Very good advice. Been on a few of those "all nighters."That's great advice!
I'll add to that (and thank you for encouraging me!)...
First. Things don't always go as well as we'd like. Accept that, or don't hunt. But always be working to better prepare yourself and your gear to prevent issues when possible. It is the responsibility of the hunter to continually evaluate what has happened, and make decisions as objectively as possible about what to do in the future.
--If you find yourself in a tracking situation, check your ego at the door, in favor of the animal's dignity. If you're not willing to crawl, track halfway through the township, stare at the ground all night, and piss off your spouse, then you shouldn't take the shot. It's okay. You don't HAVE to kill one "today". Get okay with that, and you'll enjoy your time in the woods for what it is, and you will be more reverent and appreciative when you DO have a good opportunity and capitalize on it.
--Animals don't get shot on a time clock, and they don't die according to the hands on your watch. Plan accordingly.
--Don't be afraid to buy and read books. Preparation indoors will prevent pain outdoors.
--Especially training kids, or training adult kids (like yourself), make sure to take advantage of ANY opportunity to practice. Even if you can SEE the dead animal, go through the motions of examining the trail, and help train your brain and eyes. This goes for any animal, no matter the size.
--Short haired animals and animals with coarse hair (eg: deer, hogs) do not "hide" blood well, so they usually begin dripping (again, if they aren't paint brushing) much sooner than an animal with heavy fur (eg: coyotes, raccoons) that, though it doesn't really absorb the blood, does slow blood flow down. Keep looking.
--With marginally-sized exit wounds, the heavier fur can also become matted over the hole if blood flow is slow enough to not keep the wound completely hydrated. The animal's is still dying, but may be harder to find. Keep looking.
--If you are pretty serious about killing a given animal on a regular basis, consider putting together a hair-clipping book. Next one you kill, PULL samples of hair from all over it's body, label them, and put them in one of those old baseball-card binders. That way, if you have a hit later on, but no blood, maybe you can use the hair from the impact site to ID where the animal was hit. That information will, of course, inform your strategy tracking.
--Try to walk on the SIDE of the blood trail, not IN it. Pick your boots UP to avoid over-turning leaves and grass...don't f*(^ing truffle-shuffle through the woods.You may be back here at this spot looking again.
--Take note, when possible, of the shape of your animal's footprint. Are there any distinguishing marks? Broken claw? Foot a little turned-in? If blood gets really bad, footprints may be all you have.
--Look at the COLOR of the blood as you track. If it's been dark red and drying, or has dry "halos" around the red drops, then you're a long way from that animal, or it's been awhile. If it's been that way, and then you come upon a bright red splash, or painting on the ground, best be looking and/or slowing down...you just bumped the animal out of it's (death)bed. maybe the blood trail restarts then...maybe it doesn't.
--Look carefully at any place the animal had to jump. Shakes blood loose.
--Look at the SHAPE of blood spatter. If it is a round circle, the animal is moving very slowly, or standing still, as those drops were expelled. More often, the spatter will be oblate, tear dropped, or streaked, pointing in the direction of travel, simply because the aerosol is moving when it hit. Longer the streak, faster the movement.
--Look UP from time to time. Blood gets scraped on limbs, fences, weeds, grass, etc. from the animal as it moves into/out of cover. FINE personalized blood from their mouth and nostrils gets sprayed on leaves and pine boughs as they pass. Eyes up...that won't be on the ground.
--Wounded animals generally avoid running uphill, and often try to find water to drink to raise their blood pressure.
--Start to practice mentally assessing the job (and the shot, if you took it) before starting. Like this:
---Was it a GOOD hit, and you know it? Maybe you need to find the impact site, look at all the evidence there, cool your jets, and then begin following the blood swath.
---Was it maybe not as good a hit, but there is blood...maybe dark, maybe some fecal or stomach contents? Maybe you need to WAIT an hour, and then go REALLY slow, with the gun ready. If it's dark, maybe you wait until light. Gut-shot animals can go DAYS...and they can still move pretty damn far out in front of you in the middle of the damn night.
---Is the animal headed toward an un-recoverable area? DNR, Govt't, nasty neighbor, idiot fellow hunters, island...whatever. Maybe you don't have much choice but to be aggressive in tracking. Keep the gun up, don't do anything stupid, and be prepared to walk away. If you have to be aggressive here, you should have made it so on the FIRST shot...and put the animal down in it's tracks. Use enough gun. (And bows are not guns.)
---Is it going to rain any minute? Better get your ass moving...no choice. Again, with the "keep the gun up", and "eyes up" comments. Don't worry as much about obscurring evidence, as long as you spot blood 2-6 feet out in front of you. If it's going to cut loose raining, it won't matter in an hour anyway. What DOES matter is not putting yourself in a "body search" unless you have to. What DOES matter is getting another hole in the animal, if at all possible.
If you DO have to get aggressive, it's better to have at least one more guy, if not two, that don't suck at this. At least ONE person "handy-with-the-steel", flanks out QUIETLY maybe 50 yards laterally, and 100 yards forward and still hunts along with you on the blood trail. The hope is to catch a shot on the J-hook, or at least get a good direction and condition report on the animal. But the best tracker goes on the blood trail, even if they are also the best shooter.
..anyway, think strategically about this thing, and it will work out better for you. And bring a friend.
-Nate
Win or lose, you're humble by daybreak.
