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huntmeister
10-05-2008, 08:42 PM
A friend called me to help track a deer his son shot just before sunset they had good blood trail and lost it in corn field. ( no puddles of blood deer still running), and wanted to keep tracking, and did not find arrow, dark blood. I told him "I dont track at night" (been there done that) and it might be a loin shot. let the deer lay(bleed out) and to wait till morning to find it, it is cool enough out. plus I do have a dog that could help track.

he didn't seem to like my response, I would like to hear opioins from other hunter/trackers about this.

1. Track at night with flashlights and lanterns?

2. find it in the morning?

remingtondude58
10-05-2008, 09:25 PM
If you got a good hit and/or heard it go down then go for it if you want. If you are unsure or know you got a bad hit let it go till morning. It should be pretty easy to track through corn though because it rubs up against the corn so you dont have to look so much for little specs on the ground.

huntmeister
10-06-2008, 12:03 AM
agreed remingtondude58. but based on my scenerio what woud you do?????
My buddy seemed to dislike my answer cause his boy shot it and he wanted to find it immediatly. In my my opinion/view, Tracking is a skill that is as important as hunting. I like tracking!!!! I am good at it and will help anyone track a wounded animal from sunrise to sunset, I will even take my psychopathic, loyal Jack russell to help, but I just refuse to track at night.

Am I wrong to say wait till morning even after I explianed why....I kind of feel bad for saying no but feel its the right way to go.

remingtondude58
10-06-2008, 04:09 PM
Did he say what kind of a hit it was? It shouldn't hurt anything to leave it till morning so I wouldn't feel bad for saying no. I have tracked many deer and I think it is a important skill every hunter must possess. I have tracked a few deer at night and it is difficult. I think you are doing the right thing by not tracking at night because if there is a small drop of blood and you don't see it with you light you might step on it and destroy you means of finding the deer which is a serious possibility if you got a shot that didn't go through and the deer is bleeding heavy internally but only dropping small drops.

Made_in_Michigan
10-06-2008, 04:18 PM
Lots to consider here. Outside temperature, type of shot (gut shot maybe w/ dark blood?). Area to track...

Considering what you've said, I think I would have leaned toward getting it in the morning (40 degrees over night), questionable shot, and a LOT of running room (Corn field). Hell, you could walk at night within 6 feet of a deer in the corn field and not see it... Not much better in daylight, but far better shot at finding him (and not jumping him, after his wound possibly had plugged, and loose him because he ran another 200 feet in the cornfield with no blood trail.)

All of the above being said: I know me, and if that was my critter out there, I'd probably have tracked it until found, regardless of the time/light. But that is buck fever, not logic talkin'

remingtondude58
10-06-2008, 07:53 PM
gut shot maybe w/ dark blood?'

Made in Michigan brought up a excellent point about blood color. If it is darker blood its probably a liver hit and should be left till morning. If its bright pink its probably a lung hit and you could defiantly go for it soon.

Made_in_Michigan
10-06-2008, 08:16 PM
Made in Michigan brought up a excellent point about blood color. If it is darker blood its probably a liver hit and should be left till morning. If its bright pink its probably a lung hit and you could defiantly go for it soon.

I've tracked foamy pink before, The deer ran about 75 yards through thick woods at a dead run, and dropped dead at full run. (Double Lung...) Didn't think it would have lasted 20 feet but they are a powerful animal.

remingtondude58
10-06-2008, 08:33 PM
...they are a powerful animal.

you got that right! Sunday morning my buddy shot a 8 pt in the shoulder but it hit the bone and didn't penetrate to the vitals. We tracked that thing for hours and starting out he bleed a lot but the spots kept getting smaller. We followed blood for about 3/4 of a mile he went through woods across a road then through a bean field. There was a little patch of woods in the bean field we found blood in there but it was all fields past that and if he was there we would have seen him but he wasn't there. He will probably live. Defiantly a powerful animal.

Made_in_Michigan
10-06-2008, 08:42 PM
you got that right! Sunday morning my buddy shot a 8 pt in the shoulder but it hit the bone and didn't penetrate to the vitals. We tracked that thing for hours and starting out he bleed a lot but the spots kept getting smaller. We followed blood for about 3/4 of a mile he went through woods across a road then through a bean field. There was a little patch of woods in the bean field we found blood in there but it was all fields past that and if he was there we would have seen him but he wasn't there. He will probably live. Defiantly a powerful animal.

My dad got a 3 legged doe a few years back, when he butchered her, the bad leg's flank was torn up! Obviously, she'd been hit by a car, limped off, and healed, and thrived. (the stumpy leg was 100% healed over, and she walked/ran without a problem)...

Gotta respect the Whitetail.

Done Deal
10-07-2008, 09:50 AM
If it is darker blood its probably a liver hit and should be left till morning.

If it was a liver hit the deer was down and dead before the hunter ever got out of the tree.

The trouble is....without a pass through, all the blood will possibly be inside the deer and tracking can be extremely difficult.

My body doesn't work like it used to so, I hate tracking at night. When we must, we use a coon light and lanterns and will only let people accompany me that will listen to instructions. I don't want to waste my time if they won't follow instructions.

Based on the limited info....maybe it was a gut shot and, I would have waited until morning...they may have already screwed things up so...no sense making it worse.

Did they find the deer and where was it hit?

remingtondude58
10-07-2008, 09:03 PM
If it was a liver hit the deer was down and dead before the hunter ever got out of the tree.

Thats usually how it happens and always how its happened to me but I read in Field and stream and heard for other people it can still go 8-12 hours.

langenc
10-07-2008, 09:56 PM
Only way at night is with Coleman lantern and toilet paper to mark last blood, if sparse.

Done Deal
10-08-2008, 05:35 AM
Thats usually how it happens and always how its happened to me but I read in Field and stream and heard for other people it can still go 8-12 hours.

I don't believe it....they bleed out too fast....just like a heart shot.

Sure, they can go a hundred yards or so but....the body simply cannot continue to function with that kind of massive blood loss and I don't care what Field and Stream says....

huntmeister
10-08-2008, 11:17 AM
Re: Still tracking????

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they tracked it into the corn field from the woods followed blood trail through the corn field and lost the blood trail after it circled back out of the corn field and into the boarding woods. never foudn the arrow that is why I think it was loin shot or a stuck in the shoulder. did not pass though. lots of blood then trickle then spots. blood on corn was up high.

they lost the blood in the woods. I asked him the next day if he wanted help and he said they gave up and wernt going to look any more, I have my opions that I expressed.

Too many hunters think that a deer is just going to up and die in a few minutes like on the tv hunting shows after being shot with an arrow, amazing what editing can do.

me and some friends share a few hundred acres and one day out phesant hunting I found a 4 point and a spike one with an arrow in it, yeah a 4 point and a spike sick huh? I actually knew the spike and had seen it while I was bow hunting it had cow antlers looked like that of a little "long horn"

Im on a rant now, hang on.. , I am a very dedicated hard core hunter have an almost native/traditional phliosophy about hunting and outdoors and belive if you have a responsiblilty to find that animal, its out there dead or dying not too far away from where it was shot.

I makes me mad someone shoots an animal and goes to the location where they thought they shot it and cant find it and just gives up, I've heared too many times I guess I missed, go back and shoot another one not going to ruin my day hunting stomping around the woods looking for this one.". pisses me off! I have even come in from hunting after getting a call just to help find and drag out a deer. I enjoy tracking it is hunting, just not at night, can walk right past it or standing within a few yard of it and never know unless the light hits it directly, plus things look different in artifical light, and has anyone tried those blood tracking lights?

Anyways guess the racoons and coyotes get a freebie.

remingtondude58
10-08-2008, 02:50 PM
has anyone tried those blood tracking lights?

I bought a LED flashlight and it came with a blue cover and on the package it said it helps you see blood. I tried it and it absolutely sucks.

earlthegoat2
11-01-2008, 09:22 PM
in general i always track at night, if i dont think i hit it good ill let it go til morning but ill track first to see my blood trail and decide from there.