Tracking wounded deer takes patience

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was published Oct. 20, 2007 in the Springfield State Journal-Register

No matter how good a shot you are, if you hunt long enough, you’re going to have to track a wounded animal. Hopefully, you are a practiced marksman who takes good shots and minimizes the need for it.

Tracking a wounded deer isn’t a lot of fun. It’s time-consuming, nerve wracking and doesn’t always end in a Kodak moment, but having the skills and patience to do it is a necessary part of responsible hunting.

Even mortally wounded deer seldom drop dead in their tracks. They may run 50 feet or 50 yards before they drop, or before there’s a blood trail. Sometimes a deer that has been hit hard doesn’t leave much of a blood trail to follow. As soon as you shoot, mark the spot where you last saw the animal. Pick trees or a landmark as a reference point. Before you move, stay put for at least 10 minutes. Give the animal time to settle down or die. The bow-hunting rule of thumb used to be wait half an hour before looking for signs. I doubt anybody ever sweated it out that long. When you’re sitting fidgeting, waiting and wondering if your shot connected, 10 minutes seems like half an hour.

Once your 10 minutes are up, move slowly and carefully to the spot you marked and look for blood. Do this even if you think you missed. You don’t want to lose a deer just because you didn’t look for it. Try to remember which way the animal was headed. A wounded animal tends to run the direction it was facing when it was shot. With that in mind, look at the lay of the land. Whatever direction the animal takes, it is likely to follow the path of least resistance. Wounded game frequently will run downhill and then try to find cover to lie down and rest.

Carry a roll of orange marking tape with you. Tear off a piece and mark the first blood sign you find. Then, stand at that spot and try to see the next one. After you’ve found three or four, your line of tape can indicate the animal’s line of travel. If the blood trail is constant and easy to see, use the tape to mark a spot every 20 feet so you’ll have a reference point in case the sign goes away.

Sometimes the trail just dries up. If it does, search in a circle from the last sign. If you don’t find anything, look again. Then do it once more. Even the best hunter doesn’t find them all, but the best hunters stay with it until they are sure there are no more signs to be discovered.

Trailing a wounded animal does not give you automatic permission to cross property lines. While many of them will grant permission under those circumstances, property owners are within their rights to say no. No matter how fresh the sign, get permission before you climb the fence.