Tracking game in pouring rain?

[CarbonHunter]

Does anyone have any strategies for tracking blacktails in thick cover when the rain is pouring down?  I’m talking rain like today where the tracks wash away within minutes. We know the blacktails like this weather but what is the best strategy to find one after you hit one with an arrow?

[slowhand]

Pro tip #48967522
Look under limbs and leaves for blood. It takes longer to get washed away.

[blackveltbowhunter]

Keep the fact in mind and factor it into shot selection. Great tip by slowhand. Decent blood actually washes away slower than you may think,  and vegetation does play big role as well. If a bad hit is suspected, IMO resist the urge to rush due to weather, the blood may be gone, but if bumped the animal will be further away and blood will still be gone.

[CarbonHunter]

Looking under leaves works earlier in the season but in December your left with mostly ferns and fir trees. I only waited 10 minutes today until I went to where the animal was hit and couldn’t find any tracks or blood even though I heard a good wack so I know I hit a bone, mostly because I couldn’t find my arrow in any of the stumps or trees where I shot. I spent nearly 2 hours walking in circles looking under the brush and trees and never found a single drop of blood or track. I was in 5’ tall ferns and 10-30’ fir trees.

[Magnum_Willys]

I look right away - after 5 mins.   rather find and bump then never find at all but with good hit should  be doa. 

[brew]

  good hit on an animal and it won't go far.  double lunged or even a liver hit and it won't go far.  Heart shot deer i've had go about 75 yards (for some reason a heart shot makes them run like crazy) but if you deflate their lungs they only go 40-50 yards max---usually tip over at around 20 yards.  If you make a good hit on a deer in this rain you should be able to find them within 5 minutes of the shot

[JimmyHoffa]

Check how soft the mud in the track is.

[CarbonHunter]

I only waited 10 minutes thinking I would find the deer within 50 yards but nothing. There wasn’t any mud to look for tracks in, it was all ferns, sticker bushes and fir trees.

I’ve had a bear go over 200 yards with a lung shot so I was looking farther than just in the immediate area. My guess is after hearing this I may have either hit a shoulder blade or completely missed and struck a tree or stump. I looked over the area where the deer was 3 times for the arrow so if I did miss it must of been real bad.

[WapitiTalk1]

All good thoughts/tips folks. I’ll add this one and it oftentimes will be a deal “maker” when tracking hit big game in foul weather (or any weather for that matter). Carry a small spray bottle of peroxide in your kill kit. It will confirm that a potential blood speck is just that and continue to give you the directional travel of your critter.

[Crunchy]

Last one I killed hid under a small fir tree tucked away nicely, but would have never found her if I didnt look under those limbs.

[fishnfur]

Sorry to hear about your bad luck. I'd offer to help look for it if I was closer to your area.

Sucks to work long and hard to finally get a shot on an animal.  You put a good shot on it, and then have nothing to show for it, and then are stuck worrying that you've left a dead deer lying out there.  I've lived that nightmare.   Hopefully you just made a non-lethal shoulder shot and the deer will survive.  It happens.  You've just got to accept that there's always a chance of this occurring when hunting in the rain in Western WA.  It could happen just as easily with a rifle as a bow too.   

[tlbradford]

Flagging tape is always in my bag these days.

[Magnum_Willys]

It could happen just as easily with a rifle as a bow too.   

Took four of us 4 hours to find a 55” Bull moose shot with a 338-378 - it had traveled 60 yards.  Yea sounds crazy - died upside down in 4ft heather with only hooves sticking out.   

[Jeeper]

Toilet paper!  Dab around the ground plants and look for pink. The blood will form droplets under the leaves.

[fishnfur]

Toilet paper in the pouring rain?       What a mess!