blood Tracking a buck?
11-15-2010, 08:47 AM
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location:
Posts: 130
blood Tracking a buck?
hey guys, i shot a buck last night right before dark. He came up behind my tree stand and got startled by me turning my gun to the right side. He jumped and took of about 10 yards, and i yelled. He stopped, quartering away from me to the right and i shot at what i believe were his lungs. He immediatly took off running straight out of the revene. Me made it about 2/3 of the way up (150yds), then i stopped hearing him running and didn't see him anymore. I shot him from about 25 yards. I waited 20 minutes and grabbed my flash light to investigate the are where i shot him, i found nothing. I went out this morning around 7:00 to recover the deer. I found no blood trail leaving the area of where i shot. I kept searching and eventually found an area that was filled with blood. The blood was bright red and there was a ton, about a 10 foot trail about 2ft wide. I i trailed it down from where he came from for about 15ft then lost it, i went back up and trailed it up the hill about 10ft and then that was it. Nothing.... i have searched for hours and found nothing. I am an ethical hunter and i want to do all things in order to recover this deer even though the meat is spoiled anyway because of our 45 degree weather. It was a big buck that i have been following for three years and i really would like to find him, i am just out of ideas guys. Any Help?
11-15-2010, 09:06 AM
#2
Fork Horn
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Montana
Posts: 151
Go to the last evidence of blood and circle it, with the circles getting wider every round. Look carefully before you take every step so you don't step on any sign. Take some flagging tape with you so you can flag every spec of sign you see. (we're talking hands and knees tracking) Do this even at the beginning of the large sign so you can look back at your trail and see if you can find a general direction of travel.
Before you move into the area, and also while you are tracking, watch for magpies, crows, etc that may be above the area of the downed buck. (I bolded this because it has been a very successful method)
It's hard to tell by the color of blood where the hit was after it's been left overnight because any foam or frothy bubble that would indicate a lung pucture will have settled. Bright red could mean a good, lethal hit, but can also mean a leg hit. The lack of dark or other colored blood generally means no liver or gut hit but, right now, color means little. My guess is a leg hit and your larger area of blood is where he layed down.
You can also tell a bit from how high the blood is on surrounding vegitation.
Regardless of the location of the hit, it sounds like he is recoverable. Even a leg hit will make them want to lay down, especially with that amount of blood loss.
Don't assume the meat is ruined until you actually have the buck dressed and skinned. Because he hasn't been recovered yet, you have no way of knowing when he actually died so, much of the meat could still be good. Keep your eyes open in front of you because he could still be alive and you may jump him.
If you get to the point where the blood has stopped, you might have to start looking for other signs like tracks, but you can be fooled by the tracks of other deer in the area. If it gets to the point where you have to resort to following tracks or trails, watch for signatures like where a hoof has drug in the dirt that may allow you to differentiate your buck's track from others.
Wounded animals are less careful and also clumsier so, broken sticks and tumbled rocks are more common on their trails than those of healthy animals.
Good luck and thanks for being responsible in tracking him until you get him.
Before you move into the area, and also while you are tracking, watch for magpies, crows, etc that may be above the area of the downed buck. (I bolded this because it has been a very successful method)
It's hard to tell by the color of blood where the hit was after it's been left overnight because any foam or frothy bubble that would indicate a lung pucture will have settled. Bright red could mean a good, lethal hit, but can also mean a leg hit. The lack of dark or other colored blood generally means no liver or gut hit but, right now, color means little. My guess is a leg hit and your larger area of blood is where he layed down.
You can also tell a bit from how high the blood is on surrounding vegitation.
Regardless of the location of the hit, it sounds like he is recoverable. Even a leg hit will make them want to lay down, especially with that amount of blood loss.
Don't assume the meat is ruined until you actually have the buck dressed and skinned. Because he hasn't been recovered yet, you have no way of knowing when he actually died so, much of the meat could still be good. Keep your eyes open in front of you because he could still be alive and you may jump him.
If you get to the point where the blood has stopped, you might have to start looking for other signs like tracks, but you can be fooled by the tracks of other deer in the area. If it gets to the point where you have to resort to following tracks or trails, watch for signatures like where a hoof has drug in the dirt that may allow you to differentiate your buck's track from others.
Wounded animals are less careful and also clumsier so, broken sticks and tumbled rocks are more common on their trails than those of healthy animals.
Good luck and thanks for being responsible in tracking him until you get him.
11-15-2010, 10:14 AM
#4
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location:
Posts: 130
Well, i have searched for upwards of 4 hours covering every inch of ground in 40 acres. I have not found anything... i checked all the normal places that i find deer after i shoot them out of that stand. I have backtracked several times. I have looked again and again at the blood spot, i checked fences for hair, blood,etc... and nothing. I called the neighbors and told them that if they see around it is mine. The blood goes nowhere. I grabbed a buddy and we went out lookin and still found nothing... I think hes gone or something else got him. I can't find him. Unless you guys think otherwise, i don't know what else to do but stop looking. I did not try to the magpie/crow method. Might be worth it though.
11-15-2010, 03:01 PM
#7
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location:
Posts: 130
Seems like i have searched everything twice... I don't really have anybody to help me search. My girlfriend is to girly and my dad works a 5-7 job so i don't know my options. The meat is no good by now. I went up there and though what i would do if i were a deer, i went down the hill towards the creek and didn't find anything. I got on my hands and knees and still never found anything. there is only one other place i can think of but its a long shot. I'll check out the hillside again tommorow and look in the thorns. Will a deer actually crawl into the brush after being shot? i would think that would take the easiest path, downhill, clear, etc.... is this true??
11-15-2010, 03:03 PM
#8
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location:
Posts: 130
Really though the same thing myself, but i live in to remote of a place for a person to have done that. I would have seen the disturbed leaves if he was drug. Besides coyotes couldn't have drug him far enough away for me to not find him. Theres no other animal around big enough to do the job.... although the word yetti came to my mind?? lol
11-15-2010, 03:11 PM
#9
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 3,606
yes check the thick brush . I have known people that have found there deer in ditches, under logs and brush ,in spot you would not think possible.
One guy told me a story were the deer ran to a nieghbors yard then crawled under the deck.
They can be hidden well in plain sight sometimes.
they can slide under leaves. double check the thick stuff
One guy told me a story were the deer ran to a nieghbors yard then crawled under the deck.
They can be hidden well in plain sight sometimes.
they can slide under leaves. double check the thick stuff
11-15-2010, 05:32 PM
#10
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Ponce de Leon Florida USA
Posts: 10,079
Probably been too long to use a blood dog. You need to check with a local game warden or taxidermist and see if they know anybody that you can contact in the future about a blood dog just in case it happens again.