How to Trail the Deer Successfully
Mitch Johnson
Don't waste your time in unnecessary detecting works. This is
when the expertise of the hunter comes to good use. Wounds in
different parts of a deer's body cause it to run in an unnatural
manner and these variations in the animal's gait will show in the
tracks especially when the deer is hit in the paunch.
This detective work is seldom necessary if the hunter has much
experience shooting deer, but when it is necessary, it is
invaluable. The expert can tell by the deer's actions if, and
where, it is wounded and in many cases can determine this by the
tracks alone. Tracks made by a deer with a broken or badly
wounded leg are easily identified.
Wounds in different parts of a deer's body cause it to run in an
unnatural manner and these variations in the animal's gait will
show in the tracks. Perhaps the most pronounced of these occurs
when the deer is hit in the paunch. In such cases, the tracks
will be quite close together and not in line with the direction
in which the animal is traveling. The deer's running in a
doubled-up position causes this. This is very pronounced if the
liver has been ruptured. If the animal can be seen after the
shot, it is not necessary to see the tracks in order to identify
the position of this type of wound.
The animal seems to cover more distance up and down than it does
ahead. On the other hand, a deer that has been shot in the heart
or lung area will put on a burst of unnatural speed, running in
this manner until it dies. Strangely enough, a superficial wound
will sometimes cause this same desperate, unnatural burst of
speed. The hunter who depends on the theory that a deer will
always drop its flag when it receives a wound is apt to walk away
from a dead or badly wounded deer unless he investigates.
Sometimes deer do and sometimes they do not make this motion with
their tails and it is always advisable for the hunter to make a
thorough investigation of the scene before deciding that he has
missed his shot.
Many hunters approach the spot where they fired at a deer with
the expectation of finding a lot of blood, if not a carcass. This
is seldom the case. External bleeding is usually delayed until
the deer has had the time to make several jumps and, if the wound
is through a body cavity where the internal collection of blood
is possible, it may not be plainly visible on the ground for some
distance. If no blood is found after following a track for fifty
feet from the place where the deer was shot, the hunter should
return to that place, making sure he has hit the deer. With this
assurance, he will be able to find some trace of blood which he
overlooked. With this encouragement, he can follow the trail for
greater distances with the knowledge that if the wound is at all
serious, the bleeding will increase with distance.
Following a blood trail is a simple matter if there is snow on
the ground. Each drop of blood stands out as it is absorbed by
the snow and a small amount will spread until it seems as though
the deer must surely bleed to death within a short time. On bare
ground it is a different proposition. Unless there is profuse
bleeding, it is very easy to overlook small amounts of blood and
thus lose the trail.
The deer which is already wounded will unnaturally burst to speed
when running from the trailer. The hunter who depends on the
theory that a deer will always drop its flag when it receives a
wound is apt to walk away from a dead or badly wounded deer
unless he investigates. But this motion also varies.
Mitch Johnson is a regular writer for http://www.kids-games-n-
crafts.com/. His articles have also appeared on
http://www.coinsforme.info/ and
http://www.coinsmadeeasy.info/
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