Deer tracking/recovery aids?

[Jager]

Well this was my 1st year bow hunting and I got lucky and harvested a small fork blacktail. Thinking back on my hunt I realize how lucky I was in recovering my animal. It was a shoulder shot with no to little blood blood. The area was open so I was able to tell where he ran. Normally it would be raining cats and dogs and the bush would have been really thick and recovery would have been very challenging indeed. What is a Vancouver island blacktail hunter to do?
String tracker?
Buy/train a tracking dog
only hunt in open areas?
Only hunt on dry days?

Is there a drop in your tracks kill shot to practice?

Just some thoughts

[goatdancer]

Well this was my 1st year bow hunting and I got lucky and harvested a small fork blacktail. Thinking back on my hunt I realize how lucky I was in recovering my animal. It was a shoulder shot with no to little blood blood. The area was open so I was able to tell where he ran. Normally it would be raining cats and dogs and the bush would have been really thick and recovery would have been very challenging indeed. What is a Vancouver island blacktail hunter to do?
String tracker?
Buy/train a tracking dog
only hunt in open areas?
Only hunt on dry days?

Is there a drop in your tracks kill shot to practice?



Just some thoughts

Carlos is the answer.

[Jager]

The "Carlos" factor is what really got me thinking. Every one knows that blacktail success goes up the nastier the weather gets, but this means a blood trail (if there is one) would be very short lived. I know a guy that used peroxide in a spray bottle to get blood to foam up to aid tracking . I saw the string tracker thing and it looks like it has fallen out of favor. Just wondering about options as I'd hate to lose an animal.

[Ron.C]

my 2 cents

I have read another HBC'ers comments in other threads, and this member is a major advocate of bowhunting.To paraphrase
"bowhunters don't hunt during rainy days"

I guess his thought process is that the rain will wash away blood. Fair enough, but for those of us here on Van Isle, we'd be placing one hell of a restiction on ourselves by doing so as it seems to rain constantly anytime late October and on. And anyone who lives here and hunts blacktail knows some of the best times to hunt these deer are during wet/rainy days.

And to make a bit of a comparison, I've seen some rifle shot deer run as far or farther then allot of bowshot deer. So should rifle hunters hang it up when its wet out too?I say no, focus on making a good shot regardless of what you are hunting with and in most cases the the deer won't go too far. But regardless of what you are hunting with, sometimes things happen that don't go your way. When that happens, call a friend, borrow a dog, do whatever you need to do and don't give up looking

I prefer to bowhunt in the timber and have bow shot several deer on typical Van Isle rainy days and recovered them all. I do have a good dog that has helped me with one. But I have also needed him to recover a rifle shot whitetail for one friend, and a rifle shot bear for another. Both these animals left no blood trail to speak of

As for bowhunting open areas so you can see them go down, I see most of my blacktail in the timber and thats where I prefer to hand my stands or stillhunt. I don't worry as much about where they "may go" after the shot, but am more concerned with being where I need to be to get a good shot.

I have never been a fan of the string tracker rigs. The last thing I want is the string to bind or snag on something and create a miss or worse, wound.

As for kill shots, I say stick with broadside/slightly quartering away, regardless of the conditions.

[Bc Deer Hunter]

A Dog is your best bet. Im sure there are guys in your area with properly trained dogs, most dont charge anything either they just like the opportunitie to put their dog on a real track... good luck

[Marlin375]

Myself ........I would enlist the services of a dog, I have seen two dogs stay on the trail and go straight to the deer and neither one of them were more than just pets.
They really seem to just go on natural instinct....even without training it was easier than our attempt.

[The Dawg]

Carlos is the answer.

Do I find one of these outside a Home Depot?

[The Dude]

Aisle Five "Tracking Dogs and Kibble"

[Superdeuce]

Doesn't apply to trailing directly, but the first stage of recovery is finding your arrow and comfirming if it was a clean miss or a hit and the arrow may provide some clues as to where you hit whcih then impacts yor trailing strategy. So, the first recommendation I would have is using lighted nocks as they are a huge help in arrow recovery (as well as tracking your arrow in flight).

I do not see how they give a hunter any advantage in actually killing the animal so I cannot understand why P&Y wiill not recognize animals harvested with them. If anything, they make for a more ethical hunter as they aid in recovery.

Having said that, I was not using lighted nocks when I shot my book buck this season and unfortunately, didn't get any video of it either.

[Superdeuce]

The next suggestion I would have is to not begin trailing for at least 30min at a minimum and only then if you are confident that you hammered him. If you suspect you made a poor shot, then pull out a minimum of 4hrs, even if at dark (unless it is extremely warm, I will leave the animal all night if no concerns of predators). You can make the trailing a lot easier by not pushing the animal. Even in foul weather, I would pull out and wait. 9 times out of ten, if lethally hit, you will recover within 100 yards if you do not push the animal, therefor, if you cover the ground methodically, you should be able to recover the animal even without a blood trail.

Most important advice, if you know you hit the animal, simply do not give up too quickly. This means getting your buddies (a dog would be great)and searching strategically - and not for a couple hrs, all day and all day the next if necessary.

Knowing some common behavior helps. There are books and online stuff you can reasearch. The sign will tell you a lot about where you hit the animal, how high or low, etc, pass thru, etc They will usually go downhill but not always. If gut shot, they will often go to water and die creekside or in it (remember the gut shot cowbows dying in the arms of another asking for a drink from his canteen).

[Big Lew]

When it's raining (I don't mean torrential downpour) I limit my shooting distance to give me the best opportunity to hit precisely where I'm aiming, lessening the chance of a marginal hit, so that I've a good double lung heavy blood trail. That's not to say that I normally shoot at further distances than I'm comfortable with, only that there's less of a chance for something to go wrong at very close range.
As for the 'string tracking system', I experimented with it quite extensively in thick coastal brush, using a brother to simulate a shot deer. First of all, I found that when shooting for 30 yds using an older and slow bow by today's standard, I had to aim for 35 yds. (a more powerful bow shooting a heavier arrow would be less effected) Secondly, if there was any breeze, it effected accuracy quite badly. And finally, I found that if the quarry ran quickly through the brush, especially if the arrow was a pass-through, the 17 lb string would most often snag and break. It couldn't slide around the many tough branches, or through the simulated body fast enough. My results were very discouraging, so I ended up using the system to shoot grouse which worked quite well, allowing me to recover my arrow although I would only get one shot off per grouse.

[tadpole]

Choice of the razor blade to aid bleeding is essential. Use four blade head with thicker but shorter blades, like slick trick or similar. They tend to almost drill the pass through hole if shot is through boiler room. It helps to develop blood trial immensely. Of course the best is a dog with the nose and knowledge how to use it. The best at this are small portable terriers as it comes naturally to them. I use 9 years old Rhodesian and he enjoys big time to be on a trial ,and is getting very impatient when I can not make it fast enough on my end of the leash.

[Onesock]

I would have to agree with the above post about limiting your shot distance to make 100% sure of a good shot. I would also have to agree about NOT hunting in a rain storm. From Aug25 to Dec10 there are alot of days without rain and the deer are still there, they haven't gone anywhere. We live on the Island but it doesn't rain all the time. A small shower OK but still limit your bowhunting days in a down pour. Tracking an arrow hit deer without snow can be a real bitch and even with snow tracking can be tough. You may find the odd dear in rainy conditions if you make a perfect shot but finding a deer in a rain storm with an iffy shot would be almost impossible. If you did find it head to the store for a lottery ticket because it was your day. Merry Christmas

[greybark]

Lots of common sence on this post . I like 30% of males are color defficent (red green brown) and prefer to hunt over snow for obvious reasons . No snow , I make arrangements to have a Partner to help out . I would not hesitate to use a tracking dog if required and appreciate the fact that those with such dogs make themselves available at times to total strangers ...
Cheers

[treehugger]

Sounds like you're after more blood on the ground for tracking and putting the dear down quick and that happens as a result of a good shot and a good broadhead. Good shots don't always work out perfectly...
As for the inclement weather.. it sounds like there's a keen group of dog owners on the island willing to lend a nose. My dog has no formal tracking training but homed right in on my first bow kill and found it about 80yds from where I shot, dead in a bush.
Big Lew, I'm glad I'm not your brother... even on a rainy, windy day at 35yds

[Big Lew]

"Big Lew, I'm glad I'm not your brother... even on a rainy, windy day at 35yds"
That's what younger brothers are for,:twisted: We actually both bow hunt, and we took turns running with the thread. The arrow dropped 5 yards difference at 30 yards because of the trailing thread. At forty yards, we had to use our 50 yard pin, but the biggest disappointment was the thread frequently breaking in the tough snarly blue berry and mountain willow. If the bush wasn't too thick, the system would probably work, but the whole reason to use it was for thick coastal vegetation where tracking is very difficult.

[416]

Watch a dog that knows what its doing when it comes to tracking and you will be impressed...... a properly trained up hunting dog is hard to beat in the bush.

[IronNoggin]

Choice of the razor blade to aid bleeding is essential.... Of course the best is a dog with the nose and knowledge how to use it. The best at this are small portable terriers as it comes naturally to them. I use 9 years old Rhodesian and he enjoys big time to be on a trial ,and is getting very impatient when I can not make it fast enough on my end of the leash.

VERY True on both accounts Tadpole! I saw first hand the difference in the blood trail one's selection of broad-heads makes! VERY Impressed with those Slick Tricks you use, and WILL be changing mine out accordingly!

And I totally concur on the dog! Nothing, repeat NOTHING makes a difficult recovery seem so much easier than a dog who knows his stuff! Damn Happy with mine, he has proven himself well, and is very likely to do so again down the road. Certainly has earned his share of the harvests!

For any in the Port Alberni area: If you get into the situation where a dog will help, feel free to give me a shout. Boogs is always up to the task! :mrgreen:

Cheers,
Nog

[Superdeuce]

I think limiting your shot range to the distance you are confident in making a clean shot is a given and applies no matter what the weather, so I would not hesitate to hunt in the rain... would lose a lot of days in the field otherwise on the coast not to mention it makes for the best stalking conditions. Never tried thread tracker so can't comment... but if you make a lethal shot, you should recover the animal regardless with the right amount of effort. I have never had the opportunity to see a tracking dog, but glad to see there are guys with dogs willing to lend a hand to fellow hunters.. awesome.
Back for another egg nog. Sizing up santa's cookies at the moment.
Merry Xmas!

[KTownKiller]

Carlos is an amazing dog here in West Kelowna. You really got to try to find another dog in your area. He can track a deer without a blood trail and also can keep track of a deer's individual sent, ignoring all other deer trails. I've seen it first hand, he tracked my daughters buck for over half a km in no more than 5-10 minutes! It was awesome to watch how fast and easy he made it look!:-D Made our day! If I had tried myself, I probably would have lost it. Very little blood, if any, and it had gone down a hill where 6 or 7 other deer had just ran. No problem for Carlos.

[Lozzie]

Most dogs will track if you put them on blood, some can track by scent. Experience is key, experienced dog, experienced handler. With the type terrain most us on the island are hunting it's not about if you lose a deer, but when you lose one. My dog Samson is a natural and has a 100% success rate so far 3 deer in 2 years. I know that if I can put him on blood he knows what to do. Even if there isn't blood, deer that have been shot put out a different scent (or so I've been told) and a dog with a good nose will pick it out. Samson's last recovery was epic to say the least, 3-5 hours after the shot, the deer was pushed by the hunter( a buddy), blood trail was lost, rainy, overgrown, across water, etc. He lost the scent once, I could tell because his nose was in the air trying to wind it. I brought him back a ways and he picked up the trail again (no blood) 40 yards later the wounded deer was found and finished off. I've got no problem helping someone find a lost a deer around the CV, I much prefer it to sickening feeling I get when I hear someone lost or wounded one. As a plus the dog will continue to learn from every experience and you'll never see a more grateful person than a hunter who has found an otherwise lost animal.

[gab]

When it is pouring rain on the Island I leave the bow at home and take a gun. I have only lost one deer, but even that still bothers me.

[KTownKiller]

Even with a gun, bad stuff can happen. My daughter hit her buck perfectly behind the shoulder, but the bullet only nicked the top of the lungs and missed the spine and artery.
I've heard that if an animal is between breaths, there's quite a void between the spine and lungs where a bullet or arrow can pass through not causing any fatal damage at all.
That's why it's great to have access to somebody with a tracking dog that you can get to help as soon as possible. You can really help the dog by not disturbing the scent trail at all. Carlos had a much better time tracking my daughter's buck because we hadn't walked on the bucks bed or tracks. I keep Rod's ( Carlos' owner) phone # with me when I'm hunting now. Rod is known on HBC as Hotload and he likes to help anyone who even thinks that they might have a hard time finding an animal. It's great experience for him and Carlos. His phone # is 250-769-8002, cell 250-212-1738. I hope you guys on the island can find someone there like Rod.
Happy New Year.:)

[SWD]

Flagging tape!
1) Mark the spot you took your shot from.
2) Mark the spot the deer was in when it got hit.
3) Allow time for deer to expire (1/2 hour - 1 hour) unless you see it go down.
4) Look for blood signs / tracks in the ground, take your time.
5) Follow the signs/tracks and place markers within eyesight of each one , do not walk on signs/tracks.
6) If you lose the signs/tracks go back to the last marker you saw signs/tracks and start again.
7) Continue until you find your deer. This system works well, be patient.

Kill shot;
It's best to make your shot when the deer is looking away or has its head down, aim for heart or lungs
If the deer spots you aim for its heart as it will spring as you release your arrow,
this way you have a chance to hit the lungs or spine.
Good Luck !

[KTownKiller]

Great ideas, but Carlos was the ticket that day! The buck had gone down a hill where other deer had run, and then through tall grass, no sign to follow, except for a dog. We were running sometimes too keep up to Carlos. Awesome! Had the buck in no time!:mrgreen: