Tips for Tracking a Wounded Animal
Whether you are hunting with a rifle or a bow and arrow, you will always run the risk of wounding an animal and having it run off. This is when it comes time to track the animal in order to either find it or finish it off humanely, but this is often easier said than done. Tracking is a skill that takes practice and time to master, but luckily there are a few simple tips that can get you started out on the right foot. Let’s take a look at a few of these basic tips and how you can find your next animal that you have to track!
Be Patient
After the shot, you need to be patient and wait a decent amount of time before actually heading out to track your wounded deer. While the amount of time you wait is up to you, at a minimum it should be 30 minutes. Add more time for potentially bad shots. This is so you do not kick up and spook an already wounded deer, causing it to run off even further. The ideal situation is to track and find your wounded deer dead at the end of the blood trail and have a successful recovery. Without a little bit of patience, this might not happen. Give it some time before starting to track, and you will not be sorry!
When in Doubt, Go Slower
In addition to waiting a proper amount of time, you should also move as slowly and carefully as possible along the blood trail. You can very easily run out of blood along a trail, and if you are moving too quickly you have a higher chance of missing something. While some blood trails are easier to follow than others, you still want to tread carefully and cautiously. You may even run into the deer you are tracking, and you will want to avoid scaring it away before getting the chance at a follow up shot!
Call In Help and Spread Out
When all else fails, do not be afraid of calling in help. The more people out searching, the higher your odds of finding your deer. Gather everyone up, and start at where you lost the trail. This is usually at the spot you found the last blood (which you should always mark). Organize all of the searchers in a line, so that you can grid out the area that you are searching. Each person should be close enough to see each other clearly so that nothing will slip through the cracks. This also helps avoid the same areas getting searched twice over.
Final Thoughts
Tracking a wounded animal can be a real challenge, but with a little bit of patience, preparation, and help from family or friends, you can make sure you give yourself the best possible chance of success. Hopefully these simple tips will come in handy on your next hunt should you have a tracking job in front of you!
