Recovering an Animal after 36+ Hours

[WetLeopard]

Some background information:
My buddy and I (both relatively new hunters) have been hiking in to an area for bears over the past 3-4 weeks, and finally connected on one last night around 6:30pm. Buddy took the shot from inside of 75 yards (aiming vitals on full broadside) and the bear took off into some really nasty thick stuff. We waited an hour before starting on the track.
The blood trail was good in the beginning - consistent drops on the ground, lots on pine boughs and tree branches etc. After crawling/bushwacking along the trail for about 50ft, we heard twigs snapping and something big moving away from us. We marked the spot and waited another hour.
Fast forward, and basically the same thing happened again - follow the trail, bump the bear after ~50ft. At this point it was about 9:00pm and daylight was fading, and it started to rain.
Concerned about losing the trail, we continued searching. At about 11:30pm, we came to a spot where we can hear heavy breathing and some rustling 15-20ft in front of us. Unfortunately visibility was basically zero due to the thick new growth and darkness, and we made the tough decision to leave the animal for the night rather than risk walking into an injured bear in close quarters.

This decision was made harder because we knew we couldn't come back the next day due to work commitments, but we'll be heading back tomorrow to try and recover the animal. We have the location marked, and the hope is it didn't move much further from where we last heard it. My questions for those of you with some experience:
1) What's the longest you've gone before recovering an animal, and how much meat spoilage was there? (Ours is in an area averaging ~10 degrees celsius and rain)
2) Is there anything we should do immediately to the meat to try and salvage as much as we can (ie. vinegar)?

I'm pretty torn up about potentially not being able to recover an animal, but we'll give it our best tomorrow.
Thanks in advance.

[cameron0518]

That is an unfortunate situation but I appreciate your honesty. It depends on the temperature where he is. If you do find him, get the hide off asap. Good luck

[nuadixion]

If it wasn't a gut shot you might be able to salvage it.....
Please keep us posted.

[walks with deer]

well go look if he is still alive it wood be good on ya to finish him.. table fair if he expired that night will not be good.

[Huntingtyler123]

At least the temperatures aren’t extreme. I’d see if there is any water source near by you last spotted him. If he’s injured like that I’d think he would want some water, bears a biotch to track. Good luck I hope to hear you found him

[Jagermeister]

If he is still kicking, then he should not be too bad. Probably good mix for some pepperoni or such. If he is dead, then he is worthless and your saving grace might be some other bear snacking on him. Bear that in mind and go with caution.
Next time, don't pull the trigger at so late in the day unless you have the next day off to have a expedient follow up.
Lesson learned.

[604ksmith]

If he is still kicking, then he should not be too bad. Probably good mix for some pepperoni or such. If he is dead, then he is worthless and your saving grace might be some other bear snacking on him. Bear that in mind and go with caution.
Next time, don't pull the trigger at so late in the day unless you have the next day off to have a expedient follow up.
Lesson learned.

While I technically agree you should always have time planned for an expedient follow up, I feel like WetLeopard and his buddy did their best, and their intent is in the right place. Losing a bear to spoilage is never a good thing, but he was smart to not risk the danger, he was honest in asking for guidance, and above all you can tell he's got strong character.

Lesson learned "yes", but ease-up a bit.

Goodluck WetLeopard, hope you can recover and salvage.

[cameron0518]

If he is still kicking, then he should not be too bad. Probably good mix for some pepperoni or such. If he is dead, then he is worthless and your saving grace might be some other bear snacking on him. Bear that in mind and go with caution.
Next time, don't pull the trigger at so late in the day unless you have the next day off to have a expedient follow up.
Lesson learned.

I don't think anyone plans to shoot an animal and also plans to look for it for the whole next day all in the same thought. The goal is to make a good shot so you don't have to search. I know that lots of guys on here shoot dimes at 500 yards every time and have never lost an animal. Never heard of someone stopping hunting early because they don't have the next day to search. Good on them for being honest about it.

[Downtown]

You Guys did everything right. Go back as soon as possible in all likelihood he will be dead. While skinning your Nose will quickly tell you if the Meat is still eatable, if so de bone on the spot so it can cool quicker and pack out. If Meat is bad leave it behind for natural breakdown nothing in the Wild is ever wasted.

Good Luck & Cheers

[Redthies]

That’s a heck of a first post Wet. I think you did everything you could, and sounds like you did things correctly. It would suck if it’s spoiled, but that’s hunting. Don’t beat yourself up too badly if it doesn’t work out. The only thing I would have tried to do differently, is call in sick and go back today. Good luck!

[WetLeopard]

Appreciate the guidance/constructive feedback from everyone.

There is a nearby creek, so if we can't find any sign at our last spot we will certainly head down there. We'll have a few ice packed coolers waiting in the cars so hopefully if we find him we'll be able to salvage something.

We'll certainly be taking some important lessons from the experience and will also have some questions to chew on in preparation for the fall season. As for the time of day of the shot, I don't necessarily disagree with Jagermeister that we should have allowed for more time. That being said, if we only hunted at times when we would be guaranteed to have a full day to track and recover, our available hunting opportunities would be cut by like 50%. We did have 3.5+ hours of daylight left, and the shot was well under 100 yards, so my personal feeling is it was not an irresponsible choice to shoot. I'm open to other opinions on that though.
I think I will continue to aim vitals on all animals, but we did discuss the pros/cons of shooting to "anchor" a bear, specifically if hunting near thick brush (so a head/neck shot). Curious if others have thoughts on that?

Again, I appreciate the help from all. Will post an update when I can.

[Jrax]

Pick a good bullet, get gun sighted in then practice at range in different shooting scenarios. Then when the moment comes just be confident you can hit the vitals or don't shoot.
As mentioned too be ready for the follow up. Those are the responsible actions you can take to prepare. Sounds like your doing what you can to find him, good luck!

Oh and stop and listen for birds - ravens, crows, eagle, jays they may find the kill. Another bear might be on it too, be careful

[ElliotMoose]

Good honest post. Sounds like you did everything right. Unfortunately these things do happen and it sure makes you feel sick but all you can do is put in the effort to find it.

You're probably out looking already but make sure to check underneath logs and anywhere near that creek. I've had a couple bears where I almost threw in the towel only to find they died <50 yards from where I shot them. They burrow themselves under a log to die and it sure is easy to miss them especially in that dark old growth.

Best of luck finding your animal!

[Huntingtyler123]

Shoulder shot to anchor bear. Bears blood trail suck plus their pads don’t leave tracks well in my experience. When you take a shoulder shout it’ll take out lungs or heart

[WetLeopard]

Long hard look today but no luck. It must have been able to move itself somewhere else, and with no blood trail and such dense bush it was a needle in a haystack.
Definitely not an experience we want to go through again, but there were some good lessons learned and we at least know that we put in all the effort we could.
thanks again all those that replied.

[cameron0518]

It is the downside of hunting. The key is to take those lessons and learn from them as you stated.

[moosinaround]

Hunt long enough, you will lose an animal, or experience it with someone else. It's a tough thing to have happen. All you can do, is the best you can do. Sounds like you put the effort in to recover that bear. Drops of blood, when tracking a bear, or deer, is not a very good blood trail. Trails of blood is what you want. You want to see blood on brush, on tree stems. Every time the animal stops, you want to see massive hemorrhaging! Good on you to ask questions, and to go back the second time to look. If you did find that bear, my bet is it would be spoiled. They are heavy boned, and fat, and they retain heat very well, which is why it would be bone sour. This will stick with you forever, and it is tough, but do not give up! Moosin

[Jagermeister]

A long time ago when the forests were green, the water was clear, The sky was blue and you could see the milky way at night; An old friend born in the century before the last told me that when a bear is wounded, the first place that he would head to would be water. That was just after he shot a bear out of a tree and it fell out of sight. He told me to keep watch on the opening that lead off to the creek.
Anyhow, it's a long gone now. Go find another. Try using a fawn in distress call. Keep your eyes open.

[mpotzold]

Part of hunting. Been there done that except we don't hunt bears.

What rifle/bullets were used?
The bear could still be alive but badly wounded.
Be careful & ready to fire if deciding to go back.
GOOD LUCK!


A bear killed had a previous severe wound from the year before.
https://books.google.ca/books?id=nN5RbxF6JhUC&pg=PA178&lpg=PA178&dq=shot+bear+had+old+bullet+wounds&source=bl&ots=TIG_Ip1cyv&sig=ACfU3U1wJkkh2ONuNMFln24RlAiB3DWY-g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjU2b-Q8PjpAhVBHjQIHbLLCxwQ6AEwBnoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=shot%20bear%20had%20old%20bullet%20wounds&f=false

[caddisguy]

Well if it's still alive and kicking it might not matter how long after the shot it is recovered. What is more important is the time recovered after it stops living. I don't think temps are favorable in many places this time of the year for anything more than 24 years. That said, I went back to claim a bear head I left behind a couple weeks later and skinned it out over a camp fire... smelled great and made me hungry as heck... tempted even.

You did all the right things. I've felt that feeling before. My wife panic shot at a bear that was about to step on me and who knows what after. Never found any blood or fur but it was so close I couldnt imagine it was a miss. Spent a couple days looking for it and even looked for it again the next week. Never did find anything... no birds no smell... I concluded it wasn't a hit... I think she probably erred on the side of caution given my proximity. Another bear I had to blood trail a long way (liver shot) and felt really bad when I found it and had to finish it close. A knowledgeable person on the forum with a lot of experience sent me a message about going after potentially wounded bears in the dark is cringe worthy... paraphrasing, but you get the idea.

I always aim for the double lung with very few exceptions. Reason is there is a lot more room for error than if you are aiming for the shoulder, neck, etc. It's a big area to begin with. And if you are low it's a heart shot, high it's a spine shot, far back and low it's a liver shot, forward it takes out the shoulder. Only neck shot I ever took was on a sleeping bear and only head shot was an accident (was going for double lung but it swung it's head around) ... anyway aiming for the shoulder leaves a possibility of clipping it... then maybe it lives and maybe it won't... and if a shoulder shot connects well it wastes a fair amount of meat... plus they can hobble around pretty good on 3 legs for a good long time better than most people can on two. Just my opinion... experiences and mileages may vary. I'm a fan of the double lung. Sometimes it takes out the heart and lungs, even had some trick shots take out both lungs and the spine.

What did the blood look like? Was it dark? Or lighter with frothy bubbles? Or light with no bubbles? Any bone fragments? Green stuff, slime or vegetation? That might tell you what you are dealing with... guessing flesh wound or liver shot based on the trailing description.

[agentfridge]

I would assume one could still take the hide even if the meat is spoiled? Maybe a messier job for taxidermy but not out of the question?

[mpotzold]

I would assume one could still take the hide even if the meat is spoiled? Maybe a messier job for taxidermy but not out of the question?

I'm not so sure.
I thought that one had to take the bear meat home regardless if it's spoiled or not.
This is probably one of the reasons there are so many black bears in some areas. Was not required until the late 80's if I recall!

[BearSupreme]

I'm not so sure.
I thought that one had to take the bear meat home regardless if it's spoiled or not.
This is probably one of the reasons there are so many black bears in some areas. Was not required until the late 80's if I recall!

You have to take the "edible portions" if its sour, that isn't edible. I wouldnt risk taking anything in that cause cause if a CO found you with a hide and skull and no meat its going to be impossible to justify that one.

It sucks losing an animal but it happens, learn from it and move on. Good luck for the rest of the season!

[russm86]

Shoulder shot to anchor bear. Bears blood trail suck plus their pads don’t leave tracks well in my experience. When you take a shoulder shout it’ll take out lungs or heart

I've had better luck with tracking spring bears as they don't have as much fat generally as when they're bulked up in the fall, sometimes less hair too. The bear I shot this spring left a blood trail a blind guy could follow, though it wasn't necessary as it keeled over 20yards from where it was shot. Still had a good hide but not much fat left.

[WetLeopard]

mpotzold: using 30-06, 168grain Federal Fusion I believe (will have to check with him on the exact bullet type)

caddisguy: man we had a couple of serious "sh*t your pants" moments wandering around in the dark for sure. Won't be rushing to do that again anytime soon.
Blood seemed fairly neutral in colour (not overly dark, not super light, and not bubbly).
I think the blood trail itself was a big learning experience. Each of the deer I've either shot or been present for there was a massive exit wound spray and you could practically jog along the trail. I couldn't find an obvious "exit spray" from this bear, and while there were portions of the trail with decent blood sign there were also long durations spent looking under pine needles, looking for fur on branches, etc. I knew going in that bear's are relatively poor bleeders, but now know that they should be bleeding more than this one!
Last interesting note was that we seemed to keep finding spots where it had dropped a few turds (they were fairly consistent in size and colour with the fresh pile we found near where it was shot). I don't know if that is indicative of a certain shot? There wasn't any blood in them or anything obviously abnormal.

[Jagermeister]

I would assume one could still take the hide even if the meat is spoiled? Maybe a messier job for taxidermy but not out of the question?The hide will slip.. In other words, the hair will fall out.

[Jagermeister]

I'm thinking that your friend most likely jerked the trigger when he let fly. The shot went into a non-lethal area and the bear lives on.

[two-feet]

I have been crawling through the bush at last light after a wounded bear several times. I will say it is exciting and enjoyable but I have not yet been chewed up. I now run solid copper bullets and aim for the shoulder so as to drop the bear in its tracks, less exciting but more safe.

[HarryToolips]

If it wasn't a gut shot you might be able to salvage it.....
Please keep us posted.
I agree with the cooler temps and depending on when he passed meat might be ok..

[caddisguy]

I have been crawling through the bush at last light after a wounded bear several times. I will say it is exciting and enjoyable but I have not yet been chewed up. I now run solid copper bullets and aim for the shoulder so as to drop the bear in its tracks, less exciting but more safe.

One thing I learned is that it is easy (at least for me) to get too focused on the blood trail and but obvious to the big picture. Bear was sitting there 3 yards away, luckily in a dazed state, while I'm still inspecting the ground for little specs of blood. Oops.

[tigrr]

Don't feel to bad we all loose an animal sooner or later. I shot a bear last fall and it went charging into a hillside of 4 and 5 foot brush, thimble berry and rose bush cover. I spent 2 days looking and never found any animal. I know it was a solid hit. Lots of blood at the impact sight. I searched a foot ball field sized area and nothing. You give it your best and move on.
My 2020 spring bear yielded 60 lbs of just meat.

[two-feet]

One thing I learned is that it is easy (at least for me) to get too focused on the blood trail and but obvious to the big picture. Bear was sitting there 3 yards away, luckily in a dazed state, while I'm still inspecting the ground for little specs of blood. Oops.
Pretty much impossible to spot a black bear in thick bush/shadows especially in fading light. I shot a bear that went 30 yrds and it took me 2 hours to find it, stone dead. Visibility of zero with rhubarb 7’ high.
My dad lost a bear that he arrowed at 7 yds, found a puddle of blood with big lung pieces in it, never found the bear after 2 days of looking. They can hole up pretty good.

[Huevos]

That is too bad to hear you were unable to rcover the animal. I am glad to hear you have taken some lessons from the experience. I'd like to add a couple pointers. You made the right call to back out at dark. No animal is worth risking your safety, but you should have been back first light. I don't know your particular circumstances, especially with this whole pandemic crappy job market, but I view this as an emergency. Work usually can wait.
The rifle used was plenty of gun to get the job done. If I were to guess what happened to this bear, I would say he was shot too low. In my experience, I have seen bears wounded a few different times in similar situations. Bears are built different than deer, they have no brisket. They are barrel chested like we are. Their fur can hang down 3 inches or so, and their armpit is a small hollow spot. Your eye will a lot of times fill in the space between the bears elbow and belly, so the bottom looks farther down than it is. If you aim bottom third (like on a deer or elk) you run the risk of missing the vitals by shooting too low. I recommend aiming right behind the shoulder, midway down. Double lung a bear and he will not go far. If you listen, you can usually hear him die with a death moan if double lunged.
There is a fair chance that this bear is still running around and will make a full recovery (we will never know).

[Pablothemagnificent]

Jrax made a very good point when he said to keep your ears alert for raven, crows and eagles when searching for an animal. If the animal is dead, the scavengers will be on-site in short order. I would add one thing. If you are tracking game and you hear a cacophony of ravens, ascertain whether they are on the ground or in the trees. If they are on the ground then they are feeding, however, if they are in the trees that would be an indication that there is a larger scavenger on the meat at the moment - possibly another bear, coyotes or wolves. I learned that lesson the hard way twenty years back. My son and I were in the Hudsons Hope area on the August GOS for moose. He was 14 at the time. We heard something big in a spruce grove as we made our way down a seismic line. A moose perhaps? We approached slealthfully. There was a lot of noise coming from a conspiracy of ravens. They were in the treetops. Being a new hunter, I didn't clue in. We got closer, and I started to get an eerie feeling, that hair-standing-up-on-the-back-of-your-neck feeling. Finally, I turned to my son and said, "We're leaving" He called me a chicken. I insisted and we backtracked. Two minutes later, back on the main fsr, we are making our way back to camp for breakfast. Suddenly, my son yells, "Dad! Look!". Out from the bush behind us ambles a grizzly. Turns out he was burying a kill. Fortunately, we had sufficient space between us and the bear that he didn't charge us, but we were definitely on the defensive the rest of the 4 km hike back to camp.

[elch jager]

Surprised no-one mentioned it already... whoever wounded that animal needs to cut their tag. Probable should report it to the CO as well. If it was in an area that people may be hiking, especially unarmed camper/hikers... your responsibility is to ensure no-one wanders into a cranky wounded bear...

[IronNoggin]

Surprised no-one mentioned it already... whoever wounded that animal needs to cut their tag. Probable should report it to the CO as well. If it was in an area that people may be hiking, especially unarmed camper/hikers... your responsibility is to ensure no-one wanders into a cranky wounded bear...

While it may well be a good idea to let the CO's in on the situation, no-one "needs to cut their tag".
Period.
Absolutely Inane to do so.

Reality.

Nog

[elch jager]

Yer positive on that Matt? I was pretty sure you had to, but now can't find anything in the wildlife acts that says you have to cut your tag for an unrecovered animal...
Hmm.... I'll ask my CO friend...

[Arctic Lake]

I’d like to know as well !
Arctic Lake

Yer positive on that Matt? I was pretty sure you had to, but now can't find anything in the wildlife acts that says you have to cut your tag for an unrecovered animal...
Hmm.... I'll ask my CO friend...

[JagrM]

Can’t recall where I heard/read this information or if it’s true but as I understand you don’t “have” to cut your tag for an unrecovered animal. The powers that be account for some wound loss in their equation.

[Ron.C]

Can recall where I heard/read this information or if it’s true but as I understand you don’t “have” to cut your tag for an unrecovered animal. The powers that be account for some wound loss in their equation.

Look on page 10 of the regs. You cancel your tag after you kill the animal and before you handle it. Need to make sure you have a dead animal first, so don't cancel your tag until you are standing over one.

[IronNoggin]

Yer positive on that Matt?

100% Positive.
Like to see you (or anyone) explain away the No Dead Body but Tag Cancelled Anyway.
Just Don't Do It!

Nog

[boxhitch]

Surprised no-one mentioned it already... whoever wounded that animal needs to cut their tag. Probable should report it to the CO as well. If it was in an area that people may be hiking, especially unarmed camper/hikers... your responsibility is to ensure no-one wanders into a cranky wounded bear...two wrongs. No one has to cut a tag and certainly no one is responsible to guard the area or warn anybody about anything.
I can't think of any scenario where someone needs warning about dangers anywhere, let alone in the wilds.......oh wait.......... yes, at school crosswalks they do.

[LBM]

two wrongs. No one has to cut a tag and certainly no one is responsible to guard the area or warn anybody about anything.
I can't think of any scenario where someone needs warning about dangers anywhere, let alone in the wilds.......oh wait.......... yes, at school crosswalks they do.

I have seen lots of bear in area warnings, bridge out warnings, avalanche warnings high water warnings low water warnings rifle range in use warnings bump in road etc etc.