guess im just judging by how many deer i've shot and found... all of them. found a few deer that my buddy's have shot too. guess that either makes us good shots, or good trackers????
Same here. I have tracked more for friends than for myself. Most all were short easy to follow trails. My buck from last year was double lunged (though a bit high) but still managed to make it 250 to 300 yards from my stand before collapsing in a briar thicket. It threw me and a partner off a bit by making two 40-50 yard circles only to continue in same general direction, and the blood sign tapered off to nonexistent about 40 yards from the deer. It was a tough trail for me (especially since I am still learning), but we still found it within 25 minutes of taking up the trail. I probably would suck at it if I hit a truly hard trail to follow, most of mine have sign every 5-10 yards until you find the animal.
when it come to tracking a deer. im not the best, sure i can do it but expect me to make some mistakes. but if you asked me to follow a very light blood trail,whereyou would only get a dop every ten-fifteen feet.... thats where i excel at. i just have an eye for that type of thing.
Average I guess? I honestly haven't had much practice tracking. I have been fortunate that I have only ever had to follow maybe one bloodtrail past 75 yards of my own. I have however been on a couple bad shot track jobs of friends of mine that were a mess and the deer (and pig) were never found.
I can honestly say that some of the tracking jobs I have been on have been more emotionally challenging and rewarding then any deer I have ever shot.........the feeling that overwhelms you when you successfully complete a difficult tracking job is probably unmatched by anything else in hunting IMO........walking, crawling through the nastiest bush for hours sweating, bleeding, exhausted and emotionally drained by going from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows.......the sun falling in the sky faster then it ever has to intensify your sense of urgency and dread of the upcoming sleepless night(s)...........then, after countless mind numbing false alarms you see that white belly up ahead. There is no drug that could ever match that high. On the flip side there is probably nothing in the world that makes me want to smash someone's face in with a brick then calling out "I got him!!!!"..........only to be follwed up quickly by......."Nevermind, it's not him" :smash:
It is really unbelievable how many guys just don't realize the value of the blood trail..........10 minutes down the trail and they want to start breaking off into a grid search already. Blind grid search should be a LAST resort.......unfortunately for some it's their first and only tool they use. You have a DIRECT line to the deer at your feet............USE IT!!!!
I definitely agree with that. Especially learning what to look for when there is a stretch with no blood present..sliding hoof marks, upturned leaves, etc.. I am still learning as well but I think I have done well tracking my deer so far. Like rybo said, even when the deer drops in sight, I like to follow the trail and kind of study it.
I think I'm pretty good with tracking, and I love doing it. I'm usually the first in our group to get a call for help. Tracked one of my dad's bucks over a mile and the last 300 yards there were 3 drops of blood. I think a huge advantage is being able to track using signs other than blood. I'm planning on doing a lot more still hunting this year to help improve my tracking skills. If you want a great read, try "The Tracker" by Tom Brown, Jr. This is a fantastic book! Not only could he track an individual deer through any woods, but he could also stalk up behind it and slap it on the arse. No joke! Check out his school, I'd love to take a handful of his classes. Tracker School
I'm a good tracker in the terrain I hunt. For the last 14 years me and two other guys have helped track each others deer when help was needed. These guys are good hunters. One of them has over 24 P&Ys. Together we are a very good tracking team. Our number one rule is that the shooter stay out of the way. For the most part it is true that the shooter is highly distracted and probably the worst one in the group. After filling in the other two with the details of the hunt, the other two start tracking and the shooter does what he wants. This is not always harmful because a lot of times the shooter goes directly to his buck based on his gut feeling. Man, it doesn't get any better than a good tracking job! Many a good story told over some beers on tracking jobs.
I agree Mike, whole heartily as well as too many don't utilize patience. As far as the question of the OP, I've been called upon more times than I can remember for tracking so I'd like to think someone thinks I am as well as nearly 30 years of experience, I'd like to think I've learned a few things and I also studied very hard when it comes to research behind tracking but I have to say one thing, When it comes to tracking, I have a buddy that I'd call in a heart beat and he's color blind as well. When the blood ends, he is invaluable. He's learned to track all his deer without blood. Sometimes I have to laugh at him because he can't see the obvious but, that's why his skill is valuable.
I am kind of the opposite. I would rather track my own deer alone. Most other people just destroy sign. They tend to walk ahead and track everything up or walk on the trail. It is nice to have help with rhe dragging though.
It sure helps though when you've got good blood trailers that you trust your life too. People that don't meet my standards won't be out In front of me tracking my animal or even with out on the blood trail.
