help...recovering/tracking deer
 

ok what do you guys do or use or whatever to retrieve deer you have shot with a rifle and a bow...do you use a blood detector...where do you look...what signs to look for...when to look

Number one tool is common sense. There are many recovery scenarios depending upon how the deer was shot, time of day, bullet vs. arrow, etc. Don't rush in and mess things up. Get yourself calmed down and engage your brain. There is a good recovery thread on the bowhunting forum.

I tried one of those blood lights and it didn't work IMHO. I use a good light and a roll of tissue paper, dropping a piece on the trail as I find something. Lots of times you can look back and figure where you missed the trail and will be able to pick it up a little further up.

First you need to mark the location of the deer well so that you are looking in the right spot. You're excited, so it's easy to misjudge where you saw the deer last.
Look for blood sign. Not necessarily on the ground. The blood will smeer off on tall grass and weeds, etc. Which side of the deer was the exit wound? It'll usually bleed more from that side.
Stay off of the deer's trail while you are tracking, so if you lose the sign you can come back to the last known location. Mark the blood sign with bits of toilet paper. As you look back at the marked trail, you'll get a good idea of his route and which way he'll likely be going.
If you're following good steady blood sign, and then.. nothing, you've lost the trail. Go back to the last known sign and try a different direction.
Best of all, get your buddies to help. More eyes makes looking and finding easier.
Also, keep this in mind: A deer well hit with a bow, (heart/lungs/liver) will only live for about 5-10 seconds. However far it runs in that time, is the distance you'll have to track it. Be patient, take your time.

If you come across evidence that it's gut-shot. Stop immediately and come back in about 6 hours or overnight, The deer will be pretty close to where you kicked it up last.

Take in all evidence, blood ,how much ? what color,pink .bright red. dark?
hair. length and color will help with where shot. act accordingly
look for scuffs in leaves or dirt, broken twigs leaves or plants.
check for spider webs that are broken or intact so you know which wat it didn't go
go slow and mark the trail with paper

If the blood is sparse go slow. Get on your hands and knees. Look for specks on the ground and on any weeds and grass. Don't get ahead of yourself. If you lose the trail always go to the last spot and start again. Deer don't always go the way you think they should. I've had tracking jobs that were nothing but very small specks and it takes a long time to do it right. Also always track your deer even if you see it fall. The more experience you get the better you will get at it.

what if i can find no blood

Most times there is some blood...but if you can't find any then listen and watch the way it takes off. Mark where you last see it. Sometimes you can just find leaves scuffed up or out of place were the deer has run. Follow likely trails and look in thick cover where they can hide. Sometimes they crawl in brier patches or under old tree tops. It really makes it tough to find if you don't have a clue what direction they go. You may just have to take the most likely route and look the best you can. Don't take questionable shots. An arrow though the lungs make your job pretty easy.

Best tool for tracking deer is TIME, you never want to push a deer. I dont use anything special to track deer. I can see blood pretty easy and I have always relied on my sight and common sense of how deer act when the are wounded. But if you have the chance and it is legal in your state, dogs can be a very affective tool.

Even when hit, sometimes, the sign won't show up for a few yards down the trail. The blood has to start leeking out. I guarantee, that, if you hit it, it's bleeding somewhere. If you hit it and you're not finding blood, you're looking in the wrong spot. You just have to find it. A good hit in the vitals will always preoduce lots of bleeding. If you aren't confident of a good hit, don't shoot.