Thread: Tracking wounded animals. Mistakes and lessons

Now I like too say " I'm too old too be stupid "

Well that's not entirely true.
I'm getting better at saying NO too work.

I took a very nice vintage 7x57R for a walk last week.
It's a well sorted 150m capable open sighted rifle that is very accurate.
Attachment 264155

I got on to some deer quite late and it took me a a while too get into range.
Then one of those pairs of eyes or ears must have seen me.
So the element of surprise gone, no time too range and you take the shot you have.

1st mistake. I watched her nearly go over and didn't shoot again instantly.

Got another shot at her about 5 minutes later.
2nd Mistake. Now my open sights are nearly useless.
But it was another solid hit at under 100m.

Follow that up and 5 minutes later get a clear view of her at 30m
Mistake 2 became more of an issue and is a full Mistake.
Can't see her at all through the sights.

Follow her to the heavy bust and pick up a good blood trail.
Very long story short.
I tracked her for over an hour and approx 1km.
Always down hill.
Often through blackberry and onga-onga.
The blood trail was good, she had paused often and left puddles.

I had all night
I didn't have too work the next day.
I stuck at it and eventually found her still alive but unable too move.



So my main lesson to myself was.
Vintage rifles with open sights are not so good at last light.
If it all goes pear shaped they are no use at all because you loose the light so quickly.

But using then in the morning is just fine.
Find the deer, get into position and shoot when the light is good enough.
It will only get better .

The lesson about tracking is just stick at it.
Stop often and take your time.
If you can, tell someone you might be all night at it.

I found myself back in that area this morning and out of interest visited the scene of the crime.

I was surprised too see large section of the blood trail still easily visible 6 days later.
Light over night drizzle had rehydrated the blood in the open and it was very easy too see.
In the bush a bit harder.

So my first hasty shot was a little low and back in the ribs further than I intended.
So just lower lung damage.

My second slightly closer shot went into a hind leg below the hip and completely ejected 50mm of its femur through the buttock.
There was no arterial bleeding from this shot !

I thought you might have put a bullet under the jaw but I guess you cut the throat?.

Goes to show how amazingly tough deer are. Good work on the tracking and sticking with it. One thing I've learnt also is following up too quickly and bumping them out can lead to very lengthy tracks aswell.

I think, one of the biggest mistakes hunters make (including myself) is to look after an animal too quick. Sometimes they need a bit of time to die particularly after a not so perfect shot. You only push them further into the bush if you go after them too early!

Originally Posted by Twodiffs

I thought you might have put a bullet under the jaw but I guess you cut the throat?.

No I had folded down the tang sight
Held my headlight under the rifle and just sighted down the barrel and blew the bottom out of its head at 10m

Originally Posted by mawzer308

Goes to show how amazingly tough deer are. Good work on the tracking and sticking with it. One thing I've learnt also is following up too quickly and bumping them out can lead to very lengthy tracks aswell.

Yes that's why we see a few tripod deer

Good on you for following and finishing job.

I use my headtorch when tracking a shot deer in the bush. Furthest I ever had a deer run was 100m after a heart shot, but even that was a mission to find. Minimal blood trail, but the torchlight (even in the middle of the day) helped to show up those easily missed spots of blood under the bush canopy. I also once spent an hour looking for a sika that I ended up finding only 30 metres from point of impact in a patch of crown fern. Again, I reckon without a torch I wouldn't have seen the giveaway specks of blood on the fern.

Yes a head torch can help even during daylight

The real bugger is needing to put Reading glasses on to check if it's actually bloody or a pigment spot on a leaf

It's surprising how many native plants have brown and purple blotches on their leaves

two is good give them 20 minutes - criss cross back woods and fowards until hopefully you pick up a blood trail - if there is two of you one stops at last blood - lead tracker goes ahead and picks up fresh trail -when the lead finds blood then he signals the other to come up to it and stay there - the lead then always has a point of reference to work on - usual rules on silence applys hand signals or a whistle - its when the blood trail goes up hill that is when the fun starts- down hill and staying down hill you jhave every chance but up hill 50/50

The longer shots might not have been so certain but those stalking rifle sights would have worked surely.

Being partially red/green colour blind makes following a blood trail especially challenging. I think it has taught me to be more determined to make that first shot one that disables the animal. Doesn't always go to plan though.

Originally Posted by Marty Henry

The longer shots might not have been so certain but those stalking rifle sights would have worked surely.

It was just a lack of light
The rifle and shooter can punch out tiny 100m groups from a hasty rest

I did have some vintage scoped rifles I could have used.