Tracking Wounded Elk

[BULLBLASTER]

If I lose blood and track's sometimes I will just take a break right there and listen look and smell. I have found numerous bulls by smell alone. Always slow down! Never trail too fast.

[throttlejocky20]

I have yet to try it but a buddys old man told me about slightly daluted hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle. If you loose the blood and cant find another drop mist the proxide in front of you and look for the foam. i was told it will foam up instantly even if the blood is almost completely washed away by rain.

[Elkpiss]

I have yet to try it but a buddys old man told me about slightly daluted hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle. If you loose the blood and cant find another drop mist the proxide in front of you and look for the foam. i was told it will foam up instantly even if the blood is almost completely washed away by rain.

Good you brought that up, works good!...

[gaddy]

interesting, had never heard of that.

[JPhelps]

I guess I should have stated "I wait for 30 minutes until I go to the location where the animal was standing".  I then evaluate the blood trail, tracks, etc... and make my next decision based on what I see in the first 20 yards.  If I know it was a marginal hit I would wait 1-2 hours.

[Elkpiss]

I guess I should have stated "I wait for 30 minutes until I go to the location where the animal was standing".  I then evaluate the blood trail, tracks, etc... and make my next decision based on what I see in the first 20 yards.  If I know it was a marginal hit I would wait 1-2 hours.

 

 You got to assume were all retarded and only get what you write, paint the picture buddy!.. haha... I figured thats where you were going with that...   

And by the way, i went out this weekend huntin turks and the calls worked great, the reeds worked the best for me this weekend, it was wierd, they wouldnt hit the slate then i would hit them with the reed and they hammered it... close but no cigar, heading back over Monday!..

[Labs07]

LOL RT.....they do seem to fall over dead don't they?  The smoke pole sure put the stink on him last year!

[elk247]

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!".......... 

I'll agree and also add 1. Be quiet when tracking. No need to be shouting to your hunting partner "Blood over here!" You could bump an animal. 2nd be prepared for a follow up shot, keep a shooter near the front of the blood trail. It can be very helpful to have another set of eyes on a blood trail but never let someone jeopardize the recovery of your animal.

[MLHSN]

Thanks for the info.  This will be my first year hunting so I appreciate threads like this.

[Landowner]

Everyone has to figure their own way. 

Here's my way.  Wait a few minutes.  Then go hard after them. 

Same when you never got off a shot after seeing a herd moving ahead of you.  Go hard after them.  I've got back on elk a number of times that way.  Otherwise, kiss 'em goodbye.   
 

[Mudman]

It seems to me that they will often veer off or backtrack towards the end.  Follow blood slowly and dont disturb it.  Bears are tuff.  30 minutes double lung cow and she got up.  Then fell for good.  Ya never know.

[kentrek]

Everyone has to figure their own way. 

Here's my way.  Wait a few minutes.  Then go hard after them. 

Same when you never got off a shot after seeing a herd moving ahead of you.  Go hard after them.  I've got back on elk a number of times that way.  Otherwise, kiss 'em goodbye.   

hope this doesnt sound rude but im just curious, are you part of the "older generation" ?? and how your dad taught you ?? thats the style my dad an uncle go bout killing elk but there is def a trend with the "younger gen" to stop an wait 3/4 of a day just to walk up on a elk that died 5 minutes after the shot...everyone is different but i know when an elk is dead after ive shot it  i havent killed as many as some on here but for my age i feel pretty good bout saying that..im thinking confidence in your shot has to play a huge role in the amount of time one waits to go "after em" and im thinking this has changed with the younger gen

hope this makes sense lol

30 minutes double lung cow and she got up.  Then fell for good.  Ya never know.

with out a doubt,critters can do amazing things when so so close to death

[Landowner]

Yeah, I'm older than younger now. 

Mostly, I learned by hunting with characters who are just plain bad shots. 

I really don't care to pull the trigger anymore.  But it seems I'm inevitably in the middle of helping someone track one down.

[DeerThug]

Not archery but muzzle - I shot a cow a couple of years ago, sure that it was a good hit - rest for the shot and everything.  this was like right after sun up.   no blood nothing.  Went back to stand and just kept replaying it over and I knew that I hit her.  went back up to where she was a few more time and circled  and circled, still no blood.  finally it was later in the morning so i went back to where she was standing and just started making ever bigger circles.  Kept doing this till i was probably 250 yards away.  I was in a really thick patch of small fir trees about ready to give up again when my hand brushed up against a fir limb and i felt something wet... Blood...  from there is was little drops for a few yards then it got sparse.  More circles and I walked into her.   this was at about 12;30  Come to find out my 'good shot' was as about as poor as it could have been.  i hit her in the back legs above the knees but luckily got both arteries in both legs.

this elk started down hill but from what I could tell went across and then straight up for a long way then got weak then zig zagged.  There were no tracks or other signs to follow.

So 1) dont give up if you know you hit an animal
2) just dont look on the ground for blood - in may be waist high on a tree limb or over a log
3) look for the smallest of blood drops
4) dont give up..
5) put in the time it takes

[JPhelps]

A hunter also needs to be in GOOD ENOUGH SHAPE to give the animal the effort it deserves.  I have been with people that give up because the blood trail is getting further away from the truck or the animal is heading straight down.

Don't shoot if you aren't prepared to track through whatever terrain is around you.