Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting A *RANT* on tracking deer

When to track is important. We've all heard the caution against pushing a wounded deer. And many of us have experienced it, and possibly lost one because of it, ourselves.

However, when all signs point to a good shot.... it's time to track!

I'm on several facebook hunting pages that get allot of traffic this time of the year. Seems like every other thread right now is "Hit one, decided to back out until morning.".....

That's a great idea, when it's 40DEG out. But when the low for the night is 63 DEG backing out until mornings is just as bad as loosing the deer. Even so, if you think the shot is bad, I understand backing out. But allot of these guys are saying "Shot looked good, arrows covered in blood, but I didn't see it drop so I backed out until morning" There's even two posts on there this morning of people who heard the deer drop, but it was out of sight... So to avoid pushing it they backed out.

Just a rant to say this: Take account of everything that happened. If the shot looked good, if it felt good, if you have a blood covered arrow,if you have a blood trail, if everything is pointing towards a dead deer, then wait 30 minutes and GET ON THE TRAIL and find your deer before they coyotes do or before the meat spoils.

It almost seems like "Backing out until morning" is a right of passeage, or something they need to do. Maybe because that's what you see on every Deer hunting TV show? Who knows.... But listen to your sign and react accordingly. Backing out and wasting a deer is pretty much the same as losing one.

-Jake

FWIW, I've never "backed out until morning". Seems like it should be the rare exception, not the rule. And this early in the year (warm temps), I don't see the point at all, unless you just want to collect the rack. Some people watch to many hunting shows, perhaps. I didn't even know of the practice before I saw it on TV. We always tracked and found our animals in the dark, if need be, then made a plan from there, usually just gutting and dragging, where I grew up.

Twice I've had to do it when the shot was made at last light and I couldn't find a blood trail with a flashlight. Found both bucks the next morning. Both times was in January so the weather was cool. Meat was fine. I hate to do it and if there's a visible blood trail that can be followed by using a light I won't, but sometimes it's better to wait.

If sign is good, I'm tracking right then. If sign is bad, I'm giving the animal some time and coming back later. I've been there too many times when the deer jumps up 10 minutes into the tracking process on bad sign. But if there's no sign at all and you try a good while with good flashlights, sometimes all you can do is come back the next morning.

A CSI trick that really works: get a small black light. The blood sticks out like it's glowing.

They get this [bleep] from watching Bubbavision on TV. Those dudes are great for " when in doubt back out...." If your shot is good, with rifle or arrow, they have about 12 seconds before the hydraulics run out. Start on the track in a couple minutes, and they'll be dead at the end of it. Love these ass wipes on TV that find the deer the next day, eaten by coyotes, but they don't care as long as they get that " 140 class mainframe ten pointer"...

Right on Poobah. It's obvious the only criteria for having a TV hunting show is paying for the air time. Never seen more inept bunch in my life, with few exceptions of course (R Newberg for one). I love it when they've parked their butts in a tree for 5 days then cry about how hard they've been hunting.

If I "back out a wait 'til morning", I will give you 100% odds I will find pile of bones and a skull the next morning (coyotes).

If you don't have the basic hunting skills to track a hit animal at night, then you shouldn't hunt the evening.

My Dad's version of that was "I shoot, smoke a cigarette, and then start looking." I don't smoke cigs, but I know what he meant.

True. Waiting 10-15min to go look at sign is not a bad idea in general, unless the light is really fading fast.

BINGO!!!!

"not 100% sure of the hit so we'll back out until morning" = "the impending retrieval will have better camera light in the morning".
Phugging @zzhats.

Interesting. I'll check that out.



I'm a fair hand a tracking things. Much prefer a shoulder shot that drops them there as it's getting dark but sometimes that shoulder shot on a moving buck chasing a doe slips just a bit and turns into a high lung... I'm not perfect but I've not lost one shot at last light yet. I'll keep hunting the evening and if it comes to it, I'll find it the next morning.

Oh, I've needed to wait until morning a time or two as well.
But rational/reasoning individuals know when it's needed - not because it'll make for better TV.

I'm not prone to shoot at last light anymore, and it's been some years since I've attended that particular rodeo. The last time was about six years ago, on a cow stuck with an arrow. Shot just after noon next too a wallow on a very warm day. We found her in the dark, finally. Lost the half laying on the ground. It was sad.

When did common sense disappear from America? I really don't know how some blow their nose or wipe their azz

Poorly, I'd say, George, poorly.

That explains the smell....

Drives me nuts. It seems to be the "norm" on tv .

Especially Love the early season archery elk, probably 70-80 degrees, they find the critter the next afternoon and proceed to preach about how great their decision making was in the recovery. Bunch of rubes.

It won't be fit to eat where I hunt.

If the weather is warm or there are a healthy population of coyotes in the area I do not back out until morning.