Blood trailing in wet terrain

[Josh_S]

Sorry if this has been discussed before, but I could not find anything.

I have never had to follow a blood trail through water...yet...but as I hunt more wet areas I want to be as prepared as possible if it were to happen. Who has experience following a blood trail through wet areas? What went wrong? What went right? Do you back off or be more aggressive? What would you do differently next time? Did you rely more on fresh tracks and dirty water trails? Did the deer head for higher ground?

[Boogieman1]

I don't have a ton of experience with it, think I've only done it twice and went 1 for 2 in recovery. The best take aways I had from the first time (which I did not recover animal) and the 2nd one was to take up track immediately. In my case I was dealing with heavy rain not a marsh and sign was getting washed as fast as it was being made. I looked for disturbances instead of blood. Brush laying oposite ways, broke twigs, scuff marks etc. I jumped the deer a total of 5 times. But I got him and I feel if I would have waited an hour I prob wouldn't have recovered. Also note from all the bumping the buck did a big circle and almost ended up back where I originally shot him.

[mauser06]

Can't say I've actually done it yet...


But, I've been on a lot of blood trails with a lot of different hunters with varying experience.


One thing I've noticed a lot of guys miss is the blood that isn't on the ground. Grass/hay/corn/brush fields etc... everyone focuses on the ground. In heavy brush/grass etc, a lot of sign never makes it to the ground. A lot ends up smeared as the animal runs through. It can be tough to see depending on the circumstances.

Can also give you and idea of the height of the hit.


A quick kill, I'd expect to plow over in water or wherever it ran out of blood pressure. One looking for safety, I'd somewhat expect to head to higher ground and bedding areas. Dan's videos show a few different occtof marsh/swamp bucks heading right back toward their bed and/or making it into their bed.

[Ghost Hunter]

Can't say I've actually done it yet...


But, I've been on a lot of blood trails with a lot of different hunters with varying experience.


One thing I've noticed a lot of guys miss is the blood that isn't on the ground. Grass/hay/corn/brush fields etc... everyone focuses on the ground. In heavy brush/grass etc, a lot of sign never makes it to the ground. A lot ends up smeared as the animal runs through. It can be tough to see depending on the circumstances.

Can also give you and idea of the height of the hit.


A quick kill, I'd expect to plow over in water or wherever it ran out of blood pressure. One looking for safety, I'd somewhat expect to head to higher ground and bedding areas. Dan's videos show a few different occtof marsh/swamp bucks heading right back toward their bed and/or making it into their bed.

When tracking through high grass. If you get down and look through grass you can see blood on grass where deer traveled.

[PK_]

1. Make a good shot

2. Listen for the belly flop.

You are not going to successfully follow a trail of blood in standing water. Even if the animal is bleeding a lot and gets some blood on whatever vegetation is there it is likely to be washed off as the deer is splashing. Unless it’s through some actual undergrowth...

[Josh_S]

1. Make a good shot

2. Listen for the belly flop.

You are not going to successfully follow a trail of blood in standing water. Even if the animal is bleeding a lot and gets some blood on whatever vegetation is there it is likely to be washed off as the deer is splashing. Unless it’s through some actual undergrowth...

Good point on the belly flop. It makes sense to use your ears and listen. Have you been more aggressive without waiting and getting right on the trail (or lack of) if you're confident on a good shot? I see a marginal shot as having MUCH lower odds of recovery in wet terrain.

[Timmy]

Sometimes you have to look for ground disturbance as mush as you do blood. There could just be a little vegetation that’s knocked over, or a little brushed that’s broke. If there’s a lot of water you may be able to follow cloudy water. It might be stirred up from the deer running thru. But the more time that goes by that will settle down. You might be able to see some of the muck and water kicked up on the brush. It might not be much but just a few drops that wouldn’t be there unless an animal went thru there.

[PK_]

1. Make a good shot

2. Listen for the belly flop.

You are not going to successfully follow a trail of blood in standing water. Even if the animal is bleeding a lot and gets some blood on whatever vegetation is there it is likely to be washed off as the deer is splashing. Unless it’s through some actual undergrowth...

Good point on the belly flop. It makes sense to use your ears and listen. Have you been more aggressive without waiting and getting right on the trail (or lack of) if you're confident on a good shot? I see a marginal shot as having MUCH lower odds of recovery in wet terrain.

Yea if I hear them go down in the water I go right after them while the direction is still fresh in my mind.

It depends. If there are limited dry spots for the deer to bed on, your chances are very good if you don’t push. Even if you do push it you can generally figure out where the deer is going...

[Bonecrusher101]

I rely heavily on my hand held gps when I'm tracking wounded deer. I have a pretty good recovery rate since I've been using it. A gps will keep you on track and prevent you from searching the same areas twice. If you practice with it, you can grid search areas also which helps when all else fails.

Two years ago I watched my arrow hit a big doe high, I had about half the shaft sticking up. The angle and depth I felt certain were fatal. There was no exit and the deer ran about 100-150 yards in a semi circle in thick brush and I heard it crash. I immediately pulled out my gps and pointed it to where I heard the crash, I guessed the distance (about 100 yards) from my position and dropped a pin on my guessed location.

It got dark and me and my hunting partner found no blood. Nothing to go on after about 20-30 minutes of looking for sign. I got impatient and struck out for the spot I marked on my gps, where I thought the deer was. She was within a 10 yard radius of the pin I dropped on my gps. She had been dead the whole time.

Maybe I could have found hoof prints in the dust, maybe I could have gotten lucky and figured it out after a few hours. That's just one time my gps has saved me lots of time and effort and possibly a deer.

Tracking deer in standing water is considerably tougher. I would really focus on a good kill shot and the deer (more times than not) cannot make 100-150 yards if you get both lungs. If I'm bow hunting in the rain, I become a lot more choosy with my shots I will take. Also, there are lots of recovery groups online with tracking dogs. Good to keep in mind.

[Buckshot20]

1. Make a good shot

2. Listen for the belly flop.

You are not going to successfully follow a trail of blood in standing water. Even if the animal is bleeding a lot and gets some blood on whatever vegetation is there it is likely to be washed off as the deer is splashing. Unless it’s through some actual undergrowth...

Good point on the belly flop. It makes sense to use your ears and listen. Have you been more aggressive without waiting and getting right on the trail (or lack of) if you're confident on a good shot? I see a marginal shot as having MUCH lower odds of recovery in wet terrain.

Yea if I hear them go down in the water I go right after them while the direction is still fresh in my mind.

It depends. If there are limited dry spots for the deer to bed on, your chances are very good if you don’t push. Even if you do push it you can generally figure out where the deer is going...

Make a good shot! If I'm hunting lots of water I go directly after the deer. First reason, the belly flop like mentioned, second the water is still muddy to follow.(that's your trail). Once that settles you are kinda screwed. Also, knee high water is almost chest high on a deer. Lots of energy pumping to flee.

If you are using a thunder stick I recommend neck shots or high shoulder. No trail required.

[Ahawk116]

I rely heavily on my hand held gps when I'm tracking wounded deer. I have a pretty good recovery rate since I've been using it. A gps will keep you on track and prevent you from searching the same areas twice. If you practice with it, you can grid search areas also which helps when all else fails.

Two years ago I watched my arrow hit a big doe high, I had about half the shaft sticking up. The angle and depth I felt certain were fatal. There was no exit and the deer ran about 100-150 yards in a semi circle in thick brush and I heard it crash. I immediately pulled out my gps and pointed it to where I heard the crash, I guessed the distance (about 100 yards) from my position and dropped a pin on my guessed location.

It got dark and me and my hunting partner found no blood. Nothing to go on after about 20-30 minutes of looking for sign. I got impatient and struck out for the spot I marked on my gps, where I thought the deer was. She was within a 10 yard radius of the pin I dropped on my gps. She had been dead the whole time.

Maybe I could have found hoof prints in the dust, maybe I could have gotten lucky and figured it out after a few hours. That's just one time my gps has saved me lots of time and effort and possibly a deer.

Tracking deer in standing water is considerably tougher. I would really focus on a good kill shot and the deer (more times than not) cannot make 100-150 yards if you get both lungs. If I'm bow hunting in the rain, I become a lot more choosy with my shots I will take. Also, there are lots of recovery groups online with tracking dogs. Good to keep in mind.

This has been good advice in my experience. One of my deer hunting mentors years ago told me to carry a compass with you and listen. If you hear the crash shoot an azimuth from your stand to the sound that you heard.

I do that every time and if I can't find the trail I'll take the humbling walk back to the tree and just follow the azimuth. I have found a couple of deer like that which for whatever reason didn't bleed or ran through the water.

[dan]

I have shot a lot of bucks in swamps and marshes and not many have run thru open water. There is usually blood all over the brush on the edges of the trail and on the plants sticking out of the water. The water is generally muddy from the deer, and there is usually fresh wet mud sprayed onto vegetation.