The science and passion of tracking a shot deer

ALBANY ‒ You can, “Aim small, miss small.” You can routinely shoot one-hole groups on the range. You can wait for the perfect shot. But if you hunt long enough sooner or later you will make what you thought to be a perfect shot only to have the deer disagree.

The deer may fall and then get back up, it may lurch and run, or it may seem to be completely unfazed by the shot you just took. From the moment you pulled the trigger or released your arrow, everything you do now impacts your chances of recovering that deer.

Talking to several skilled trackers, there are a number of critical questions hunters need to ask themselves before attempting to track fleeing quarry. They not only impact the actions hunters need to take for a successful recovery but those that trackers will determine to be necessary if called for assistance following a hunter’s attempt.

· What time was it when you took your shot?

· How far away was the deer when you shot?

· Was it standing broadside to you, straight on, or at a quartering angle?

· Where were you aiming and where did your shot hit? 

· How did the deer react to your shot? Did it fall, stumble, run, or appear unaffected?

Once you have answered these question, the next step is to go to the spot where the deer was standing when you took the shot and look for any blood, which will be a vital clue to your recovery efforts. The blood that you find (if you find blood) can tell you much more than the direction in which the deer fled. It can give you clues as to where your shot hit the deer and how long you might need to wait before attempting to locate it.

Dark red blood generally indicates a heart shot. However, be sure that it is not purple or black in color, which might indicate a liver shot. Bubbles in red blood indicate the likelihood that you made a lung shot. In this case, the blood pattern may resemble a spray pattern on tree trunks, grass and the ground. The blood of a gut-shot deer may contain bits of intestinal fat. With a high shot, there may be little or no initial blood trail. White hair at the site may indicate a low shot.

A rule of thumb on how long you should wait before following the blood trail related to these blood clues are a half hour to an hour for heart- and lung-shot deer; waiting two to three hours on a suspected liver shot, and possibly longer on gut-shot deer is advisable. Otherwise, your tracking efforts will often push the deer farther from where you took your shot. Taking a few pictures of the first blood, arrow and other clues may be beneficial if you end up needing to call a tracker later.

When you do begin following the blood trail, move slowly and pay attention to details. Here, some trail craft comes into play. Flagging tape or toilet paper are some of the most important tools in your bag of tricks at this point. Moving from the site of first blood, mark the blood trail with the flagging tape or toilet paper as you follow it. At this stage, the fewer trackers the better so as not to disturb the trail if tracking dogs are needed later.

Toilet paper has the benefit of being biodegradable and will disappear after it rains a few times.

As you move forward, your efforts to mark the blood trail will begin to indicate the general direction of the deer’s travel. A general knowledge of deer behavior dictates that a wounded deer will often attempt to return to its bedding areas or a nearby water source. If the blood trail is lost, these could be areas to search. Before rushing off on what could be a wild goose chase and complicate further search efforts, a circular search radiating out from the last blood found may be successful. This may occur as bleeding slows or the fleeing deer changes direction.

However, if no further blood trail is found within 10 yards, it may be time to consider calling in a tracker. Today, these come in two varieties: the more traditional choice being a dog tracker; the modern choice being a drone tracker. Both have their distinct merits.

Randy Vick and Wyatt Patterson are two dog trackers with solid reputations across southwest Georgia.

“I started tracking in the ’90s,” Vick recalled. “I’ve seen it go from the point where there were only 12 people listed for tracking in Georgia. Now every county has at least two dozen.”

Two good sources for finding a tracking dog in your hunting area can be found online. One is the Georgia Blood Trailing Network on Facebook. The other is Georgia’s Deer Tracking Dog List for the 2024 season at georgiaafield.com. Both Vick and Patterson have their contact information listed there.

Once a hunter has contacted a tracker, there are a number of things that Patterson says are important. First and foremost: Follow the tracker’s advice on how much longer you need to wait before he helps you trail the deer. Do not attempt to wander in search of it while waiting for the tracker to arrive. That will only make the dog’s task more difficult.

Also, don’t call in another tracker once one has committed to your search.

Both trackers agree that once a tracker arrives, they are now in charge of the tracking effort for the sake of safety and success. This is not the time for multiple people to be carrying loaded firearms. Therefore, the tracker will generally be the only one carrying a firearm from this point. As an example of this necessity, both south Georgia trackers mentioned the fate of an Illinois tracker who was accidentally shot by a client with a crossbow while tracking a deer who nearly died from his injury.

Patterson explained that the tracking dogs today are not actually following a literal blood trail.

“These dogs are trained to track the scents left by the interdigital gland located between the toes of the deer’s hoof,” he said. “The gland contains 46 total compounds, and four of them are associated with stress and injury. These are the scents our dogs are tracking.”

These scents separate deer from others along the search route, the tracker noted.

In recent years, another tracking option has become available for those searching for a lost deer. Lane Johnson and D.J. White with NightFly Aerial Solutions are using thermal drone technology to locate lost deer (as well as pets and children).

“One of the main benefits of drone tracking is that it is noninvasive to the woods or your property,” Johnson said. “You are not bumping the deer on the ground. You are looking at things from an infrared aerial view.”

Drone tracking also makes it much easier on the tracking party.

“On a cold night, you’re sitting on the tailgate watching a TV screen with a buddy heater,” Johnson said.

According to Johnson, a deer can produce a heat signature for 48 hours or longer after it has been shot. When a deer is located by its heat signature, the camera on the drone can zoom in for a closer view without disturbing the deer. A determination of whether the deer has expired or the extent of its wound can be made.

Johnson and White can mark the fallen deer by GPS to direct a ground search to the deer or illuminate it from above for the ground team using the drone’s spotlight. Interestingly once decomposition begins, temperatures in the decaying deer may make it a viable drone target long after the shot was made. Johnson estimates a recovery rate near or better than 90%.

Dog and drone trackers have a passion for their part of the hunt. When a recovery is successful, they are as excited and fulfilled as the one who made the shot. One factor that must be considered when obtaining a tracker is cost. Most of the dog hunters look upon the compensation for their effort as a tip or contribution relative to the hunter’s satisfaction with their efforts. Most drone hunter fees will generally be a few hundred dollars. Therefore, it is advisable to be sure and clarify compensation before accepting the services of any tracker.

Another important consideration when tracking a lost deer is associated with property lines. It is illegal for someone to cross property lines without the landowner’s permission.

“It is advisable to get to know your neighbors and be able to communicate with them when you need permission to access their property to continue pursuing your deer,” Patterson said.

CAPTION: (To go with photo sent previously by email)  Special Photo

In recent years, drone tracking has become an effective option for hunters searching for a lost deer. The technology is effective, and it’s non-invasive.