Tracking 101

[GoatGuy]

Anyone have any helpful hints on tracking/retrieving?

Maybe starting with:

The shot, ie., what to look/listen for
Waiting time ie., how long, circumstances
Finding first blood ie., marking the spot, looking for disturbance
Tracking the animal ie., following the trail, speed of tracking, marking the trail

Just thought it mind be a good one to re-visit.

[daycort]

I think it is a good post. I waited over nite a while ago because of darkness and terrain and I was pretty much "hung" by a few members, because they thought I should have went in right away. I am glad I waited.


p.s. he was a good deer. thanks for the support.

[boxhitch]

Anyone have any helpful hints on tracking/retrieving?

Maybe starting with:

The shot, ie., what to look/listen for
Waiting time ie., how long, circumstances
Finding first blood ie., marking the spot, looking for disturbance
Tracking the animal ie., following the trail, speed of tracking, marking the trail

Just thought it mind be a good one to re-visit.

Good start , but you are talking in thumb-text again. Please complete your sentences :)

[GoatGuy]

Good start , but you are talking in thumb-text again. Please complete your sentences :)

Thumb-text?

Just trying to outline the 'process'


Begin hi-jack!:smile:

[muley kid]

well i make my first shot count so i dont have to track an animal down... the farthest one of my animals has went is 30 feet so i cant help u on the trackin part.. as for the listening part i usally watch the animal after i shoot and look for the ripple and the the loud smack when i connect.. u should try it,, very effective.. always make the first one count ; )

[Will]

I was pretty much "hung" by a few members, because they thought I should have went in right away.
They are donkeys...no worry you did the right thing given your situation.

As to the post at hand...alot of variables but unless the animal drops at the shot...or drops within view I always give a half hour minimum before I begin the track. I mark where I shot from before moving...I also mark where the animal was standing when "hit"
These are two important spots you may fall back on later if the search goes bad;)

[one-shot-wonder]

as for the listening part i usally watch the animal after i shoot and look for the ripple and the the loud smack when i connect.. u should try it,, very effective.. always make the first one count ; )

I never can see the impact of the bullet hit through my scope due to recoil..:confused:
I have made an effort to listen to the smack of the bullet this year and on 3 deer I heard them all. One in particular was crucial in finding the buck as there was no exit and blood on scene (thought I must of missed), made for a difficult track, but sure enough persistance paid off and he was only 40 yards from the impact.

[Bow Walker]

I speak from the perspective of hunting with archery equipment here.

1. If it's raining - as it does often in these parts - I'd recommend marking your shooting spot and moving to where the animal was hit fairly quickly, for obvious reasons.
2. Mark the "shot spot".
3. Mark the "animal hit spot".
4. Note the direction that the hit animal headed away from the hit spot.
5. Remember all these things - even in the excitement of the moment.
6. Observe the reaction of the animal as it is hit. This will indicate the lethality of the hit (heart/lung, gut, spine, etc).
7. "Blood trail" with your eyes wide open - looking everywhere - don't hurry as it is easy to miss a critical detail and you don't want to "push" the animal.
8. Take along a good flashlight if it's late in the afternoon.
9. Have a spray/spritzer bottle of hydrogen peroxide - it makes even the smallest blood spot foam up and become instantly recognizable.

[KevinB]

I mark where I shot from before moving...I also mark where the animal was standing when "hit"
These are two important spots you may fall back on later if the search goes bad;)

Exactly what I do as well, unless the deer dies within easy sight and I can tell for sure it is dead dead dead. Even then I usually tie a piece of flagging where I am after I shoot. If it is a spot I'm going to sit at a lot, I sometimes tie the piece of flagging up before I even sit down for the first time.

I have a few quickly accessible pieces of very bright "pink glow" flagging in a pocket, that I can tie to a branch or whatever in a few seconds, it is easy to spot from long distances. I also always carry a roll or two of a very very thin poly flagging, it is kinda like thin garbage bag material, for use if I need to track. A roll of this stuff has 500 feet of flagging, as opposed to ~ 300 feet for regular summer weight and 120 feet for winter weight. You can mark a lot of things with a roll of this stuff.

If I need to track I tie a piece of the bright pink flagging at the place where the animal was when I hit it. Then, I work from there and tie a small piece of the thin flagging beside every bit of blood, or track, or whatever that I find. That always gives me a known starting point to work from for the next bit of sign. If I can't find anything else I can go back and start again. Also it gives you a really good visual reference for the direction the animal has moved, if you have any topography you can usualy make a good guess what direction it will continue to go and this speeds things up, and keeps you from wandering around aimlessly. This is a really good system especially in areas where even a 50 metre run can lead through a lot of thick cover. I had a WT go about 200 metres once, after a perfect double lung shot - through cutblock, timber, swamp, and more timber, without snow so they can definitely go far soemtimes even with a good shot. Luckily this guy bled like a stuck pig so it was a no-brainer.

Great topic Goatguy, I think there are a lot of hunters out there who have no idea where to start. Others, shoot at a deer, see it run off, do a half-assed look around, and when they can't find anything they figure they must have missed (after all, that big new magnum should drop them on the spot, right? :rolleyes:) and they leave. All the while the deer is lying dead 75 metres into the timber with a nice hole through its lungs.

[KevinB]

9. Have a spray/spritzer bottle of hydrogen peroxide - it makes even the smallest blood spot foam up and become instantly recognizable.

Huh, no kidding? I haven't heard that one before. That's a pretty good tip.

[325 wsm]

flag every bit of sign or blood of the wounded animal at intervals that you can visually see. wounded animals will usually travel on a known trail and are much likely to be going downhill than up. If you run out of sign do a sweep or grid search of the area just ahead of your last flagging. If it's raining and may be washing away the blood go after it right away.

[Pete]

Take your time. Use your senses... eyes, ears, smell . Mark each and every print, this will give you the length of stride then get back behind the line of sign and look at the direction your quarry has gone. Do not walk on top of the sign walk beside it. Do not jump ahead without marking the last sign you have found. If you lose the sign you will have a reference point to go back to, remember to check the length of stride. You can measure the length between the strides using a thin stick. If you lose the sign go back to your last mark and using your stick it will put you into the area where the track should be. When you are looking at the sign try to see and remember what the evidence on the ground is showing you. Important to remember that you are looking for evidence of passage not just blood. Something as simple as sand on a leaf on a rainy day is evidence of passage and will give you a clue towards finding the next mark. The sign is there and you are looking at it what has to happen is that your brain has to recoginze that what you are looking at is evidence of passage.

[Gateholio]

Make your first shot count, and use TSX bullets...;)

[boxhitch]

An animal escaping on a game trail still has his wits about him, and can travel quite a ways.
If they are really traumatized and running/ smashing blindly no particular way, thats a good sign he won't be far.

[tomahawk]

well i make my first shot count so i dont have to track an animal down... the farthest one of my animals has went is 30 feet so i cant help u on the trackin part.. as for the listening part i usally watch the animal after i shoot and look for the ripple and the the loud smack when i connect.. u should try it,, very effective.. always make the first one count ; )

Good on you for taking the right attitude into the hunt! However there will, not if, but will come a day when the animal you are shooting at will high-tail it and you'll have to try tracking and finding its blood. Better to read and learn to find out what to do now and feel confident in what your doing when that day comes!

[3kills]

well i make my first shot count so i dont have to track an animal down... the farthest one of my animals has went is 30 feet so i cant help u on the trackin part.. as for the listening part i usally watch the animal after i shoot and look for the ripple and the the loud smack when i connect.. u should try it,, very effective.. always make the first one count ; )


even some of the "great ones" make bad shot sometimes...not only that a big buck in the rutt with one thing on his mind can get up and go after he has been hit hard...i have never had to track an animal and i hope i never will have to...

[budismyhorse]

well i make my first shot count so i dont have to track an animal down... the farthest one of my animals has went is 30 feet so i cant help u on the trackin part.. as for the listening part i usally watch the animal after i shoot and look for the ripple and the the loud smack when i connect.. u should try it,, very effective.. always make the first one count ; )

Wow, and at such a young age.

oh.....wait....I see your future Muley Kid....Your 40 years old.....your hunting alone.....driving around stopping at every mid-day campfire you see......you talk to them about what an amazing hunter you are and tell them of all the great shots you have made...........but they stare into the fire and mutter one or two word answers....until you leave.

You should actually listen to these guys. Tracking is extremely important and very overlooked....until you need it.

I find hit animals usually run downhill and into the thickest bush they can find. Move slow as you approach, they almost always stop and watch their backtrail.

If you have a partner, get one person on the trail, and another 50 yards to one side and 50 yards up, almost always the prey will watch the approaching hunter on its trail and jump up at the last second, if things work out properly, the off-trail hunter will get a shot at it before it decides to get up and run.

[muley kid]

[quote=budismyhorse;366617]Wow, and at such a young age.

oh.....wait....I see your future Muley Kid....Your 40 years old.....your hunting alone.....driving around stopping at every mid-day campfire you see......you talk to them about what an amazing hunter you are and tell them of all the great shots you have made...........but they stare into the fire and mutter one or two word answers....until you leave.

ya cus u know i totally do that...i was just saying that he should make his first shot count so he dont have to track.. and ya i know i will have to track one of these days but i have been hunting all my life and probobly know more than most of u douche bags on here.. seems like everytime i make a post u guys seem to come up with dumass remarks like this one... pretty easy to pick on a kid eh!!! wahoo good on ya.. should be proud,,, grow up and take off ur pampers.. we are all entitled in our opinion on this site... my suggestion was to make the first shot count.. i guess im wrong eh? should i say if its big shoot at once because u will get such great advice on this site that u will be able to track down a wounded animal haha ur a joke!!! i am out i actually have to work in the morning cus im not on the UI hunting team:grin:

[Mr. Dean]

Muley Kid.

How about participating on the topic at hand.... It's not a marksmanship thread.... It's a tracking thread.


With all your WISDOM, you should have some good contributions.



PS. Infraction granted for insulting and inappropriate language.

[Steeleco]

MK all of our shots count or we wouldn't be taking them. But on that one day when that perfect shot doesn't drop that creature you'll have a feeling you'll not likely enjoy. And when after hours of tracking in the dark, you can't find that creature, in my case a bear, you'll even contemplate quitting hunting outright. Till then we're all good shots, after then, just humble!

[islandstalker]

[quote=budismyhorse;366617]Wow, and at such a young age.

oh.....wait....I see your future Muley Kid....Your 40 years old.....your hunting alone.....driving around stopping at every mid-day campfire you see......you talk to them about what an amazing hunter you are and tell them of all the great shots you have made...........but they stare into the fire and mutter one or two word answers....until you leave.

ya cus u know i totally do that...i was just saying that he should make his first shot count so he dont have to track.. and ya i know i will have to track one of these days but i have been hunting all my life and probobly know more than most of u douche bags on here.. seems like everytime i make a post u guys seem to come up with dumass remarks like this one... pretty easy to pick on a kid eh!!! wahoo good on ya.. should be proud,,, grow up and take off ur pampers.. we are all entitled in our opinion on this site... my suggestion was to make the first shot count.. i guess im wrong eh? should i say if its big shoot at once because u will get such great advice on this site that u will be able to track down a wounded animal haha ur a joke!!! i am out i actually have to work in the morning cus im not on the UI hunting team:grin:
I thought you were deleting your account?

[hunter1947]

I keep an eye on the animal when I first hit it and see how it flinch when hit ,I then put a another bullet in the chamber as fast as I can then put the x hairs back on it after hitting the ground and wait to see if it gets up.

I wait for 5 min and if it does not get up I go towards the animal very slowly keeping an eye on it with the gun in the up right position.

If it runs away from me I and I can't get a second shot off I wait for about 1/2 hour then go to where I had hit him ,I look for blood and If I find blood I put some marking tape at the first sine of blood will follow and mark as I go keeping a very close eye up ahead of me.

If I come to a place where the animal has bedded and there is blood in this bed I will give it a another 1/2 hour ,this tells me that I have pushed the animal out of this bed and that he is on the run again.

If I have run out of daylight I will return the next morning first light and pick up from the last spot of blood I have marked and continue on looking for blood and hopefully I will eventually find him.

[tmarschall]

One thing I have witnessed a couple of times about hitting a deer in a certain place. If you shoot high enough to just clip his back without actually hitting its spine, most likely it will drop like a sack of rocks, giving you the impression you made a great shot. Then 10 to 30 seconds later he will get up and run like the wind. You won't find any blood, maybe a little hair and flesh. I'm sure thats why in the previous post, Wayne says he reloads and puts the crosshairs on him if he hits the ground immediately, and waits a couple minutes. If he gets up and runs like I described, chances are excellent that you just stunned it and he is not at all seriously hurt. I made a hit like this one time with a shotgun slug. never found the deer or any sign. Two weeks later at the check-in station, someone brought in a buck with remarkably similar looking antlers, and he had a clean healing wound on his back right above his shoulders. Another time I was guiding some hunters on a military post, and one of the hunters made a shot on a very nice buck. He said the deer dropped in his tracks, then got up and ran off, the only sign we could find were some very large hoof prints in the direction he ran. I told the guy he prolly hit him high. He test fired his rifle durning the lunch break, and he said he was shooting 9 inches high at 100 yds.... go figure!!! Amazing that he even hit the deer.

[muley kid]

[quote=Steeleco;366731]MK all of our shots count or we wouldn't be taking them.

i would have to disagree with that sir..just a while back i recall a post involving the buddy with long hair...the guy who started the thread took a hell merry shot.. yes he realized what he did and was sorry for it but he let buck fever get to him and did not make the first shot count.. i dont see why he got fever anyway the deer was a rat:D

[kayjayess]

Great tips all around and a good thread. It took a while but someone suggested not stepping all over the sign. Our white-tail group of 10 had a guy, new to our group, hunting with us although he had hunted for a number of years prior to that. One of the seniors amongst us shot a great white tail but as fate had it the buck did not drop even though it was a pretty good shot. With the thick terrain it was a bit hard to track even though there was a good layer of snow.

We all rendezvoused after letting a good deal of time pass. This young guy basically started running around in the bush stepping over the track. The shooter told him to stop that explaining why, but the kid did not get it. He kept crossing over the track and eventually had created such a stir that we lost the trail. Later that week he shot a buck, wounding it and then again walked all over the trail.

When we tried to speak with him about it later on he became confrontational. That was the last time he ever hunted with our group.

[bad arrow]

Take your time. Use your senses... eyes, ears, smell . Mark each and every print, this will give you the length of stride then get back behind the line of sign and look at the direction your quarry has gone. Do not walk on top of the sign walk beside it. Do not jump ahead without marking the last sign you have found. If you lose the sign you will have a reference point to go back to, remember to check the length of stride. You can measure the length between the strides using a thin stick. If you lose the sign go back to your last mark and using your stick it will put you into the area where the track should be. When you are looking at the sign try to see and remember what the evidence on the ground is showing you. Important to remember that you are looking for evidence of passage not just blood. Something as simple as sand on a leaf on a rainy day is evidence of passage and will give you a clue towards finding the next mark. The sign is there and you are looking at it what has to happen is that your brain has to recoginze that what you are looking at is evidence of passage.
This is valuable info, lots of times there is no blood, even in snow, had it happen, never heard "evidence of passage" before but it is so true, especially when there isn't any blood or snow, lets say early fall. I once shot a whitey that too 2 hours to find that kept running in a 300 meter circle lots of snow, no blood, I could only hear him every now and again and heard him breath his last breath or I never would have found him under a bush with only his legs sticking out.

[budismyhorse]

On saturday I made a good shot on a whitey that was upslope from me, the bullet went in right behind the shoulder and out just below the spine. He may have bled 10 drops in 200 yards before he piled up with both lungs hit hard. The old man was with me and, under his watchful eye I ended up essentially tracking the deer (no snow) looking for hoof points in the dirt. At the last track we stopped and just looked around. I said "he'll be going downhill" and pointed in that direction. The ol' man said "sure, but make sure you stick to the timber, he won't run through that opening where you are heading". we angled towards the thick bush and he picked him out with his binos. I would have walked right by that deer and been at it for hours. I've killed lots of game without him around, but when we hunt together, he always has me shaking my head and following his advice.

In retrospect, if I had applied the expanding circles at the last sign method, I would have found him.....good thread!

Experience has no replacement.

[shotgunjohn]

One thing I would ad to what others have said here is to take the time after you shoot to memorize landmarks around where the animal was standing. If its any distance away you will probably not be able to go straight to the spot it was standing and things will look different when you get there. It's easy to lose that spot in the excitement after a shot and any tracking job will be easier and quicker when you have a sure starting point. If there are two of you its even better if the shooter stays where they shot from and directs the partner to the spot the animal was. Then the partner looks for tracks or hair as there will rarely be blood right away. Another thing that has worked for me while tracking wounded bears that have crossed a creek is to look for a water trail. Bears are bad for not bleeding right away and this has given me a starter trail until we started getting blood on several occasions.

[weatherby_man]

The big message I've heard before and here now is after the shot (if you know you've hit in) - WAIT!!! look at where you are where the deer went, think about the shot but dont go chasing the thing right away. If the shot was decent the animal will probably bed soon enough after its sprint. A few weeks back me and my buddy had to track a WT we shot uphill. He went lickity-split uphill into the thickest nastiest stuff he could find fast. We found the blood trail first, followed it - slowly. Then it sort of petered out and we were a little apprehensive. The thickest stuff we could see was as I said uphil. It was a grove of small birch with lots of think under brush. It was a narrowing grove in a crevice of the hill. I started - slowly up one side and behind my partner on the other side. I flushed him soon enough but couldnt get a shot at him because of how thick the brush was (couldnt even swing my barrel towards him). I whistled to my partner but he told me later nothing happened. Then I crept up further, spooked the buck up again but again couldnt get a shot, whistled to the partner again, and the deer was heading right at him. Hip shot and down. When we got to him I had my original shot exactly where I wanted it - in the boiler room. However that deer was just plain tough and he didnt want to die I guess. There was an excellent article on tracking the last few months in Deer and Deer Hunter mag. I'll try to find it.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Good info with bowseason here. Sat in my treestand last night thinking bout this. Snow is intermittant where I was hunting.

The elk I shot this year(with rifle) didn't spill any blood. Luckilly I heard him crash about 75 yds away. Heart/lung/shoulder soup and no spillage:-?.


SSS

[Steeleco]

i would have to disagree with that sir..just a while back i recall a post involving the buddy with long hair...the guy who started the thread took a hell merry shot.. yes he realized what he did and was sorry for it but he let buck fever get to him and did not make the first shot count..

True you are, but at the time, this fellow thought he was doing everything right. Experience will teach him otherwise.

[Wolfman]

I speak from the perspective of hunting with archery equipment here.

1. If it's raining - as it does often in these parts - I'd recommend marking your shooting spot and moving to where the animal was hit fairly quickly, for obvious reasons.
2. Mark the "shot spot".
3. Mark the "animal hit spot".
4. Note the direction that the hit animal headed away from the hit spot.
5. Remember all these things - even in the excitement of the moment.
6. Observe the reaction of the animal as it is hit. This will indicate the lethality of the hit (heart/lung, gut, spine, etc).
7. "Blood trail" with your eyes wide open - looking everywhere - don't hurry as it is easy to miss a critical detail and you don't want to "push" the animal.
8. Take along a good flashlight if it's late in the afternoon.
9. Have a spray/spritzer bottle of hydrogen peroxide - it makes even the smallest blood spot foam up and become instantly recognizable.

Good points Bow Walker.

I've never bow hunted before, but I would imagine that effective tracking of an animal would be even more important with bow hunting.

Wolfman

[Onesock]

I would have to advise anyone that is bowhunting not to bowhunt in the rain. I know on the island the most movement is in the wind and rain but it is also almost impossible to blood trail a deer in pouring rain. Look on tha bottom side of the fern and salal leaves. Sometimes, as the leaves rib against the critter blood will be left on the bottom of the leaves and not the top. Most times if the animal has to step over a log there will be bloood on the other side of the log because of the stretch over the log/fence. Carry reading glasses with you if you happen to need them to read, tiny drops are hard to see, right Coyote. Another hint is to have someone young with you that has good eyes and a strong back.

[Onesock]

Wolfman- 99% of the time if you are bowhunting you will need to track. Sometimes long, sometimes short. Hopefully short.

[cmc destroyer]

I think each scenario is different. I check the "hit spot" for blood and blood content to determine where the bullet/arrow entered. I like to find vital tissue in the blood to conclude a liver, lung or spleen shot etc.
The ground and weather conditions also play a huge factor in the wait time.
My last deer I waited only 5-10 minutes because I new I hit him a little far back and the bush was extremely thick. There was very little blood and what I did find quickly dissplaced in the melting skiff of snow and blended in with all the little red leaves.
I purposely moved in hoping to "push" him as I was afraid I wouldnt be able to locate him dead on the ground.
After doing a slow zigzag pattern for about 150 yards I pushed him out of his bed and dumped him with a neck shot.
The first shot was a gut shot.
Generaly though I would wait an hour as a rule of thumb.
I assess each situation as it presents itself

[cmc destroyer]

Originally Posted by Bow Walker http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?p=366428#post366428)
9. Have a spray/spritzer bottle of hydrogen peroxide - it makes even the smallest blood spot foam up and become instantly recognizable.

wow that is a great tip.
Never would have thought of that.

[KevinB]

i was just saying that he should make his first shot count so he dont have to track.. and ya i know i will have to track one of these days but i have been hunting all my life and probobly know more than most of u douche bags on here.. seems like everytime i make a post u guys seem to come up with dumass remarks like this one... pretty easy to pick on a kid eh!!! wahoo good on ya.. should be proud,,, grow up and take off ur pampers.. we are all entitled in our opinion on this site... my suggestion was to make the first shot count.. i guess im wrong eh

No you are not wrong you just aren't discussing the same thing the rest of us are. Like Mr Dean said, of course making the first shot count is the most important thing. But making the first shot doesn't always have much to do with the subsequent need for tracking, if you are hunting where there is any cover within a short distance. As others here have pointed out as well. But you seem reluctant to listen.

If you are one of those guys that claims he's hunted tons and shot tons of deer, and then goes on to say that the deer he shoots always drop on the spot never to move, well then I'll have to say congratualtions on all those direct brain shots. You must be a very fine marksman. But if you shoot deer through the lungs, and still say that every one of your deer drops dead on the spot, well then I wold have to conclude that you are either full of it, or you haven't shot very many deer and have been lucky so far in that they've all dropped on the spot. Or you only shoot deer way out in the wide open where you can watch them run.

Tracking skills are kinda like a pistol, you never really need it until you need it very very badly.

[steveo32]

Kevin i know for a factmuley kids muley this year only 35 yards after a heart shot at 240 yards !!!!! He is definatly good at tracking seeing as he was guiding with me this season and clients hardly ever make the first shot count :wink:

[Ron.C]

getting back to the origional idea of this thread which was tracking tips, here is one and it relates to the previous posts,

even if your animal goes down within sight, still go through the motions of tracking it from the point where it was shot to where it expired. At the very least you will be practicing and refreshing your tracking skills, and you may even learn something new as you go. This is especially true in inclement weather like rain, very dense dark and thick bush. Don't just run over to the animal, take the time to see the effect that these conditions have on the bloodtrail/tracks so when you need to use these skills to find an animal, you haven't pissed away a good opportunity to learn.

[nomad]

Great point Ron.C ! Taking the time to practise some of these excellent points on the "easy" ones is a great idea! I can't wait to try the hydrogen peroxide! Will be carrying a spray bottle of that in the pack for sure!! Hey! Has anyone tried one of those blood lights? Packing a pair of reading glasses is another great idea from one of you guys on here! Cheap and effective even if you don't need glasses! I use my wifes just for working on slivers! Now a pair may go missing into my pack!! The trail marker tape is a must have and the surest way to mark! Gps is the high tech answer but you never know when you'll lose your sat. connection! Other good points I've seen posted somewhere around here is about the blood itself... foamy-dark-etc.. Don't remember the specifics if someone else can elaborate more. Can help determine what your shot hit.

[GoatGuy]

The landmark thing is a big one. We got a goat a couple years ago in the scrub below some cliffs. It took us 4 hours to hike around and down in the fog (of course) and then we had to 'find' the goat.


When you're approaching a potentially downed animal do you come in slow or at a leisurely pace?

[358mag]

The landmark thing is a big one. We got a goat a couple years ago in the scrub below some cliffs. It took us 4 hours to hike around and down in the fog (of course) and then we had to 'find' the goat.


When you're approaching a potentially downed animal do you come in slow or at a leisurely pace?
So did you find the goat or just another rusty trigger story????

[6616]

Great tips guys,,,,, good thread.

[GoatGuy]

So did you find the goat or just another rusty trigger story????


Found the goat.

I always have a rusty trigger. Got a message from the kid - have fun this weekend, I don't get in til Saturday. My season's pretty much done other than maybe a week chasing goats. Course I ain't gonna shoot nothing - should just leave the gun at home and save myself 9 lbs.

[358mag]

Found the goat.

I always have a rusty trigger. Got a message from the kid - have fun this weekend. My season's pretty much done other than maybe a week in reg 6 chasing goats. Course I ain't gonna shot nothing - should just leave the gun at home and save myself 9 lbs.
To bad your seasons done ,- re the Kid to bad couldnt make it over this weekend with them would have love to spend a few hours arounds a back roads fire and a few cold happy pops !!! and see that old Toyota p/u lumbering up the road like a lost dog in a snow storm

[GoatGuy]

To bad your seasons done ,- re the Kid to bad couldnt make it over this weekend with them would have love to spend a few hours arounds a back roads fire and a few cold happy pops !!! and see that old Toyota p/u lumbering up the road like a lost dog in a snow storm

hahaha.

There were a couple big bucks out of there last year. I took some video of a 5x5 that should be a good one this year if he hasn't succumb to lead yet.

good luck.

[Mooseman]

Anyone have any helpful hints on tracking/retrieving?

Maybe starting with:

The shot, ie., what to look/listen for
Waiting time ie., how long, circumstances
Finding first blood ie., marking the spot, looking for disturbance
Tracking the animal ie., following the trail, speed of tracking, marking the trail

Just thought it mind be a good one to re-visit.

Look here:

http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=1510

[ThinAir]

Great tips for tracking.

One thing that I've used in the last few years is a video camera.
Obviously won't help you track- but has helped ALOT when planning strategy for accessing landmarks etc.. - especially in the high country.

Film landmarks, routes, point of impact etc.. from the location of the shot- I reviewed footage while searching and it's helped greatly.

If you've hunting in the high country, or over gorges and through valleys you know how different things seem when you get to the other side!