how to find wounded deer
 

I always faced with the trouble of trying to find a wounded deer but never find it. Can anyone offer any ideas on how to fix this problem.

RE: how to find wounded deer
 

Find it!

It is only ethical to take shots at distances, and in situations that you whole-heartedly believe you can successfully make. I believe that each and every shot made should be final, wait or let it walk if need be.

RE: how to find wounded deer
 

I would first work on the problem of having bad hits on the deer. You need to become familiar with the location of the deer's vitals from all angles and do a lot more practice with the weapon of choice. As to the locating of a wounded deer if you have a hard to follow blood trail you can take pieces of tissue paper and mark the droplets as you go and sometimes you can look back and get a line on the general direction the deer is going.

RE: how to find wounded deer
 

Right now, I can see uncle matt sticking his chest out while looking down at you saying this feeling real good about himself from the keyboard.:D

Anyway, If you havn't lost a deer ever, you havn't hunted much.I dont' know why webpages brings this arrogance out in hunters.Alot of things can work against you in the woods, maybe a twig you didn't see, maybe the deerjumped the arrow, maybe you are way too excited on the shot. Only time and experience can help you with excitement.

But, I will tell you this. Most of deer recovery is pure confidence and determination. Before tracking, really go over it in your head. Where was the hit? did you see the arrow sticking out? Did you recover the arrow? What did the blood look like on the arrow? dark red? light red? etc. If you think you gut shot it, not all is lost. Just retreat out of the arear (or stay in your tree), opposite the deer went, come back 8 hours later. No kidding, 8 hours later. If the blood has air bubbles in it, or your confident you hit the lungs/heart, come back hour later.

Also if you have trouble tracking deer, stay away from wet days or rainy days. They can be troublesome. Pick days where the leaves are pretty dry. Also stay away from hunting grounds with high reeds.

All you need now is confidense. Lastly, don't get too many buddies out there. One is all you need, two maybe if the guy is a good tracker. Everyone likes to think of themselves as a good tracker, but most are not. I am not. But I have confidense thru some bad experiences.

RE: how to find wounded deer
 

don't feel bad it happens to everyone at some point or another. This past wednesday I stuck one of the nicest bucks of my life, I had blood everywhere and then I couldn't find him before dark. I looked the next day but had no success, I haven't seen any buzzards so I hope he is still alive. I was sure he wasn't going anywhere I put a great shot on him, but it happens, thats just part of hunting. I wouldn't take that shot back for anything, I would have kicked myself harder if I hadn't shot

RE: how to find wounded deer
 

Ah mud flinging frommetro, uh I mean bigcountry at old uncle matt. Funny stuff there.I know phil didn't post in crayon, but it still reads the same. "I always faced with the trouble of trying to find a wounded deer but never find it. Can anyone offer any ideas how to fix this problem."

Couple of words stand out there in hispost. A-L-W-A-Y-S &
N-E-V-E-R. Those words deal with absolutes.

I beleive that my advise will help him avoid this problem he has ALWAYS been experiencing and hopefully make it a problem only occasionally but ideally never a problem again. The best way to deal with a problem is don't let it be a problem in the first place, right?

If teaching better blood trailing of poorly hit animals is your idea of hunting or fixing the problem phil descibed - what ever floats your boat.

I hope no one took my comments as arrogant and I don't think it was. That is what I teach - if you don't think you can place the shot and quickly take the animal, wait or let it walk.

I cringe at the thought of someone beleiving that because they are a good blood tracker (or have someone available that is) that that is justification for taking poor/unethicalshots or flinging lead or arrows. I will never condone or teach such a thing.

And no my chest doesn't stick out any more these days without great effort. The muscles to do that have moved south.

RE: how to find wounded deer
 

You never have to worry about me hiding my identiy or location or anything. So as far as metro, that was your guys little childish tif.

Come on matt, your advise helps noone but your ego. You know it, and i know it. I say either give someone some useful advise or dont' waste time. Like you post, if you can't give advise, just pass up on the shot to shoot up your ego, and wait until theirs a post.your able to give good advise.:D

Nobody wants to take a bad shot we all desire those awesom heart shots where's there's a perfect X in the heart. Sooner or later theirs always going to be bad shots.All is not lost from a bad shot. In fact, rarely is all lost if you can controlyour anticipation, think what your doing. Tell the guy shoot better or wait, is a known, and a waste.

RE: how to find wounded deer
 

I didn't read any other post so i am sorry if I sound like a echo.

There is a wonderful book by John Trout Jr i believe. It is called trailing wounded whitetales. I actully just bought it this weekend because someone else on the sight suggested it. So far it is a very informative book. I have yet to lose a deer (knock on wood) but I am sure I will be posed with this problem someday. The book cost 15 bucks and I believe it is well worth it. With that being said time is very key in finding a deer. It ranks right after shot placement in my opinion. There is a forum in the bowhunting section and that would also be well worth a read for your question.

RE: how to find wounded deer
 

i have never had a problem finding my deer but have had prob with helping others.big thing is make sure you have a good clean shot and make it count..a lot of guys make a shot a little to far back and they find their arrow and its all bloody and they think it was a kill shot.not the case.....shot placement is critical.next let it go for a while before tracking it...a lot of guys get excited and i know i do but ya have to wait...if not good chance you will kick that deer up and then ya just have to keep looking....mainly make a good shot and watch very closely where the deer goes and listen to see if ya can hear him crash....

RE: how to find wounded deer
 

If you decide you have no control and just have to let somethingfly there will certainly be bad shots eventually.

But metro, it is obvious the way you hunt and the way I hunt are two different things.

RE: how to find wounded deer
 

Man, whats with this freakin metro crap. I mean, your a relative new bowhunter with a bear bow. I mean how much experience do you have to say it? 2-3years???? Give me a break. You may have the age, but in bowhunters terms, your a babe. Come back and talk to me when get like 20 under your belt.

RE: how to find wounded deer
 

I don't have to justify my "credentials" to anyone let alone joey bag of donuts.I may have not bow hunted every yearbut I'm no newbie by any stretch.

Anyway, as far as my advice it it applies equally to firearm or string hunting. If you get off on blood trailing - have at it.

By the way..............

your tennis shoes are blue.

your socks need changing (real bad).

You are in advanced stages of pigeon-toe.

Your toe nails need trimming.
(WORSE THAN YOUR SOCKS NEED TO BE CHANGED!).

RE: how to find wounded deer
 

Right!!:D:D You have to track a firearms kill very far???? Goodness, you and I do hunt differently. Listen you pick up the gun, you put the crosshairs behind the shoulder, its that simple uncle matt. No tracking should be involved. Sounds like you need to practice more.


Here is aquestionsyou needed to ask about bowhunting just a few years ago. Scary from a big expert thats no newbie by any means:D.

Quote:
4) Fourth - How do I start shooting? At what? What distances? What type of arrows? How much practice before actually drawing down on an animal? Hay bales? I don't know.

RE: how to find wounded deer
 

Yep I asked those questions. I hadn't shot a bow in years and was going to a compound as opposed to an old recurve so I had some questions - so I asked.

I don't have a birth gift of all knowledge, like some people.

Donut anyone?

RE: how to find wounded deer
 

Anybody that would ask those questions, has never shot a recurve or any other bow. In fact, thats about silly for a grown man to have to ask. Busted. Found a bag full of hot air over here.

RE: how to find wounded deer
 

I'll just stick by my original response to the question. A good shot will avoid any big blood trailing fiascos.

As far as the bag of hot air, I thought you were only self trained to find bags of donuts.

RE: how to find wounded deer
 

First, make the shot count! If you can't hit the heart/lung area then don't shoot!

If the shot was bad, wait several HOURS before taking up the trail. Look for itsy butsy drops of blood. Sometimes they can be the size of a pin head. Look for turned over leaves. Look for the easiest route. Look for blood on the sides of taller plants. Take your time. If the deer is dead it won't go anywhere.

RE: how to find wounded deer
 

Well, I can't eat donuts, I am diabetic. I know you got the wrong person.

RE: how to find wounded deer
 

Way to high jack a post ladies. I am sure the thread starter is getting plenty of good information from you two bickering back and forth. Good first impression. Be proud!!!!!

RE: how to find wounded deer
 

Well, you and I both gave good info. Not sure if a person can give more over the internet. I am curious myself how this gerber light works. I haven't seen too many good reports. I know I have trouble sometimes at night, and it keeps me from bowhunting eveningstoo much cause I know the animal can spoil overnight.

Anybody got a report on the gerber carn.?

I have also tryed the pyroxide spray before, with limited succes, just about everything bubbles in the woods however.

One thing I have found is two-three people max, and have one person stay in place on blood and start circling. Don't hesitate to have another person go like 50-100 yards away to look. I have seen it too many times where a friend has found blood really far away.

One other tip, i have found is, they generally go downhille when hit and usually go to water. They will stick close to a creek usually, and usually down downstream. Seen that alot too. Not a hard rule, but something to keep in mind.

RE: how to find wounded deer
 

I like to use surveyers flags and track alone or one other person (usally my brother) put the flags at the blood and you can see a pattern some times a direction of travel. But please if this is a reoccuring problem some thing is wrong with your shot placement or choice of calibur practice or check with experienced hunter to correct this. Everybody that hunts for very long will have a bad hit and have to trail a animal or two.Its just suspicious if its every time, Good luck !!!

RE: how to find wounded deer
 

I have used the peroxide but only in or after the rain. It save the day once for me. I also use light sticks for night tracking. You can use those glow neckleces that you can get at a dollar store too. You hang them in the tree and it really allows you see a good path at night.

Sorry about the comment before but the guy wanted help and wasn't getting any. Yes he was a little vague but we need to do the best we can to help people who want it. At least there is a concern about losing deer.

RE: how to find wounded deer
 

No, its ok. Your right.

RE: how to find wounded deer
 

awww I just got my

RE: how to find wounded deer
 

I agree that if you can't make a good shot, don'tsqueeze the trigger....if it were up to me it wouldn't be permitted to hunt whitetail with dogs either... why would you want to shoot at a moving whitetail and increase your chances of wounding an animal and not finding it? -now please, I don't need to be slammed by that last comment..... to each their own!

We've used a few different methods.

The best method I find is this...

1- Have onehunter stand where a blood trail was last seen.
2- Have another hunter walk around the first in a large circle.
If any blood is found this way, it will give you the direction the deer is heading based on the last blood point.
Repeat steps 1 and 2 until you find it!

NOTE-> I find that the deer always seem to circle back.. seems like they make a loop from where you shot around and back out near where you shot....

If the deer didn't fall immediately after the shot, it's VERY important to wait. He likely wont go much further than 200 yards if left alone. By waiting I mean minimum an hour! I've read a few good sites that suggest to wait even longer then that. Stay at your stand, be quiet and patient. As soon as you leave your stand, place something bright like your orange hunting toque where the deer was standing when you took the shot. Leave it there until you recover the animal.

I hope some of this is helpul!

RE: how to find wounded deer
 

Well first off lets clarify somethings, are you hunting bow or gun or both?


while everybody loses deer from time to time, your post gives us the impression you lose alot of deer. this would lead us to one of the following conclusions:

A) You gun hunt and arent getting a good shot placement.
B) You gun hunt and you really need better bullets.
C) You bow hunt and you are simply not looking very hard.
D) You bow hunt and you really need better arrows

If you are gun hunting, remember a second or two to improve shot placement can save you hours trying to find the sucker.

If you are bow hunting your just simply going to have to keep your eye on the deer.

Wounded deer almost always try to circle you, generally if you shoot at 12 oclock they will circle counterclockwise towards 9 or clockwise toards 3, look for that too happen.

if youve lost him completely try to track the blood. if you have a blood trail remember, if you dont see blood, dont step forward til you see more blood.

if you are looking for deer dont look for a whole deer, look for deer legs,ears, tails etc. this way.

Its also important to note if you have wounded a deer and he runs off, sometimes its best to give him 10 minutes or so to expire, otherwise you may just push him further away as you are looking for him.

hope this helps.