Crappy pic, terrible shot, but he called in the blood hound and I delivered

[.284]

Well, my buddy took a quartering to shot with his crossbow and pulled the shot back through the guts. The bolt hit the opposite side back leg right on the bone and stayed in the deer.

Wait, let's back up. First, I get the call........"Hey I a shot a buck and I can't find it. I need your help." This was 7:00 PM last Thursday after I got home from work. So, I change my clothes, take a 45 minute drive and we proceed to the field. He shows me where he was sitting and then shows me where the shot took place. Then he shows me the Tag Alder swamp that it ran to about 100 yards away. That's when he's says, "I don't think I got a good hit." I reply, "ya think?"

Let me tell you that was miserable place to try to track a deer. Just a maze of tunnel like runs zig zgg'in every which way. We had good blood and then it would almost dry up. I'd find a speck and look ahead and see three different runs that he could've went. Had to use tracks and broken branches and then I'd find some blood. Long story short..........I found him 2 hours later about another 125 yards from where he entered the Alders.

It got me thinking, I have always been the camp blood hound. I've helped many find deer that were poorly shot and I have had very few of my own that I've had to track under these types of situations. But, I think it's easier to track someone else's than your own because you're not so keyed up and nervous about finding the deer that you just shot. I tend to be slower and much more methodical in my tracking when it's not mine.

Do you get what I'm saying.....does it make sense? Any wild tracking stories out there? By the way....here's the crappy pic

[Brian Pfleuger]

Yep, I know what you mean.

Last year, I made a terrible shot on a doe. Hit her in the neck with a Rage broadhead. It took us several hours and several hundred yards to find her and some of it was literally on our hands and knees crawling in places that I would not have believed a rabbit could go, say nothing of a deer!

It's part of the game. In hindsight, it's a good part. It makes memories. I hate making bad shots, but the memories of tracking deer is part of the fun.

[Deerhunter]

My buddy and I don't have to track many but when we do we find them. We even ran across one shot while we were pheasant hunting and followed the trail helping people we didn't know find the deer. We have been pretty lucky. Just takes time.

We also (when we were younger) were called out to push for the old guys. They loved us pushing for them cause we were like a pair of hounds going through the thick stuff making all kinds of noise. We had to have some kids so we could get them going so they can push for us one of these days.

Hope your buddy bought you a nice dinner

[grubbylabs]

Yup I have tracked a few deer on my hands and knees. I like the tracking job as much as the first half of the hunt.

[Fat White Boy]

You found the deer. That's the important thing. No wasted game.

[cornbush]

I like tracking, but I also like it when there is no need to track

[BfloBill]

Most of my tracking experience comes from helping to find other peoples deer. All of my deer (except the last one) required no tracking, but when I finally had a bad hit I was glad for the experience I gained by helping others(mostly my brother).
I gut shot an 8 pt. and had to track it for about 5 hrs, I finally got into a position where I could finish him off while he was laying down and resting. The bad part was I had no idea where I was, as the deer moved steadily away from camp through areas I had never been. At least the deer was considerate enough to bed down not far from a road. I had to ask a local which road it was, then I called camp for someone to come get me. The ironic part is that even thoough it was the farthest from camp I've ever killed a deer it was the shortest drag I've ever had. The pickup truck did most of the work.

[Bailey Boat]

I won't track any deer unless I have a backup person with me. If I'm tracking (and serious about it) I have no idea of where I'm going, which direction I'm headed, nothing but the 24" directly in front of me. Total tunnel vision and concentration...... It's a real good way to get bad lost!!!!!! I have been known to drop a GPS in my pocket but I still like having a Bud watch my back......

[bswiv]

""I think it's easier to track someone else's than your own because you're not so keyed up and nervous about finding the deer that you just shot. I tend to be slower and much more methodical in my tracking when it's not mine""

You said a mouth full..............