So you THINK you made a great shot at that Huge BUCK.

You watch as it bounds away through thick cover

 

Now those doubts creep in.

 

Depending on if it is a Buck or Doe might make a difference.

 

Naturally what you used to shoot with will also make a huge difference.

 

Tracking a deer successfully after the shot can be the difference from recovering or not recovering your deer. Often tracking in freshly fallen snow is quick and easy!

 

What about those hunts with no snow on the ground?

Keep Watching

Make a visual reference of the last location you saw the deer and a mental image of your shot placement.

 

Watch how the deer reacts. If the deer crunches up, it is likely to be a hit too far back. A deer that takes off at full sprint usually signals a solid hit in my experience.

Stay in your stand and listen even if you can’t see the deer anymore.

 

Unless you know it was a complete miss presume you hit it.

Give it Time

Be patient to allow the deer time to lie down. They always do.

If the deer is down it will still be that way 10 hours from now. Don’t push a wounded deer

Track slowly along a blood trail so sign can easily spotted.

Check for weather conditions. Rain will wash away the blood or melting snow may dissolve any blood signs

More Eyes on the Ground

Additional trackers help you line everything up. Often deer lying in thick or tall grass can easily be missed compared to an open field or sparse hardwoods.

Another set of eyes will keep help from being impatient or making bad decisions.

An extra set of muscles is great to help drag the deer out of the woods.

 

 

Deer Tracking Tools