Tracking Wounded Elk

[JPhelps]

In my elk hunting seminar this weekend I talked about tracking elk as being the last step in being successful.  After some discussion with some attendees I decided I will post what goes through my head while tracking.

Before the Shot: Use the sharpest broadheads possible.

Seeing the shot:  If hunting with archery equipment shooting with both eyes open will allow you to see the hit better.  I want to see how the animal reacts.  I try to see how much penetration I got with my arrow.  Remember the location where the animal was standing.  Listen to the noise(s) made as the animal runs off.

Wait: I then wait the 30 minutes (unless there are special circumstances).

Examine the area where the animal was standing.  What general direction was the animal heading after the shot?  Pick up blood.  I use the shot placement along with blood to get an idea on elevation of the hit, entry and exit, etc...

I then began blood trailing.  I always keep track of last blood especially if the going gets tough (not much blood).  On multiple occasions I have had animals switch directions on me.

Keep track of the general direction the animal is heading.  If you can't find blood within a few yards of last blood go back and re-evaluate.  BE CAREFUL BECAUSE YOU CAN DAMAGE EVIDENCE BY BEING CARELESS.  Getting on your hands and knees may be necessary and examine every leaf, blade of grass, shrub, etc.... along the path.  Look for broken sticks, broken ferns, grass pushed the wrong way, etc...

If no blood can be found a good rule of thumb is that a wounded animal typically heads down hill and the direction it was heading is a good start.

Using a "grid" search may be necessary if blood is lost.  Look for blood on all the major animal trails.

In my experience, If you are on blood an animal usually starts to slow down and bleed more before the end of the trail.

We owe it to the animals we hunt to give it everything we have to recover that animal after we have put an arrow or bullet in them.

Is there anything else some of you do while tracking?

[Bob33]

Mark where you shot from, particularly for longer rifle shots. If you cannot find blood where you thought the animal was, you may need to go back to where you shot from and find better landmarks to start the search from.

[Tbar]

Where was your seminar? I would have liked to go.....

[huntnnw]

having a GPS has helped me in the past and 1 was just last season..using trace your steps..it can help a ton to cover a area in a grid search in thick cover and be able to see what you havent walked and where to head next.

I also use flagging tape to mark blood on tough trails

[JLS]

If there is no blood, look for patterns in disturbances.  Oftentimes you can't see the tracks, but if you look closely you can see disturbances in the duff that have a pattern to them and you can develop a "line" per se.   This helped me find an elk a couple of years ago.  Followed the line, hit a game trail, and quickly found more blood.

I like to follow the blood trail off on one side so that I am not disturbing it.

[idahohuntr]

Definitely have flagging and use it!  Its cheap but can be priceless in helping re-create the scene.  In the excitement of the hunt you can quickly forget important details.  I like to mark exactly where I shot from, where the animal was standing, and then any blood or other sign as I am tracking.  Many times when i look back along a well flagged blood trail i can get a much clearer picture of where the animal is headed. 

The biggest mistake I have seen is when guys think the recovery is going to be easy, they don't mark anything and they wander over to where they thought they heard the animal fall and there is no elk...then they go back and start trying to piece everything together and it's a lot tougher. 

[DoubleJ]

Definitely have flagging and use it!  Its cheap but can be priceless in helping re-create the scene.  In the excitement of the hunt you can quickly forget important details.  I like to mark exactly where I shot from, where the animal was standing, and then any blood or other sign as I am tracking.  Many times when i look back along a well flagged blood trail i can get a much clearer picture of where the animal is headed. 

The biggest mistake I have seen is when guys think the recovery is going to be easy, they don't mark anything and they wander over to where they thought they heard the animal fall and there is no elk...then they go back and start trying to piece everything together and it's a lot tougher. 

I have about 4 dozen of these:
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/3-2022514?utm_source=GoogleShopping&utm_medium=organic&sa=X&ei=B-J3UYOqAYKGjAKsj4FA&ved=0CD0Q-RIwCA

Invaluable.  A definate must have

[deerhunter_98520]

One thing i have found out with deer and would assume elk would do the same thing is they take the path with the least resistance or easiest path possible.....i shot a 3 pt years back that had a 10ft long blood trail and there was no other sign of him...there was about 6 trails leading away from his bed so i got on the easiest trail to travel and found him 100yds away laying alongside a fallen log with his head down trying to hide and was still alive but not going anywhere....also they will head towards water when injured

[Bucks2Ducks]

Good thread, thanks Jason! Try and remember to always stay as confident and calm as possible, I've had Elk that were shot great and didn't hardly loose any blood yet were piled up within 100 yards of the shot. The worst ones that I've had to track were in the rain and surrounded by several elk, taking it very slow and consistently flagging have made the difference for me.

[Elkpiss]

I agree with most your tactics, however i feel 30 minutes is not enough time unless you see the elk drop right in front of you... Even though it may be dead in 5 minutes, the worse thing you can do on tracking an elk after the hit and i mean the worse thing is kick him up out of his bed..  My motto is when in doubt back out, give the elk time to die so you don't kick it up.. "weather permitting"..  And i totally agree with you on knowing where you hit the elk "shot placement", it just irritates the piss out of me as the caller asking the shooter "where did you hit it at" "I DONT KNOW, THE AAROW WAS GOING TO FAST"...    I think well chit, then i well error on caution and back out...  That's a reason i think fast bows are over rated, its not all about feet per second, i try and slow my arrows down now and use heavier equipment so i can see my meat missile make contact...    We hunt the same crap hole country side so you take the words right out of my mouth most of the time with all your advice... keep it up on your elk tips bud!.. spot on!..

and my last tip or advice, " DONT BE AFRAID TO BACK OUT, BE PAITENT IF NEED BE!!! DONT BUMP YOUR ANIMAL, THE CAN RUN ALONG LONG LONG WAYS ON ADRENALINE WITH A FATAL HIT IF BUMPED OUT OF THERE DIEING BED!".......... 

[mrmoskillz]

Definitely have flagging and use it!  Its cheap but can be priceless in helping re-create the scene.  In the excitement of the hunt you can quickly forget important details.  I like to mark exactly where I shot from, where the animal was standing, and then any blood or other sign as I am tracking.  Many times when i look back along a well flagged blood trail i can get a much clearer picture of where the animal is headed. 

The biggest mistake I have seen is when guys think the recovery is going to be easy, they don't mark anything and they wander over to where they thought they heard the animal fall and there is no elk...then they go back and start trying to piece everything together and it's a lot tougher. 

I have about 4 dozen of these:
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/3-2022514?utm_source=GoogleShopping&utm_medium=organic&sa=X&ei=B-J3UYOqAYKGjAKsj4FA&ved=0CD0Q-RIwCA

Invaluable.  A definate must have

You used those a couple years ago to help find my Son's deer.  Gut shot deer not leaving much blood and we had to let her lay overnight.  In the morning the little bit of blood that was there was now gone from the dew but your flags were still there.  Its the deer in my avitar.  Thanks again DoubleJ

[Johnb317]

I agree with Elkpiss in spades!  30 minutes isn't long enough unless you see him drop.    First Elk I got was an uphill shot... full pass through.... heard the hit, saw major blood splash  and watched him walk/stop/walk stop  (high country in the open).   Waited a couple hours to start tracking he lost lots of blood but managed to walk a long way... had I pushed him I may not have had meat in the freezer.

[jackmaster]

idk if this was mentioned but i always have a roll of orange lathe....ALWAYS... to me it is just as important as food, you can use for countless things, but it is awesome for ribboning a blood trail or any other kind of trail, i am to stubborn to use a gps because you gotta be a nasa scientist to figure that damn things out

[Labs07]

I use flagging ribbon to mark blood when I find it, it really helps extablish direction.  I also look on the underside of leaves and branches for blood, this works well for Elk when they are going through thick stuff.  Like others have said disturbances in the soil and other things help put the puzzle pieces together.
Your tracking on hands and knees has always seemed extreme to me but I had to do that with my WY cow last year to find first blood.

[rtspring]

Labs07. What would you know about tracking?  You shoot and they seem to die in their tracks!!! Ha.  Love it