Bowhunting Bloodtrailing Tips Page
HERE YOU WILL FIND MANY
USEFUL TIPS AND OR TACTICS THAT MAY HELP YOU
GET YOUR BUCK THIS YEAR..
AFTER THE SHOT!
An arrow kills a deer
by massive hemorrhaging. Seldom will a deer fall into a state of shock
and drop after being hit by an arrow. Consequently, an archer should expect
to bloodtrail virtually every deer he hits, so he should be fully aware
of the dynamics of a bow-shot deer.
It is important to first
understand what occurs after an arrow slices into a deer. The startled
animal immediately flees toward cover, often unaware that it is even hurt,
let alone mortally wounded.
Since the blood vessels
are under pressure, massive hemorrhaging of blood from the wound begins,
and if the arrow passes through the body cavity, both wounds will bleed.
However, there will be a period of time between when the arrow hits, and
when the blood finds its way outside the body cavity and onto the ground.
It may take only three seconds, but a startled deer could have covered
40 yards or more by then. That's why you should not become alarmed if no
blood is found within 30 yards of the animal's escape path.
As soon as the deer reaches
the security of cover, it slows down and begins to feel faint. It then
beds down, qickly loses consciousness due to blood loss, and dies. This
entire scenario may take only 30 seconds from the time the deer is hit
until it beds down. Unfortunately, the deer may have sprinted 200 yards
or more, which means the archer must somehow locate his dead deer lying
out there in the dense cover. That's where bloodtrailing comes in.
As soon as a deer is
hit, an archer should make a mental note of where the deer was standing,
and then note the exact spot where the fleeing deer disappeared. This is
called the "line of flight" and it will indicator the escape path where
the blood trail should be located.
After waiting about one
half hour, quietly proceed along the flight path toward the spot of disappearance.
Scan the forest floor for the arrow. The shaft will tell you volumes about
your hit, if indeed you did hit the animal. It's not unusual for an archer
to be positive he hit the deer, but then find a clean arrow. This not only
tells you the deer isn't wounded, but it will also save you lots of frustration
looking for a deer that wasn't hurt.
The blood on the arrow
shaft will also reveal valuable information about the hit. Bright red frothy
blood indicates a deadly lung hit. Rich red blood means the liver was hit,
also mortal. Dark red blood with seeds and vegetative matter in it indicates
a paunch hit, and the archer should wait another few hours to allow the
deer to further weaken.
If the blood trail is
lost, study the line of flight that the blood trail indicates, then survey
the cover ahead and walk over to the densest stand of brush or trees. More
often than not, you'll find your deer lying dead just inside the cover.
If not, begin making zig zag sweeps through the cover until the deer is
found.
