Randy Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 A different thread got me thinking. When trailing a wounded deer, the general rule of thumb is when in doubt, back out. I believe there is a time to keep pushing and I was wondering what you all thought about this. When do you push, and when do you back out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruttinbuc Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 It depends on when and where I guess. How it is hit. Diagnosis at the arrow. If I know that the deer may be marginally hit in the morning say, guts or one lung, etc., I might just try to keep it on its feet and run it to death. I would more than likely wait an hour or two before taking up the trail. At night it would be the wise thing to back out. Tough to see where they are headed when you jump them in the dark. The blood or other evidence can be tough to pick up on just by the very nature of the deer's ability to still bound at good distances. My view. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Kid Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 never thought of it like that? but if my land is right next to somone elses i don't know how far i would actually want to push the deer, depends in the situation i think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pointing_dogs_rule Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 I can not think of any situation that I would push a wounded deer. Can you give me a possible example of when you would want to push a deer?? good luck to all the dog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Posted November 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 Lets throw this in. What if you are finding good blood with lots of clots in it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowTech292 Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 I have to agree with Pointing Dogs Rule, I can't think of a situation where I would push a wounded deer, good shot or bad. I wait at least 20-30 minutes even when I hear the crash....Just my style though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bghunter777 Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 Archery I cant ever think of a reason. but with a rifle especially on heavily hunted land it may not be a bad idea to try and finish the job or recover your deer quickly especially if he is a big one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckee Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 Lets throw this in. What if you are finding good blood with lots of clots in it? I have to agree with Pointing Dogs Rule, I can't think of a situation where I would push a wounded deer, good shot or bad. I wait at least 20-30 minutes even when I hear the crash....Just my style though. Yep, as long as I'm finding all of this after I've already waited for 1/2 hr to an hour, Then I would keep trailing the deer. But if I came to a spot where it had bedded for a bit, and then got up again, I would just mark that spot and back out for a few hours, or until the morning, depending on the time of day. Sometimes a deer will stop, and stand for a while, leaving a pool like they might have laid down. But if you look you will know the difference. In this case, keep following the blood trail. The most important thing I always do is wait at the very least, 1/2 hr, before pursuing any blood trail. Even if I see the deer go down within eye-sight, I will wait, just to make sure it expires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeaveragehunter Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 if its raining or gonna rain or you think you heard it fall definitely go after it. Slowly while scanning ahead obviously. Otherwise, I go back to the shack, get another person, get a bite, then head out. Unless its a bad hit. Then leave it overnight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 if its raining or gonna rain or you think you heard it fall definitely go after it. Slowly while scanning ahead obviously. Otherwise, I go back to the shack, get another person, get a bite, then head out. Unless its a bad hit. Then leave it overnight Just what I was thinking. Never a time for me to push a deer, if I hear it get up, I back off. The exception does come when there's rain moving in fast. Sometimes you should push a little and try to get a shot off before a flood comes down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jorden Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 Rain would be the only situation I would think of where I would push a deer but even then with a bow it may be tough to get a second shot...rifle would probably be a different story. Having said that though I dont know if there is any situation where I would push a deer that marginally shot especially if it is a big buck. I would rather do a grid search than rush to find a badly shot deer before rain or something and have him run into the next county. I would almost always rather let them lay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Posted November 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2009 No doubt let them lay for atleast 30 minutes but, what if you jump it out of it's bed? What if you find a bunch of clots? What's that mean? Do you go by the color of the blood you are finding? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Posted November 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2009 The reason I bring this up is, I was talking to a guy that blood trails deer with the use of a dog. He said when a deer starts to "clot up" it essentially stops dying. Now this made a bit of sense too me. If you let them lay with a decent shot but, not a definate killing shot that deer COULD, heal up. I know we run in to property issues and that becomes a problem but, I think this guy is on to something... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruttinbuc Posted November 14, 2009 Report Share Posted November 14, 2009 (edited) That was the basis of my reply. When you see that mucous like, dark red/purplish glob in the bed the wound is closing. I don't think it necessarily means the deer is not dying, but it could be a good long time before it does. I had one experience where I kept a buck on its feet jumping it after an hour wait. I knew it wasn't the best shot I ever made on the deer, but its departure with his tail hard between his legs told me he was hurting pretty good. He also had my arrow. I followed some blood with tiny bubbles for 20 yards and then it started to peter out. I found the broken shaft of the arrow which was about four inches short another 60 yards away. I figured he was still carrying the broadhead. The arrow had brown and white hair. Some bubbles in the blood. The blood got a little better to trail, but not by much. Found a spot where he stood and then it just stopped like someone turned off the spigot. Hands and knees looking for a direction. With no blood to go by I went on the hunch that he stayed on the run and headed in the direction from which he came. After going along at a snails pace for quite awhile I found the blob of a clot about dime sized. Walked a little farther and the buck got up and ran about 15 yards, turned and looked at me. He then walked away in obvious trouble. I came to the spot where he got up (a bed) and there was clotted blood almost the size of my fist. Going in the direction he ran I found fresh blood. He opened the wound when getting up. It was a good trail all the way to where he stood looking back. I went another 50 yards or so into a small thicket and the deer jumped up again. I saw the direction he went as the woods swallowed him up. This time there was a good pool of blood where he lay and another good trail in the direction he went. I jumped him twice more before finding him with tongue out and glassy eyed. I probably covered a good 3/4 of a mile. It was a big loop right back toward where I took the shot. The shot was back a bit and just clipped the last rib on the far side. One of the Savora broadhead's razors was hanging onto that rib, but facing back. The rest of the broadhead (with the other two blades missing) and shaft was loose in the cavity when I rolled out the guts. No holes or slices in the liver at all. Damage to that far side lung was all I could figure. I know by keeping this buck on his feet and making him bleed is the reason I got him. He may well have recovered had I not. Edited November 14, 2009 by ruttinbuc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Posted November 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2009 Exactly my thoughts Mike. We as bowhunters preach and preach that time is on our side but I believe (your case a prime example) there is a time and place to keep pushing. I was hoping more people would get involved with this discussion... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybear Posted November 15, 2009 Report Share Posted November 15, 2009 Good topic Randy:) Just a few points I got to add to what's already been said. Clotting doesn't take long to begin and often can be found within the first 150-200yds into a track. Hunters often mis-identify clots as tissue or organ chunks along the trail up to the first bed when in fact it is the blood already clotting on a marginal shot. A false hope then sees the hunter marching on toward the bed earlier than they should. Waiting 1/2 hr isn't long enough. Before that buck beds to stop the bleeding, he'll most likely stand to survey his surroundings for aproaching danger for 10-15 minutes before bedding (indicated by pooled blood before the bed site). If it takes you 15 minutes to bump that buck from his bed, in all reality he's only been bedded for 15 minutes. That's plenty of time for him to clot up an external wound, get to his feet and leave no sign from the bed to be followed while still bleeding internally extending your track farther than it may need to go or could have ended. Blood color, hair color and length of it at the shot site(yes there are about 6 different combinations of white, tan, grey, black and brown of various lengths on a deer) to narrow down the impact point, bubbles and their size can tell if 1 or both lungs were hit. It's freaking crazy the amount of clues a good tracker can discover to make you feel like a real greenhorn on the trail of wounded game. If you ever get the oppertunity to tag along on one of these recovery missions I highly recomend doing so. The dogs are amazing to watch work a trail even without blood, they pick up the individual scent of the interdigital gland of mortally hit deer. I think from what I've experienced here on shots I'm not sure of impact, I'll be heading home for a few hrs to rest up for a potential drag instead of wasting time chasing any wounded deer out of the county unecessarily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted November 15, 2009 Report Share Posted November 15, 2009 Yep, good topic for sure Randy and some good replies. Think there had been a post a few years back on blood color/consistency, tracking tips, and when to take up the trail. Maybe I read it somewhere else honestly don't remember, but will see if I can find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted November 15, 2009 Report Share Posted November 15, 2009 Think I may have to see if my local library has this book, looks like some pretty insightful reading on this topic, especially chapter 5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWSmith Posted November 15, 2009 Report Share Posted November 15, 2009 I can not think of any situation that I would push a wounded deer. Can you give me a possible example of when you would want to push a deer?? good luck to all the dog I sure can...on the one experience that I had to!!! I watched the deer lay down and drop it's head to the ground...walked up on it after 30mins and he got up and ran off, stumbling and crashing against trees, as he ran off to lay down again within sight. I waited again for another 30mins until it looked like he was dead...and he got up again and ran off out of sight. I did a grid search and found him dead an hour later. I pushed him because of how he acted when he ran off, the fact that he appeared to have a mortal wound, and the most important factor was that it was raining like crazy!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
22_LR Posted November 15, 2009 Report Share Posted November 15, 2009 Like ruttinbuc said if you hit him in a lung runn him until he suffocates Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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