Tracking wounded animals. Mistakes and lessons

Now I like too say " I'm too old too be stupid "

Well that's not entirely true.
I'm getting better at saying NO too work.

I took a very nice vintage 7x57R for a walk last week.
It's a well sorted 150m capable open sighted rifle that is very accurate.
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I got on to some deer quite late and it took me a a while too get into range.
Then one of those pairs of eyes or ears must have seen me.
So the element of surprise gone, no time too range and you take the shot you have.

1st mistake. I watched her nearly go over and didn't shoot again instantly.

Got another shot at her about 5 minutes later.
2nd Mistake. Now my open sights are nearly useless.
But it was another solid hit at under 100m.

Follow that up and 5 minutes later get a clear view of her at 30m
Mistake 2 became more of an issue and is a full Mistake.
Can't see her at all through the sights.

Follow her to the heavy bust and pick up a good blood trail.
Very long story short.
I tracked her for over an hour and approx 1km.
Always down hill.
Often through blackberry and onga-onga.
The blood trail was good, she had paused often and left puddles.

I had all night
I didn't have too work the next day.
I stuck at it and eventually found her still alive but unable too move.

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So my main lesson to myself was.
Vintage rifles with open sights are not so good at last light.
If it all goes pear shaped they are no use at all because you loose the light so quickly.

But using then in the morning is just fine.
Find the deer, get into position and shoot when the light is good enough.
It will only get better .

The lesson about tracking is just stick at it.
Stop often and take your time.
If you can, tell someone you might be all night at it.

I found myself back in that area this morning and out of interest visited the scene of the crime.

I was surprised too see large section of the blood trail still easily visible 6 days later.
Light over night drizzle had rehydrated the blood in the open and it was very easy too see.
In the bush a bit harder.

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So my first hasty shot was a little low and back in the ribs further than I intended.
So just lower lung damage.

My second slightly closer shot went into a hind leg below the hip and completely ejected 50mm of its femur through the buttock.
There was no arterial bleeding from this shot !

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I thought you might have put a bullet under the jaw but I guess you cut the throat?.

Goes to show how amazingly tough deer are. Good work on the tracking and sticking with it. One thing I've learnt also is following up too quickly and bumping them out can lead to very lengthy tracks aswell.

I think, one of the biggest mistakes hunters make (including myself) is to look after an animal too quick. Sometimes they need a bit of time to die particularly after a not so perfect shot. You only push them further into the bush if you go after them too early!

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Originally Posted by Twodiffs

I thought you might have put a bullet under the jaw but I guess you cut the throat?.

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No I had folded down the tang sight
Held my headlight under the rifle and just sighted down the barrel and blew the bottom out of its head at 10m

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Originally Posted by mawzer308

Goes to show how amazingly tough deer are. Good work on the tracking and sticking with it. One thing I've learnt also is following up too quickly and bumping them out can lead to very lengthy tracks aswell.

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Yes that's why we see a few tripod deer

Good on you for following and finishing job.

I use my headtorch when tracking a shot deer in the bush. Furthest I ever had a deer run was 100m after a heart shot, but even that was a mission to find. Minimal blood trail, but the torchlight (even in the middle of the day) helped to show up those easily missed spots of blood under the bush canopy. I also once spent an hour looking for a sika that I ended up finding only 30 metres from point of impact in a patch of crown fern. Again, I reckon without a torch I wouldn't have seen the giveaway specks of blood on the fern.

Yes a head torch can help even during daylight

The real bugger is needing to put Reading glasses on to check if it's actually bloody or a pigment spot on a leaf

It's surprising how many native plants have brown and purple blotches on their leaves

two is good give them 20 minutes - criss cross back woods and fowards until hopefully you pick up a blood trail - if there is two of you one stops at last blood - lead tracker goes ahead and picks up fresh trail -when the lead finds blood then he signals the other to come up to it and stay there - the lead then always has a point of reference to work on - usual rules on silence applys hand signals or a whistle - its when the blood trail goes up hill that is when the fun starts- down hill and staying down hill you jhave every chance but up hill 50/50

The longer shots might not have been so certain but those stalking rifle sights would have worked surely.

Being partially red/green colour blind makes following a blood trail especially challenging. I think it has taught me to be more determined to make that first shot one that disables the animal. Doesn't always go to plan though.

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Originally Posted by Marty Henry

The longer shots might not have been so certain but those stalking rifle sights would have worked surely.

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It was just a lack of light
The rifle and shooter can punch out tiny 100m groups from a hasty rest

I did have some vintage scoped rifles I could have used.

Most excellent thread, thanks @akaroa1

Sometimes Refraining from taking the shot is not always a bad decision either ….good on you for persevering and finding her at the end.

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Originally Posted by Friwi

Sometimes Refraining from taking the shot is not always a bad decision either ….good on you for persevering and finding her at the end.

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I'm not noted for my restraint
This was a semi work situation where I'm expected too shoot what I see.

But if it had been a recreational hunting scenario and I had a long carry out I wouldn't have taken the shot.

Frankly the shooting is a bit embarrassing but the learning ( never too old to learn ) that came out of it was worth sharing.

And I forgot too mention I don't have a gun dog now so I'm both the shooter and finder

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Originally Posted by akaroa1

Yes a head torch can help even during daylight

The real bugger is needing to put Reading glasses on to check if it's actually bloody or a pigment spot on a leaf

It's surprising how many native plants have brown and purple blotches on their leaves

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I have to put them on to use a bloody camera now.... Anything less than arms length and I'm stuffed. Fresh blood...whipe on fingers n look works.

Put a bit of toilet paper on the end of a stick and wave it across the grass slowly. Any blood will easily show up on it.

Use a dog... Attachment 264209

@akaroa1
Thx. A good honest post.

Thermal are handy for this type of work, whatever you think about them. Was surprised how well the blood showed up if you are onto the trail quick enough.

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Originally Posted by No.3

Thermal are handy for this type of work, whatever you think about them. Was surprised how well the blood showed up if you are onto the trail quick enough.

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Yup but limitations are heavy cover and broken terrain.

Lack of field of view hurts a lot.

Excellent post! Thanks for sharing this.

I think a lot of people tend to forget the issue with different light conditions and open sight.
We are just not used to that fact anymore...
I have a modified 1937 Portuguese Mauser with a peep sight.
It shoots amazing at the 100m range.
If you go out to the field and try that in the morning and evening and especially outside a 100 m you start to see the POA/POI issues rather soon...

Good advice you are giving here regarding the use of morning hours!

That is true for me even with all the modern scopes and thermals.
When I need do be selective (like with reds or roe) I almost exclusively go for a hunt in the morning.
I can make good use of binos and spotters and after a first shot I have all the time in the world for tracking (if necessary) and field dressing.
Only downside: In summer I have to get up around 03:30 AM in my free time for this.
On the other hand you come back around 09:00 AM with a full day of experiences under your belt already and another full day still ahead of you...

Good stuff and thanks again for the post!

Cheers
Ben

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Originally Posted by caberslash

Use a dog...

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Also, very helpful! No doubt.
Especially in dense cover or in rainy/wet conditions.

But (after doing this for some years now) I think there are some things to consider when using dogs for tracking wounded game:

If you know it was a good hit and it just ran out of sight or into cover:
Wait a couple of minutes and let (almost any dog) do the search for you.
Even the neighbour’s Maltese can be a good helper in such a case.

If you know you hit a leg or the jaw (maybe tooth at the place you hit the animal):
You need very skilled tracking dogs and maybe another one or two to bigger dogs to corner the wounded animal if you are able to get close.
The hardest stuff!
Maybe other hunters can be posted ahead of the known or estimated position of the animal in order to get it when you move in with a dog.

Anything in between or you have no clue at all:
If possible, then by any means call someone who tracks game on a regular basis and has an experienced dog.
Even they only have a 50 % success rate over time.

If no help is around:
Give the animal as much time as possible (maybe overnight) to lose blood, develop fever and become incapacitated.
Then track it. Slowly and quitly!
Mark every drop of blood or print you can find in order to find it again and retry.
Look at a map from time to time and try to figure out where this may lead...
Water, cover, known tracks...
And then do not give up!

Just my 50 cent after tracking wounded game with my dog for a couple of years.

Cheers
Ben