116 lb Doe I took my second tag filled
Between work, hunting, and the holiday I’m behind in my updates. First off I tagged my second deer of the year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. I had 3 does come into the field together and I picked out the biggest one and shot her. She ran off into the brush so I had to do a bit of blood trailing to get her. She only went about 75 yards as the crow flies but as any of us that hunt know a wounded deer rarely goes straight. She did not disappoint zig zagging her way through blackberry bushes and brush ending up piling up in some cedars. I got some videos I shot that day that shows a little bit of the blood trailing.
If you’ve never blood trailed before or have just a little experience I would recommend a few things;
1. Mark the spot…. where the deer was standing when you shot and where you last saw it
2. Wait…… Don’t rush to get on the track a wounded deer can run a long way if pushed
3. Find the Impact site…. look for hair, blood, and bone and other clues
4. Follow the trail…. mark the blood and look for the next sign remember it may not necessarily be on the ground if it gets caught on trees or bushes.
5. Trailing by yourself can be difficult but trailing with to many people can be frustrating. I like to trail with one or two other people leaving one person on the last sign and the others looking for additional sign. I find to many people can damage the trail and mess up the track.
6. Be careful on the trail not to damage any of the sign cause you never know when and if you’ll have to go back and look at it.
I’m sure there are countless other tidbits that can be offered to help and if anyone has advice feel free to add them in the comment section.
