Odd tracking philosophy

[crappyice]

Just was reading an old book on deer hunting and read a section about tracking deer. It said to track the deer immediately to NOT allow the deer to bed down which wold allow it to rest, potentially have the wound clot,etc. if the deer remains on its feet, fleeing the apparent danger, its heart will beat at a more rapid rate, pumping blood at a faster rate, creating a better blood trail and making an easier find.

I don't THINK I agree but found it interesting how different that philosophy is from what I read now about giving game a bunch of time.

[biggamefish]

I guess it would make sense but I like the whole lay down in 150 yards most times. Then you walk up and find them not chase them across the county. So I am with you on letting them lay.

[phade]

The other thing is context - if the book is old as you say...property sizes were not as small as they are now. Running a buck a mile back then was no big thing. Now...you'd likely run into one or more owners who wouldn't let you on to track.

[nyantler]

Maybe they might bleed out quicker.. but you'll have to travel half way around the world to recover one..lol

[arrow nocker]

maybe if you hit it in a leg.Then if you give it time to rest it will clot.Good to push them then if you have the land ahead to do so.

[crappyice]

Funny because book was written in 1969 and it referred to this method as being new, speaking of the let it lie theory as the old-timers way.

[PREDATE]

Bumping a wounded deer can cause the deer to "outrun the blood" making tracking difficult. If it's not difficult after bumping them, the deer will expire soon(mortal wound), but then again a mortally wounded deer should be dead well before you find it!

I let em' lay too. For how long depends on precipitation and shot placement. If it's not going to rain I usually give em' 2 hours.

[arrow nocker]

when i first started hunting i read a book that said when it is really windy the deer will move like it is night time because they feel safer cause the predators cant hear them as easy.I found after years that this was not true.They will move in the wind but are more cautious.Because they can't make out images and sounds like they could with just a slight steady wind.I found that a 7-10mph wind is the key.And if it is windy as heck they wont be moving unless they are in need to or succumed to the RUT.

[erussell]

I saw this last weekend, it was very windy and the deer were not walking to their destinations they were running. I thought at first maybe someone had spooked them but after they were done in the field eating they looked around and started trotting off. They hit the woods and they were off on a run again.

[Doc]

I don't really subscribe to the notion that you should take-off on a dead run trying to push the deer to it's death .... lol. I generally wait at least a half-hour before taking up the trail. And with gut shots, it usually means an over-night wait. That's what I was told and there is some good logic behind it.

However, I will say that on deer that have survived that 1/2 hour wait and still had some life left in them, generally makes one heck of a project out of picking up the blood again after that first bed. My theory is that the bed provides an opportunity for the blood to clot, and the deer to lick the wound and stem the blood flow a bit, and it may be 100 yards or even much farther before it starts to flow again. Would chasing the deer right away have made the result come out any better? ..... Probably not. That deer that made it past that first half hour probably is not hit as bad as we might wish. Chasing after him will just push him farther than you can go .... lol.

[koot]

We know more now, wait at least an hour depending on your findings (blood, bile, etc),. They are hurt but don't know what happened. Let they see you on their butt and this stuff called adrenalin kicks in, nasty stuff, keeps them running for hours.

[tuckersdaddy]

my solution to the tracking problem was this, big bore rifle, lots of practice...havent tracked a deer since. Bow hunting, same idea. dont practice, just miss!