Advice on locating game after the kill

[Backcountry sports]

I have had this problem repeatedly, both as a bow and a rifle hunter.

A trick I use is to carry a white paper towel in my pocket and after the shot I place it where I will be able to see it from the estimated distance where I think the hit took place. this resolves the problem of orientation when you are trying to establish the sight line from the other end. I suppose a piece of tin foil would allow accurate ranging too.

Prior to moving to the kill zone, think about the movement of the deer as you fired and which direction it was facing. Think about vegetation that would have helped determine the probable fastest route for the game because it probably either went away from you or took the easiest path if one existed. ( My last buck did not know where I was and charged directly at be when I missed a close shot for some reason. I dropped him at 20 feet.)

Think about any noise you heard to assist in direction. Breaking sounds of brush or rustling leaves. Think about any additional game noise or movement that occurred after the shot. Other game may have followed your target.

Carry a small amount of toilet paper or tissue. Tear off pieces to mark blood trails that get sparse. You can waste a lot of time trying to find that last drop of blood that it took you five minutes to find when you need to reestablish your search grid. It will also provide a visual representation of the general line of flight, something you will lose track of because you are focused on the ground.

Look at waist level for blood and tissue spay as the initial blood trail. Drops won't usually start for some distance (determined by the type of hit and its effect on movement.) High grass or crops allow blood to transfer that is too sparse to drop and will often show a followable trail, and it is easier to spot sometimes from a distance which will speed tracking. don't wait to start tracking when leaves are falling and wind is blowing. You will lose the trail quickly as it is covered over.

Always look up when faced with obstacles that would have impeded a deer's continued movement in the direction you think it took. I have seen blood on tree trunks eight feet off the ground and used it to extrapolate direction when no ground trail existed.

When all else fails, mark the place you think the game was and search a circular path around it. Expand the path each time by the farthest you are sure you have been able to effectively eyeball. Look for disturbed leaves and broken branches. Look ahead for your game. I have searched the ground for an hour looking for blood only to look up and see a downed whitetails white tail 50 yards on.

I hope this helps.

 

[Backcountry sports]

Always carry making ribbon bright orange or florescent in color

 

[Orange Dust]

Always carry making ribbon bright orange or florescent in color

We have always carried toilet paper. Biodegradeable and serves a dual purpose.

 

[Backcountry sports]

Marking ribbon put one where you shot from and then the hit area and start marking every 25 yds or so

 

[Rich Coyle]

Hopefully they are better than they were twenty years ago. The ones I tried could not find a medium size live dog across the street.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

I mostly hunt deer from elevated treestands. I laser range every animal that exceeds 200yds. Its easy to find a downed animal by ranging back to the stand. You only have to walk in a small arc to locate them even where its thick.
Of course if you don't drop them then that's where the tracking begins. So many hunters shoot for the shoulders today that I suspect that most well hit animals just drop.

 

[mnoland30]

I mostly hunt elk with a muzzleloader, and shot several with tipped bullets that did not exit, thus no blood trail. First, use a bullet with a sectional density of .280 or more. It will almost always exit. Use flagging to mark where you shot from and range to where the animal was. Don't move for at least 20 minutes. 30 minutes is better. Often, if not pressed, they will lie down within a couple of hundred yards. If you get their adrenaline up, they can run a mile. I've hit them in the heart with 400 gr. pure lead bullets, and had them run 75 yards with no blood trail. After seeing a friend shoot one near the spine, I've started aiming higher. He shattered the spine, and it dropped the elk, and sent a spray of blood in a 4' semi-circle. A high lung shot fills the lungs, and stops them faster. I've shot two at over 300 meters with Berger 168gr. from my 7mm WSM at 2750 fps. They work well. With the right bullet, and the right shot placement, only one of my last 6 elk has moved over 10 feet. The one went 35 yards. I hate waiting 20 minutes, and I hate trailing wounded game.

 

[emp1953]

We had one of those thermal imagers. It worked ok in an open field, but in trees the trees themselves were radiating heat from the sunlight and messed with the thermal readings.