Following Blood Trails: A Few Tips

Massive body on this buck!  Taken in Wisconsin on a cold fall morning.
Bill Kinney Photography

Hunting is a multiple step process.  You have to find the animal, stalk it, shoot it, track it, process it, then finally eat it. Shooting the animal is only part of it, and being able to actually get the animal once you've shot it is one of the most important parts in harvesting your kill.

When your first shoot the animal remember where you last saw it. 

 From your stand or blind make a mental note of which tree it disappeared behind, next to what bush, or fallen log.  Oftentimes, once you actually get to the spot, it will look completely different from a close up perspective so you need to have some sort of marker.  If you have a hunting buddy, have them stay in the stand and direct you to the area.

After shooting be sure to wait at least a half hour before starting out to find the animal. 

Many times, if severely wounded, an animal will only go just out of eyesight and lay down.  If you make your move too early, it may still use the last of its strength to run away, making it harder for you to track.

Once you get to the last place you saw it begin scanning the area for blood. 

Once blood is found begin thinking like the animal you are tracking.  Make note of where it was shot at and which direction it ran from there.  Look forward in the direction it was headed and see if there is a specific opening in the brush or trees that the animal may have traveled through and try to determine which way it went from there.

Another amazing cover by Bill Kinney

Think of how the animal was shot.

Was it its right or left side?  A gut wound or a lung shot?  If you examine the blood you should be able to tell where it was hit.

Very dark red and thick blood will be a liver wound.  The animal will die from this, but of internal bleeding, so it may be awhile before the animal is actually dead.  You need to be very cautious when tracking to be sure you don't scare it if you find it and its still alive.

Dark red will be a normal muscle wound.  Although you know its wounded you do not know how fatal.

Lighter red, almost pink, blood will be frothy and is from the lungs.   A lung shot will kill them, but they can make it a good 100-150 yards before they actually go down.

On a side note...Determining what type of shot it is can be very difficult for those color blind hunters.  If that is the case, examine the thickness of the blood, or take a buddy with you.

Once you've examined everything begin searching for more blood.

Take surveyors tape along with you and mark blood spots about every 5 yards, or as close together as possible.  This way if you lose the trail you can look back and try to determine a line and direction the animal is going in, from there you can determine where to go next.

Once found, if the animal is still alive you will notice its heavy breathing.  Most likely, if it is a good shot, it will be dead by this time.  If not, be cautious and don't scare the animal away.  This will ensure you don't have to go following another blood trail.

Do you have a special method for following blood trails?