How long do you wait?

Discuss deer hunting tactics, Deer behavior. Post your Hunting Stories, Pictures, and Questions/Answers.
  • Advertisement

HB Store


User avatar
Horizontal Hunter
500 Club
Posts: 2936
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2014 1:08 pm
Location: Western Massachusetts
Status: Offline

Re: How long do you wait?

Unread postby Horizontal Hunter » Wed Mar 11, 2015 10:51 am

stash59 wrote:Richard P. Smith, a writer from the UP had an article in a magazine a few years back that Was supposed to be an excerpt from a book.It talked all about different clues for tracking wounded game. What I remember most was the part on hair found near the place the animal was standing at the shot. How fine or coarse it is, it's length and color and how that can point to where an animal has actually been hit. I lost the article and forgot to buy the book. Maybe an older Beast member has it. If not as far as the hair clues one would only have to study their next kill to figure that out.


I believe that you are referring to "Finding Wounded Deer" by John Trout jr. I have the book and re-read it at the beginning of each season. IMO they should be given out at all Hunter education classes.
http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Wounded-D ... 1616088362

Bob

[ Post made via iPad ] Image


Vegetarian: vejiˈte(ə)rēən/noun: old Indian word for lousy hunter. :o

Excalibur Exocet, GT Laser II, 2" Bhoning Blazers 125g NAP Spitfire
User avatar
stash59
Moderator
Posts: 10077
Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2014 8:22 am
Location: S Central Wi.
Status: Offline

Re: How long do you wait?

Unread postby stash59 » Wed Mar 11, 2015 11:17 am

Thanx for the link. It was Smith I was talking about but way back in the '80's or '90's. His book is "Tracking Wounded Deer". It's listed under the "Frequently bought together section" under the Trout book listing on Amazon. Think I'll look into both. I always like to see if methods match up.











'
User avatar
SonofUlam
Posts: 279
Joined: Tue Sep 16, 2014 3:47 am
Location: SE Minnesota
Status: Offline

Re: How long do you wait?

Unread postby SonofUlam » Wed Mar 11, 2015 10:12 pm

Stump wrote:Dan,

I hope you do an in depth tracking segment on your next video! I definitely know that I could used some pointers. Being partially color blind doesn't help me one dang bit! :roll:

X2! Also color blind.

[ Post made via iPhone ] Image
[glow=green]1 Chronicles 8:40, "The sons of Ulam were brave warriors who could handle the bow..."[/glow]
dan
Site Owner
Posts: 41588
Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2010 6:11 am
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HuntingBeast/?ref=bookmarks
Location: S.E. Wisconsin
Contact:
Status: Online

Re: How long do you wait?

Unread postby dan » Wed Aug 28, 2019 5:09 am

Bump
cjw5136
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 12:40 pm
Status: Offline

Re: How long do you wait?

Unread postby cjw5136 » Thu Aug 29, 2019 1:14 am

The Hunting Public did an interview with a guy that tracks wounded game with dogs. Many have probably seen it but I’ll link it below. For those like me who haven’t tracked a ton of wounded deer, I found it very informative.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NyHqV-11cd8
User avatar
Ghost Hunter
Posts: 4891
Joined: Fri Nov 02, 2012 10:00 am
Location: South Arkansas
Status: Offline

Re: How long do you wait?

Unread postby Ghost Hunter » Thu Aug 29, 2019 1:23 am

If it's good hit. I'm out of tree. Pack my stand up. Start tracking right then. If it starts to go south. I back out.
I'm reason they call it hunting and not shooting.
Brokenarrow1980
500 Club
Posts: 1478
Joined: Thu May 16, 2019 10:53 am
Status: Offline

Re: How long do you wait?

Unread postby Brokenarrow1980 » Thu Aug 29, 2019 3:06 am

I usually find a marginal hit deer by making a plan from the tree how to get out without alerting the deer. I dont look for the arrow, blood, hair, nothing. A deer will bed down and watch it's back trail within a few 100 yards and if not forced to move it will eventually die in that bed. If the deer has a thought its being followed you will never find it. I found many deer for friends family and myself doing this and recommending this tactic. If a deer is hit perfect you will see or hear it fall. I tell the antsy people if it's dead now it will be dead in a few hours, relax lol.
It's all fun and games till someone looses an eye..... then its just fun
User avatar
elk yinzer
500 Club
Posts: 1229
Joined: Sat Jul 29, 2017 5:39 am
Location: Central PA
Status: Offline

Re: How long do you wait?

Unread postby elk yinzer » Thu Aug 29, 2019 3:23 am

I'm not real long in the tooth but I've been tracking deer with my family just about since I could walk. And I have some family who can't shoot for chit. I kinda consider tracking one of my fortes. I'm just going to address a few things

I've never seen a a muscle hit deer recovered by pushing it or not pushing it. Muscle hits go one of two ways. One, you get a big artery and a short trail to a dead deer. Two, you have good blood for about 100 yards that peters out then nothing and the deer survives. There is no way you are catching up to a deer that merely has a sore shoulder or rump. Muscle hits, your decision is irrelevant. It's luck whether you caught enough artery or not.

Gut shot deer (including liver) you absolutely, positively, 100% do not want to push. A gut shot deer will be dead in a bed within 200 yards if you don't push it. Usually 100. Once pushed out of that first bed? There's no telling. Bumping gut shot deer too soon I would venture accounts for 90% plus of the wounding loss, bow or rifle. Time with a gut shot deer? 2 -24 hours. Depends what guts you hit. 8 hours is usually safe in that the deer isn't going to go real far if you do bump it. If it's really hot, go a little sooner. I hear a lot of self-proclaimed experts say 4 hours. That is bare naked minimum. They'll be getting sick but can still have a lot of vigor after 4 hours. Rain? Forget the excuse that you have to track before it rains, that's baloney. I'll grid search a deer that I know is within 200 yards all day. Once you start bumping them, a grid search is a wing and a prayer.


Single lung I think you have to bifurcate into the two categories. Category one is bad horizontal angle where you're generally going to quarter into guts. Treat that like a gut shot. Category two is bad vertical angle where really all you hit is one lung. Category 2 is the one shot where I can buy the theory that you push them, the only scenario I believe that is the right play. But that's a rare scenario. I've tracked hundreds of deer and I can think of one instance where that was the suspected case. We didn't find that deer. But you have to know confidently that was your shot to call that play.

Double lung/heart shot? Dead, congrats, go track right away if you saw or heard the crash. If not, better just to wait an hour in case you saw wrong. Give you some time to get off the adrenaline high so you can make decisions with a clear mind.

Where the game theory comes in is when you don't know for certain where you hit. Or you think you hit good but come to find evidence that maybe not. A lot of tracking is just that, knowing how to gather the clues to arrive at an educated guess where the deer is hit thereby determining the proper play to call (time to wait). It's way too situational for always/never rules, but waiting is usually the correct play.
Treasurer, United Bowhunters of PA
https://ubofpa.org/membership-3
User avatar
cspot
500 Club
Posts: 1307
Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2018 1:13 pm
Location: Western PA
Status: Offline

Re: How long do you wait?

Unread postby cspot » Thu Aug 29, 2019 9:48 am

elk yinzer wrote:I'm not real long in the tooth but I've been tracking deer with my family just about since I could walk. And I have some family who can't shoot for chit. I kinda consider tracking one of my fortes. I'm just going to address a few things

I've never seen a a muscle hit deer recovered by pushing it or not pushing it. Muscle hits go one of two ways. One, you get a big artery and a short trail to a dead deer. Two, you have good blood for about 100 yards that peters out then nothing and the deer survives. There is no way you are catching up to a deer that merely has a sore shoulder or rump. Muscle hits, your decision is irrelevant. It's luck whether you caught enough artery or not.

Gut shot deer (including liver) you absolutely, positively, 100% do not want to push. A gut shot deer will be dead in a bed within 200 yards if you don't push it. Usually 100. Once pushed out of that first bed? There's no telling. Bumping gut shot deer too soon I would venture accounts for 90% plus of the wounding loss, bow or rifle. Time with a gut shot deer? 2 -24 hours. Depends what guts you hit. 8 hours is usually safe in that the deer isn't going to go real far if you do bump it. If it's really hot, go a little sooner. I hear a lot of self-proclaimed experts say 4 hours. That is bare naked minimum. They'll be getting sick but can still have a lot of vigor after 4 hours. Rain? Forget the excuse that you have to track before it rains, that's baloney. I'll grid search a deer that I know is within 200 yards all day. Once you start bumping them, a grid search is a wing and a prayer.


Single lung I think you have to bifurcate into the two categories. Category one is bad horizontal angle where you're generally going to quarter into guts. Treat that like a gut shot. Category two is bad vertical angle where really all you hit is one lung. Category 2 is the one shot where I can buy the theory that you push them, the only scenario I believe that is the right play. But that's a rare scenario. I've tracked hundreds of deer and I can think of one instance where that was the suspected case. We didn't find that deer. But you have to know confidently that was your shot to call that play.

Double lung/heart shot? Dead, congrats, go track right away if you saw or heard the crash. If not, better just to wait an hour in case you saw wrong. Give you some time to get off the adrenaline high so you can make decisions with a clear mind.

Where the game theory comes in is when you don't know for certain where you hit. Or you think you hit good but come to find evidence that maybe not. A lot of tracking is just that, knowing how to gather the clues to arrive at an educated guess where the deer is hit thereby determining the proper play to call (time to wait). It's way too situational for always/never rules, but waiting is usually the correct play.


I agree and your observations are spot on with mine. We may even be related with the family comment. :lol:

It has been a long long time since I have been on a track job where we didn't get the animal and I feel that it was mortally wounded. One thing that hurts me now is that my eyesight isn't as good as it once was and I sometimes can't pick up the blood as well. My 2 youngest kids are very good trackers though and will pick up the tiniest flecks of blood that I simply can't see.

Something that factors in to my decision of when to track is the weather conditions and if it is a large buck or not. I am not going to let a doe sit overnight when the temps are hot. I will take my chances after a few hours.

Another random thought. I much prefer when trailing with blood to do so at night. I can stay focused on the blood trail at hand and don't try to look ahead as much. It is even easier for me to see the blood. Now when it gets to grid searching then daylight is obviously better.


  • Advertisement

Return to “Deer Hunting”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Ack, funderburk and 76 guests