Antarcher
29-11-07, 02:08 PM
After The Shot
So, you’ve done all the hard work in securing your property, locating your game, executed a perfect stalk and pulled off a killer shot. Your target spins after the shot and heads for the thickest bush possible. What should you do next?
There are many discussions held around campfires and various Internet sites about what you should really do after the shot. Things like the animals’ mood before the shot, the angle of the hit, the matter left on the arrow and the first drops of blood on the ground. All these vital clues hold answers to how you should treat your next move when trying to locate your game.
Hopefully the following will help unlock some of the answers and invoke opinions and thoughts about what is best to ensure a successful blood trail.
Ozzyshane’s Fallow Buck
This Fallow buck taken by Shane Coppin was a bit of strange one. It was a 40m shot that was taken on a slight quartering away angle. On impact, he did the big buck kick, like a heart shot then walked away all hunched up like it was gut shot. It was just on dark so he watched him walk of out of sight. When it was dark, Shane left and returned the next day to find him about 50m from where it was last seen. If he had of followed him that night, the buck might have been lost, as Shane had assumed a gut hit. His patience still paid off though as on inspection, the shot went in just in front of his back leg and came out tight in the pocket on the front leg. Gut shot on impact, heart shot on exit.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f8/antarcher/spotedfallow07.jpg
Animal Reaction
When an animal is hit they will react in many different ways. Things that will influence this are the animals’ alertness and awareness prior to the shot, how much noise was made and how flighty the animals are due to hunting pressure in the first place. Some reactions though are indicative of where they have been hit.
A heart shot will usually lead an animal to buck at the hit and then shoot off. They don’t get far though and are usually on a dead, unconscious run before they hit the deck. I have seen a deer rear up on its back legs to buck and then keep rearing up until it toppled over backwards and died on the spot. Another I have seen, flipped over completely and then made a 100m before collapsing. Both these were heart shot animals. One was not alert to anything and the other knew something was afoot prior to being hit.
Double lung hits, the most desirable hit that any bowhunter should aspire for, can lead to mixed reactions, but always mean a quick and painless death. This is also why a bowhunters virtue is patience, patience in waiting for that perfect broadside or slightly quartering away angle before releasing an arrow. On these hits, I’ve seen some animals take a few steps and settle down, then fall over as though drunk. This is when minimal noise is made, which would normally initiate a flight response in a game animal, and the arrow passes cleanly through both flanks without striking heavy bone or a heavy object on the other side of the animal. Remember that an animal will bolt at the snapping of the twig, so hit or not, a sudden noise will make it go. On these hits I would wait a minimum of 20 minutes before trailing commences.
Other times I have seen them cover a fair bit of ground, though mainly on adrenalin due to the flight response. Most of the times on hits like this, the animal will head down hill so as to put as much ground between its pursuer and itself in as quick a time as possible. This downhill run can also indicate the difference between a single and a double lung hit, as they can push a little further with one functioning lung and tend to head for the thickest scrub they can find, be it up or down hill. On a single lung hit, more time should be given, perhaps an hour at least, before chasing it up. This is hard to tell, but if the arrow hit forward and then went back, this can mean only one lung has been damaged.
An interesting note, but is hard to determine in a hunting situation, is “was the animal inhaling or exhaling?” Think of a deflated balloon that you write your name on. Once inflated your name becomes large. Now write on an inflated balloon and watch how small your name is when it deflates. This can mean the difference between massive damage to the lungs and a hit that is not so damaging. So the blood loss on identical hits can be different due to the state of the lungs at the point of impact. This is something that can be checked when dressing the game and can add to your knowledge when wondering how an animal got so far and yet another dropped so quickly.
A gut shot will usually see the animal run or walk off with its back all hunched up and moving as though it was tiptoeing on hot coals. When this happens they will usually not travel too far, only to bed and sit it out. This is when you should take the most amount of time before taking up the trail. A gut shot animal on adrenalin alone can go very far, but left to bed, it may not go anywhere until it has expired. They will usually find a nice thick spot and stay put. If shot late in the afternoon, then it would probably be best to wait till morning to take up the trail. If you spook it too early then you will probably never find it as there will be no blood trail and the animal can cover quite a distance despite its injury once fired up.
Arterial hits mean massive blood trails, but not necessarily a dead animal in very quick time. I have seen animals hit that have bled plenty, but still manage to cover large tracts of ground before finally passing out due to massive blood loss. Other times I have seen them go down in less the 30m. It all comes down to size and angle of the slice through the severed artery that ultimately means how much will flow out. This then determines how long before its lights out due to mass haemorrhage.
Pego’s Stags
These two stags, taken by Pete Novakovic, were shot in identical circumstances. 40m, quartering away, with a Zwickey broadhead. Both shots took out lungs, heart and the neck arteries on exit. Smashing shots in anyone’s book. The outcomes were vastly different though. The malformed stag still made 120m with the heaviest blood trail I have ever seen. The even stag turned and ran 10m towards Pete to where it fell and never moved again. Both deer did take a downhill run though.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f8/antarcher/DSC00009-1.jpg
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f8/antarcher/DSCN1090.jpg
You will notice that there is no mention of head shot game with an arrow. This is due to the fact that a head shot should never be considered on any game. This goes without saying, but the reasons are simple. One, it is a small target and kill area and two, you can never know when an animals head will move, especially when a bow is heard or an arrow is spied in its peripheral vision.
First Stag
This is my first stag. I shot it from 8m steeply quartering away and the arrow hit heavy bone way back and buried deep in the back leg. (Very poor shot from an inexperienced, very nervous and shaking hunter). The stag first took a couple steps and got of a bit of a drunken wobble about it. It was then that I realised that the femoral artery had been severed as heavy blood started to flow very freely down its leg. He was quite unawares as to what had just happened. I then thought that I needed to finish it and the deer spooked at my movement and trotted off to bed 50m away. I spooked him again, this time into the lantana. I got in to 15m, a lot more carefully and placed one in his chest. The blood trail on this hit was very easy to follow also.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f8/antarcher/DSC02392.jpg
The Arrow
The first, and most vital, clue to be successful in your search is the arrow. Retrieving an arrow is of paramount importance so you can see exactly what type of hit you have scored. Obviously though, if the animal runs off with the arrow still in it, you are not going to see what type of hit it is. You can however physically see the arrow on the departing animal and make a pretty close call as to where it has lodged or what it has hit, so all is not lost in this situation.
Finding a broken arrow that has hit in the chest area is a good sign also. This means that you have hit around the front leg area and the animal has snapped it off as it has run off. The remainder of the shaft, particularly the broadhead, will do even more damage as it moves around inside the chest cavity.
When checking the arrow, take into consideration the angle the animal was standing at the point of impact. A slight quartering on angle can mean a single lung and paunch hit even though you hit the sweet spot on the side you fired at. There is a direction of travel to take into consideration and not just the point of impact. The same goes for a quartering away shot. An arrow that may have looked a little back may well have taken out everything vital with it on its course of travel through the animals’ chest.
Now back to the arrow. The best sign to find on the arrow is slick, thick, bubbly blood along its length. This will entail a double lung hit and you can rest assure that the animal did not make it far. If there is some thick blood and some green matter also, this would indicate a paunch hit and some lung. A quick follow up on this animal would not be recommended as you are more than likely to jump it out of its bed and send it to kingdom come on adrenalin alone.
Stealth’s Red
This 2x3 Red stag taken by Frank Lucic was hit front on also, from 15m. This deer made it 120m, but the blood was very easy to follow as the neck arteries were severed leading to heavy unbroken trail.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f8/antarcher/DSC00104.jpg
Sometimes though, on a shot that looked a little back, thick darker blood, not as bubbly, could indicate a liver hit and I have seen some deer die in less than 20 meters from a liver hit. Just tread warily when some green matter appears on the arrow. If the arrow has not much blood and/or green matter then this would indicate a full gut shot. Smell the arrow also and the putrid smell will indicate the same. This animal will definitely have to be given a wide birth for some time.
If the arrow has little blood on it and has a fatty like substance or small pieces of meat, then this would indicate a hit through muscle and/or fatty tissues. Shots that are too high and forward can give this indication as does a hit through the hams or one over the top of the spine and through the back straps. If a broadside hit looks low and the arrow has white matter on it and very little blood, then this too would indicate a non-fatal hit through the brisket. All the above hits are usually not fatal on larger game and the animal will live to see another day.
If a shot goes awry and the arrow strikes in a place where you never intended, either too far forward, too high or too far back, still check the arrow as there are a couple of very large arteries that can put an animal down very quickly. The carotid artery in the neck area and femoral artery that runs down under the spine to the back legs, are very lethal when severed. On these hits, look for thick, bright red blood on the shaft. When these major arteries are cut, the blood trail is usually thick and fast. Remember that arrows kill due to haemorrhaging and this is one the reasons that a nothing but a razor sharp broadhead should be attached to your hunting arrows at all times to ensure as quick a kill as possible.
Pete’s Goat
Pete hit this goat a little high and forward from 35m. Pete could clearly see where the hit was and knew that another arrow was required. The initial had slowed it up, but it was acting quite normally and fed again before Pete snuck in and finished it off. The goat may have survived the initial shot as no vitals were hit on the first shot.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f8/antarcher/DSCN1137.jpg
The Trail
The blood trail itself is integral to locating game and attention to detail is the most important aspect in following an animal that hasn’t fallen in site. As mentioned earlier, different hits require different tactics and as a bare minimum it is probably best to wait at least 20 minutes, on large game, after a shot to take up a trail. On small game, like foxes, 10 minutes should be sufficient. This varies from person to person, but it is what I usually work on. If the shot is suspected to be partial, then the above information can help in determining what your next move is.
An arterial or lung hit usually results in a prominent and easy to follow trail. Be it consistent drips or large volume splatters, most anyone will be able to follow this sort of sign to its end.
The direction of splatters from the drops of blood hitting the ground can also help to indicate which way the animal was travelling. Look also for blood that may have come from either side of the animal, which indicate that the arrow has indeed passed through both flanks if the arrow is still in the animal. This can be checked at the hit sight and along the trail. Look also for any severed hair at the hit to indicate if it is lighter belly or under body hair or coarse thick body hair. Every little clue can help build the big picture.
Goat Blood
This is where a goat stood at impact. You can see where the arrow broke off and the blood from the entry and exit side wounds. This shot was a spinal hit and the arteries that lead to the back legs were severed, leading to the sign that is evident in the pic. The goat did not go far at all. Shows the effect that solid and razor sharp broadhead can make.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f8/antarcher/16.jpg
However, a lung hit for example, will not always mean a good blood trail. It all depends on how high the arrow enters and exits. On high shots, the blood tends to pool low down in the chest cavity and will not exit the wound until it is full enough to come out. By this time though, the animal may have already expired. This is why it is very important to watch the animal until it is last seen and this spot should be marked with either marking tape or toilet paper. Other hits may mean minimal blood is lost out of the body due to clotting and the plugging of the wound thanks to fatty tissue, or inner linings. Other wounds may seal up due to the angle of the cut the broadhead made through the skin. This is where a three bladed head can have its advantages, as the entry and exit wounds are large and have cross directional cuts that a hard to seal over and plug. There is also more cutting surface on a three blade head which make for a larger wound channel and more arteries severed during the impact. You do lose some penetration over a two bladed head, but any sharp, well built broadhead will efficiently kill any animal when placed in the right spot.
Mozza’s Fallow
This is a fallow buck that was taken front on by Andrew Morrow at 8m. The arrow entered through the lower neck and exited out through the back leg. The blood in the first pic shows massive bleeding from the neck arteries. This was the way the trail went for 20m to the fallen buck. On its path, the arrow took out the main arteries in the neck, heart and both lungs. Andrew estimated that the deer was finished in 3 seconds flat after the shot. A devastating hit, with devastating results.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f8/antarcher/DSC_00220009.jpg
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f8/antarcher/DSC_00230006.jpg
When the blood is fickle or non-existent, it is time to use the other clues from the arrow and the hit to confirm your suspicions and treatment of the follow up.
Where there is no sign visible on the ground, a thorough grid search will be required to find the animal. The same goes for when a good trail peters out. Cover ground methodically and efficiently. Mark where you have checked so that you do not go over the same spot twice. Keep eyes closely peeled for footprints, disturbed leaf matter and broken plants. A spot of blood could come up at any time and each drop should be marked also. Make sure you always check ahead for the fallen game, as it could be dead on site and your search is over or it could simply be bedded and ready to run at the slightest hint of pursuit. This brings up the point that a bow should always be with you on your blood trail in case a dispatching shot is required, so tread warily. Also remember to remove all marker material when finished to keep the property owners happy.
If an animal has bedded, you may find large patches of blood. This gets the confidence up that it will not be long until you find it. This could also mean though that the animal may have been jumped by your approach. The animal may now have surged very far as it knows what game is up after the initial fright from the hit. The problem now is that the wound could be plugging or clotting and you have one very switched on animal to find. This is why it pays to be patient initially as that very large patch you found may well have been accompanied by a fallen animal if the extra time was given before looking for it. Remember that an animal will not go far once it thinks it is safe. Once it is dead, it is dead and it will not move anymore. It pays to be extra cautious, as it is better to be an hour late than a minute too early. If it is hit well, it will die.
Stealth’s Rusa
This is a pic of Frank’s Rusa stag final resting spot. The pic shows the entry wound and the exit was a little lower on the opposite side. Only one lung was hit on the exit side, as the hit was a little high. As you can see, not much blood came out. Frank found some where he last saw the stag in some coral trees up a hill. It had bedded and he didn’t see it leave. Frank assumed it would be found so he sat and waited a while. When he got there, it was gone and he assumed that it had gone to the thick lantana. He spent the next 4 hours crawling around looking for it. Turned out the deer knew its time was up and headed down hill into an open paddock and died next to a dam. It was in a small depression, otherwise Frank would have spotted it earlier.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f8/antarcher/DSC00007-1.jpg
Ozzyshane’s pig
This is a nice pig taken by Shane Coppin. The first pic shows the start of the trail. The second is the bed in which the pig was shot on the follow up hit the boar a little to far up front shot came out his neck. I slowly followed him straight up as I new the shot wasn’t good enough to kill him found him digging a bed for himself about 120m from the impact. Stalked into 20m and watched him bed down and get real sleepy than stuck him again when I had a shot.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f8/antarcher/pigbed.jpg
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f8/antarcher/pigtrail.jpg
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f8/antarcher/endofthetrail.jpg
I have rushed things in the past myself, due to excitement, over confidence and inexperience, and gone after an animal not long after the shot. If I had waited an extra15 minutes, it could have all been over in a total of 20. However, through my mistake, I spent two and a half hours on hands and knees crawling through lantana looking for an animal that I heard rush away not twenty meters from where it was hit. The tell tale pool of blood, where it had bedded, was evident and this is where it would have stayed put. The spots of blood after this were few and far between, but thankfully through perseverance, that deer was found. Turned out to be a single lung hit and it changed my way of thinking for good when following up on a wounded animal.
So, you’ve done all the hard work in securing your property, locating your game, executed a perfect stalk and pulled off a killer shot. Your target spins after the shot and heads for the thickest bush possible. What should you do next?
There are many discussions held around campfires and various Internet sites about what you should really do after the shot. Things like the animals’ mood before the shot, the angle of the hit, the matter left on the arrow and the first drops of blood on the ground. All these vital clues hold answers to how you should treat your next move when trying to locate your game.
Hopefully the following will help unlock some of the answers and invoke opinions and thoughts about what is best to ensure a successful blood trail.
Ozzyshane’s Fallow Buck
This Fallow buck taken by Shane Coppin was a bit of strange one. It was a 40m shot that was taken on a slight quartering away angle. On impact, he did the big buck kick, like a heart shot then walked away all hunched up like it was gut shot. It was just on dark so he watched him walk of out of sight. When it was dark, Shane left and returned the next day to find him about 50m from where it was last seen. If he had of followed him that night, the buck might have been lost, as Shane had assumed a gut hit. His patience still paid off though as on inspection, the shot went in just in front of his back leg and came out tight in the pocket on the front leg. Gut shot on impact, heart shot on exit.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f8/antarcher/spotedfallow07.jpg
Animal Reaction
When an animal is hit they will react in many different ways. Things that will influence this are the animals’ alertness and awareness prior to the shot, how much noise was made and how flighty the animals are due to hunting pressure in the first place. Some reactions though are indicative of where they have been hit.
A heart shot will usually lead an animal to buck at the hit and then shoot off. They don’t get far though and are usually on a dead, unconscious run before they hit the deck. I have seen a deer rear up on its back legs to buck and then keep rearing up until it toppled over backwards and died on the spot. Another I have seen, flipped over completely and then made a 100m before collapsing. Both these were heart shot animals. One was not alert to anything and the other knew something was afoot prior to being hit.
Double lung hits, the most desirable hit that any bowhunter should aspire for, can lead to mixed reactions, but always mean a quick and painless death. This is also why a bowhunters virtue is patience, patience in waiting for that perfect broadside or slightly quartering away angle before releasing an arrow. On these hits, I’ve seen some animals take a few steps and settle down, then fall over as though drunk. This is when minimal noise is made, which would normally initiate a flight response in a game animal, and the arrow passes cleanly through both flanks without striking heavy bone or a heavy object on the other side of the animal. Remember that an animal will bolt at the snapping of the twig, so hit or not, a sudden noise will make it go. On these hits I would wait a minimum of 20 minutes before trailing commences.
Other times I have seen them cover a fair bit of ground, though mainly on adrenalin due to the flight response. Most of the times on hits like this, the animal will head down hill so as to put as much ground between its pursuer and itself in as quick a time as possible. This downhill run can also indicate the difference between a single and a double lung hit, as they can push a little further with one functioning lung and tend to head for the thickest scrub they can find, be it up or down hill. On a single lung hit, more time should be given, perhaps an hour at least, before chasing it up. This is hard to tell, but if the arrow hit forward and then went back, this can mean only one lung has been damaged.
An interesting note, but is hard to determine in a hunting situation, is “was the animal inhaling or exhaling?” Think of a deflated balloon that you write your name on. Once inflated your name becomes large. Now write on an inflated balloon and watch how small your name is when it deflates. This can mean the difference between massive damage to the lungs and a hit that is not so damaging. So the blood loss on identical hits can be different due to the state of the lungs at the point of impact. This is something that can be checked when dressing the game and can add to your knowledge when wondering how an animal got so far and yet another dropped so quickly.
A gut shot will usually see the animal run or walk off with its back all hunched up and moving as though it was tiptoeing on hot coals. When this happens they will usually not travel too far, only to bed and sit it out. This is when you should take the most amount of time before taking up the trail. A gut shot animal on adrenalin alone can go very far, but left to bed, it may not go anywhere until it has expired. They will usually find a nice thick spot and stay put. If shot late in the afternoon, then it would probably be best to wait till morning to take up the trail. If you spook it too early then you will probably never find it as there will be no blood trail and the animal can cover quite a distance despite its injury once fired up.
Arterial hits mean massive blood trails, but not necessarily a dead animal in very quick time. I have seen animals hit that have bled plenty, but still manage to cover large tracts of ground before finally passing out due to massive blood loss. Other times I have seen them go down in less the 30m. It all comes down to size and angle of the slice through the severed artery that ultimately means how much will flow out. This then determines how long before its lights out due to mass haemorrhage.
Pego’s Stags
These two stags, taken by Pete Novakovic, were shot in identical circumstances. 40m, quartering away, with a Zwickey broadhead. Both shots took out lungs, heart and the neck arteries on exit. Smashing shots in anyone’s book. The outcomes were vastly different though. The malformed stag still made 120m with the heaviest blood trail I have ever seen. The even stag turned and ran 10m towards Pete to where it fell and never moved again. Both deer did take a downhill run though.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f8/antarcher/DSC00009-1.jpg
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f8/antarcher/DSCN1090.jpg
You will notice that there is no mention of head shot game with an arrow. This is due to the fact that a head shot should never be considered on any game. This goes without saying, but the reasons are simple. One, it is a small target and kill area and two, you can never know when an animals head will move, especially when a bow is heard or an arrow is spied in its peripheral vision.
First Stag
This is my first stag. I shot it from 8m steeply quartering away and the arrow hit heavy bone way back and buried deep in the back leg. (Very poor shot from an inexperienced, very nervous and shaking hunter). The stag first took a couple steps and got of a bit of a drunken wobble about it. It was then that I realised that the femoral artery had been severed as heavy blood started to flow very freely down its leg. He was quite unawares as to what had just happened. I then thought that I needed to finish it and the deer spooked at my movement and trotted off to bed 50m away. I spooked him again, this time into the lantana. I got in to 15m, a lot more carefully and placed one in his chest. The blood trail on this hit was very easy to follow also.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f8/antarcher/DSC02392.jpg
The Arrow
The first, and most vital, clue to be successful in your search is the arrow. Retrieving an arrow is of paramount importance so you can see exactly what type of hit you have scored. Obviously though, if the animal runs off with the arrow still in it, you are not going to see what type of hit it is. You can however physically see the arrow on the departing animal and make a pretty close call as to where it has lodged or what it has hit, so all is not lost in this situation.
Finding a broken arrow that has hit in the chest area is a good sign also. This means that you have hit around the front leg area and the animal has snapped it off as it has run off. The remainder of the shaft, particularly the broadhead, will do even more damage as it moves around inside the chest cavity.
When checking the arrow, take into consideration the angle the animal was standing at the point of impact. A slight quartering on angle can mean a single lung and paunch hit even though you hit the sweet spot on the side you fired at. There is a direction of travel to take into consideration and not just the point of impact. The same goes for a quartering away shot. An arrow that may have looked a little back may well have taken out everything vital with it on its course of travel through the animals’ chest.
Now back to the arrow. The best sign to find on the arrow is slick, thick, bubbly blood along its length. This will entail a double lung hit and you can rest assure that the animal did not make it far. If there is some thick blood and some green matter also, this would indicate a paunch hit and some lung. A quick follow up on this animal would not be recommended as you are more than likely to jump it out of its bed and send it to kingdom come on adrenalin alone.
Stealth’s Red
This 2x3 Red stag taken by Frank Lucic was hit front on also, from 15m. This deer made it 120m, but the blood was very easy to follow as the neck arteries were severed leading to heavy unbroken trail.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f8/antarcher/DSC00104.jpg
Sometimes though, on a shot that looked a little back, thick darker blood, not as bubbly, could indicate a liver hit and I have seen some deer die in less than 20 meters from a liver hit. Just tread warily when some green matter appears on the arrow. If the arrow has not much blood and/or green matter then this would indicate a full gut shot. Smell the arrow also and the putrid smell will indicate the same. This animal will definitely have to be given a wide birth for some time.
If the arrow has little blood on it and has a fatty like substance or small pieces of meat, then this would indicate a hit through muscle and/or fatty tissues. Shots that are too high and forward can give this indication as does a hit through the hams or one over the top of the spine and through the back straps. If a broadside hit looks low and the arrow has white matter on it and very little blood, then this too would indicate a non-fatal hit through the brisket. All the above hits are usually not fatal on larger game and the animal will live to see another day.
If a shot goes awry and the arrow strikes in a place where you never intended, either too far forward, too high or too far back, still check the arrow as there are a couple of very large arteries that can put an animal down very quickly. The carotid artery in the neck area and femoral artery that runs down under the spine to the back legs, are very lethal when severed. On these hits, look for thick, bright red blood on the shaft. When these major arteries are cut, the blood trail is usually thick and fast. Remember that arrows kill due to haemorrhaging and this is one the reasons that a nothing but a razor sharp broadhead should be attached to your hunting arrows at all times to ensure as quick a kill as possible.
Pete’s Goat
Pete hit this goat a little high and forward from 35m. Pete could clearly see where the hit was and knew that another arrow was required. The initial had slowed it up, but it was acting quite normally and fed again before Pete snuck in and finished it off. The goat may have survived the initial shot as no vitals were hit on the first shot.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f8/antarcher/DSCN1137.jpg
The Trail
The blood trail itself is integral to locating game and attention to detail is the most important aspect in following an animal that hasn’t fallen in site. As mentioned earlier, different hits require different tactics and as a bare minimum it is probably best to wait at least 20 minutes, on large game, after a shot to take up a trail. On small game, like foxes, 10 minutes should be sufficient. This varies from person to person, but it is what I usually work on. If the shot is suspected to be partial, then the above information can help in determining what your next move is.
An arterial or lung hit usually results in a prominent and easy to follow trail. Be it consistent drips or large volume splatters, most anyone will be able to follow this sort of sign to its end.
The direction of splatters from the drops of blood hitting the ground can also help to indicate which way the animal was travelling. Look also for blood that may have come from either side of the animal, which indicate that the arrow has indeed passed through both flanks if the arrow is still in the animal. This can be checked at the hit sight and along the trail. Look also for any severed hair at the hit to indicate if it is lighter belly or under body hair or coarse thick body hair. Every little clue can help build the big picture.
Goat Blood
This is where a goat stood at impact. You can see where the arrow broke off and the blood from the entry and exit side wounds. This shot was a spinal hit and the arteries that lead to the back legs were severed, leading to the sign that is evident in the pic. The goat did not go far at all. Shows the effect that solid and razor sharp broadhead can make.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f8/antarcher/16.jpg
However, a lung hit for example, will not always mean a good blood trail. It all depends on how high the arrow enters and exits. On high shots, the blood tends to pool low down in the chest cavity and will not exit the wound until it is full enough to come out. By this time though, the animal may have already expired. This is why it is very important to watch the animal until it is last seen and this spot should be marked with either marking tape or toilet paper. Other hits may mean minimal blood is lost out of the body due to clotting and the plugging of the wound thanks to fatty tissue, or inner linings. Other wounds may seal up due to the angle of the cut the broadhead made through the skin. This is where a three bladed head can have its advantages, as the entry and exit wounds are large and have cross directional cuts that a hard to seal over and plug. There is also more cutting surface on a three blade head which make for a larger wound channel and more arteries severed during the impact. You do lose some penetration over a two bladed head, but any sharp, well built broadhead will efficiently kill any animal when placed in the right spot.
Mozza’s Fallow
This is a fallow buck that was taken front on by Andrew Morrow at 8m. The arrow entered through the lower neck and exited out through the back leg. The blood in the first pic shows massive bleeding from the neck arteries. This was the way the trail went for 20m to the fallen buck. On its path, the arrow took out the main arteries in the neck, heart and both lungs. Andrew estimated that the deer was finished in 3 seconds flat after the shot. A devastating hit, with devastating results.
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When the blood is fickle or non-existent, it is time to use the other clues from the arrow and the hit to confirm your suspicions and treatment of the follow up.
Where there is no sign visible on the ground, a thorough grid search will be required to find the animal. The same goes for when a good trail peters out. Cover ground methodically and efficiently. Mark where you have checked so that you do not go over the same spot twice. Keep eyes closely peeled for footprints, disturbed leaf matter and broken plants. A spot of blood could come up at any time and each drop should be marked also. Make sure you always check ahead for the fallen game, as it could be dead on site and your search is over or it could simply be bedded and ready to run at the slightest hint of pursuit. This brings up the point that a bow should always be with you on your blood trail in case a dispatching shot is required, so tread warily. Also remember to remove all marker material when finished to keep the property owners happy.
If an animal has bedded, you may find large patches of blood. This gets the confidence up that it will not be long until you find it. This could also mean though that the animal may have been jumped by your approach. The animal may now have surged very far as it knows what game is up after the initial fright from the hit. The problem now is that the wound could be plugging or clotting and you have one very switched on animal to find. This is why it pays to be patient initially as that very large patch you found may well have been accompanied by a fallen animal if the extra time was given before looking for it. Remember that an animal will not go far once it thinks it is safe. Once it is dead, it is dead and it will not move anymore. It pays to be extra cautious, as it is better to be an hour late than a minute too early. If it is hit well, it will die.
Stealth’s Rusa
This is a pic of Frank’s Rusa stag final resting spot. The pic shows the entry wound and the exit was a little lower on the opposite side. Only one lung was hit on the exit side, as the hit was a little high. As you can see, not much blood came out. Frank found some where he last saw the stag in some coral trees up a hill. It had bedded and he didn’t see it leave. Frank assumed it would be found so he sat and waited a while. When he got there, it was gone and he assumed that it had gone to the thick lantana. He spent the next 4 hours crawling around looking for it. Turned out the deer knew its time was up and headed down hill into an open paddock and died next to a dam. It was in a small depression, otherwise Frank would have spotted it earlier.
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Ozzyshane’s pig
This is a nice pig taken by Shane Coppin. The first pic shows the start of the trail. The second is the bed in which the pig was shot on the follow up hit the boar a little to far up front shot came out his neck. I slowly followed him straight up as I new the shot wasn’t good enough to kill him found him digging a bed for himself about 120m from the impact. Stalked into 20m and watched him bed down and get real sleepy than stuck him again when I had a shot.
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I have rushed things in the past myself, due to excitement, over confidence and inexperience, and gone after an animal not long after the shot. If I had waited an extra15 minutes, it could have all been over in a total of 20. However, through my mistake, I spent two and a half hours on hands and knees crawling through lantana looking for an animal that I heard rush away not twenty meters from where it was hit. The tell tale pool of blood, where it had bedded, was evident and this is where it would have stayed put. The spots of blood after this were few and far between, but thankfully through perseverance, that deer was found. Turned out to be a single lung hit and it changed my way of thinking for good when following up on a wounded animal.