and then another marker at the spot you last saw the deer, and then wait. This will help keep you accurate when you start to track.

The other part that was interesting was while doing your search, glass thickets for horizontal lines of a deer laying down and antlers before you approach too close so if the deer is wounded and not expired yet, you are less likely to kick it up and have to track further.

What do you all think?

They sound like good tips to me.

I’m not so keen on marking the last place you saw the deer. I think a mental note is better. The deer could be bedded 10 yards from where you last saw it.

I'd rather just take a mental note of where I last saw the deer last and sit tight for a while if I did not see him go down.

Being cautious while trailing as explained in teh second PP is a good idea though.

I shoot a practice arrow into the ground where the buck was standing when I shot.
Things always look different from the ground or after darkness sets in.

I do mentally mark both of those spots immediately (and continue to stare at them while I wait to ingrain them in my mind)- but wouldn't do it physically. The deer could be just out of sight and not done...could be detrimental to your track. Glassing thickets for horizontals is good for sure...and if you DO see the deer and its head is UP... or laying chin down (like a dog) it ain't done. Tread lightly...

I agree with RackLuster. I wouldn't try to approach the place where I last saw the deer. He could be very close to that spot. I always carry my little Knight & Hale "Beacon" light and hang it over the arrow and point the arrow in the direction the deer ran.

Exactly why there's always a fieldtip in my quiver.

Perhaps it's from years of birdhunting, mentally marking where a bird falls in an open fieldand doing the same with every deer I've shot. I don't think you need to get down right away and place a marker.What if the deer beds down right after you lose sight if it? If you move in right away...we all know what can happen.I think it's best to wait.As far as looking for horizontal lines and antlers, seems like common sense. Look for those same things while hunting too.

I cannot disagree more with the first one. Sit there and don’t move. Gather as many mental markers as you can regarding impact & last place seen. Physically moving to those spots to mark them is dumb.


Yes, its always a good idea to “keep your head up” while tracking incase the deer is still alive or just to save yourself time on the trail.