Deer Mountain Tracking

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​In General...

• Do your best to see the hit impact area and how the deer reacts after the shot

• Clearly mark the hit site, leave the bolt or arrow in place if you find it, it will lock the dog on the correct deer

• Make a mental note of the direction of travel after the hit

• Locate and mark first blood, when you track the deer avoid walking in the blood, continue to mark the blood 

• When in doubt, back out. The less muddled the track is the better chance the dog has of locking in and finding the deer

• Recommended wait times

• Avoid grid searching, you’re inadvertently transferring scent molecules from the deer to your feet which can muddle the track

• Get permission to track on neighboring landowners should the deer cross property lines

• Tracking too soon can result in a non recovery once the deer has been bumped from it's initial bed

• Temperature (heat especially), high winds, predators and property lines are all determining factors on when we begin the attempt to recover your deer 

• Be prepared to exhaust all options to recover your mortally wounded deer

• Understand that sometimes what you think is a solid hit is actually a wound and the track has to be called off

• A standard tip for a professional tracking service is $100 and goes up from there based on distance traveled, time spent on track and difficulty of terrain. (link)​ 

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What Happens When You Shoot a Deer in a Specific Location:

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Lungs:

Hit clearly enters the ribs of the deer behind the shoulder, deer may walk off & collapse or make a short dash prior to going down. The arrow will be soaked with pinkish red blood. Blood trail will likely be heavy and have bubbles in it. Waiting half an hour is recommended, deer will likely be expired within 150 yards. Deer hit in only one lung can be recovered, track will be difficult & it will typically require a dispatching shot to anchor the deer. 

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Heart:

The deer will likely mule kick then run at a frantic pace low to the ground. Blood will be crimson red and possibly contain small bubbles. Blood trail may be marginal at first, it will pick up significantly as deer slows prior to collapsing. If you do not see the deer expire within site it’s best practice to wait at least an hour. Most heart shot deer will be recovered within 175 yards of hit. 

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Liver: 

The deer will likely run a short distance before slowing to a walk. The deer generally won’t bed immediately, if deer is pushed it could travel a significant distance. Most liver shot deer can be recovered within a reasonable distance of the hit site. Blood is generally dark red in color. Deer will likely hemorrhage a lot early and blood trail will decline significantly after 75 yards. Blood pattern will likely be in droplets not a spray. I like to track liver hits after appropriate wait times or longer because deer will succumb to the wound given time. 

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Spine:

Deer will likely drop immediately when hit. As quickly as possible take a follow up shot. If the deer is able to get up, it can travel a great distance and possibly survive the wound. I like to track these deer as soon as possible. Most cases deer will have to be dispatched if dog can catch up to it. 

These tracks are extremely challenging and require endurance & persistence. 

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Intestine / Stomach:

The smell on the arrow shaft or bolt will make this hit obvious. Deer often humps up on the hit prior to walking off. Play your cards right and be patient and you will find this deer expired in it’s first bed typically within a reasonable distance. These hits are lethal, however it could take 10-12 hours or more for that to happen. Push this deer too soon and it could go for miles. Odds of a quality blood trail are very low, not contaminating the track by grid searching the area increases the odds of a quick recovery. If hit in the intestine they can take as much as 36 hours to succumb to the wound. 

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Neck:

Profuse blood trail and dead within 100 yards. If not recovered within that distance, deer will likely survive. Blood trail will likely be heavy at first, then it will abruptly stop. Challenging and very low odds of recovering the deer on this hit.

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Head:

When hit in the head a deer could drop dead immediately or It could be days / weeks before deer succumbs to the wound. Blood spray from a broken jaw won’t be difficult to trail, catching up to the deer to dispatch is unlikely and extremely challenging. 

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Shoulder:

Identifiable by the loud crack when hitting the scapula, decent blood half way up the arrow shaft. Low shoulder shot could possibly hit vitals. Hit it high in the shoulder, we have serious problems. The shoulder shot generally looks good initially. Bright red blood early, sometimes heavy. After a few hundred yards blood trail will stop abruptly. Minimal arrow penetration never a good sign. Sometimes on a rare occasion you can get lucky and catch up to shoulder hit deer early in the track and dispatch them. Sometimes you can wait 24 hours, deer may stiffen up and can be dispatched. No doubt a low percentage track, outcome rarely favorable. 

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Brisket:

What appeared to be a good shot actually is very low on body cavity. Arrow will have minimal blood and some fatty tissue. There will likely be a lot of hair at the hit site. This is a flesh wound and tracking this deer will likely result in a non-recovery.

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Leg: 

A broken leg could lead to a potential follow up shot by the hunter. Front leg wounds are rarely lethal, there will be up to a lot of bright red blood initially, however it will dry up quickly. Hind leg wounds can sometimes be recovered. If femoral artery is severed, no need for a tracking dog. When deer is pushed after rear leg hit, blood loss could be severe enough to cause the deer to bed. If deer is tracked immediately after hit, we can sometimes work as a team to dispatch the deer.

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