09/13/2025
Stole this from another page but it applies as the the season in full swing and things about to get really rolling here, I figured I would make a post to show how the initial contact goes. It's a lot to read, but hopefully this will help you to think of some things right after the shot and how to move forward. Hopefully you don't need us or another tracker, and some of these things can help prevent the need for us, but it's a fact that bad shots unfortunately happen, and if we come out, we will give it our all to find your deer. We want to find it just as much, if not more, as you!
Before i get into the questions I'm going to be asking, here are some things to do, or not to do, after the deer has been shot.
What TO do:
1) Try as best as you can to watch where the arrow (or bullet) hit/nock disappeared once it has gone through the deer. I have been a big advocate for lighted nocks for some time, they certainly help. In the heat of the moment, it's very easy for things to get a little fuzzy, but one of the most common issues that leads to a poor shot is not following through with your shot once that arrow/bullet is released. Keep that bow/gun steady until the arrow/bullet has contacted the target/deer. What often happens with a poor shot is the hunter is anticipating where the arrow/bullet is going to hit so much, that they instantly drop their bow/gun to be able to see better, which leads to the arrow/bullet being affected negatively before it has completely left the release/barrel.
2) Make a mental note of where the deer was standing/walking when you shot, and its position. Quartering-to, Broadside, Quartering-away, Frontal.
3) Pay attention to how the deer reacts once its been hit.
4) Watch where the deer goes for as long as you can after the shot. Mentally note any specific land features you watched it run behind/through. A certain tree, bush, valley, creek, etc.
5) Listen. If you did not hear it "crash" within a reasonable distance, that can help indicate a poor hit before even looking for first blood.
6) Give it time, especially when bow hunting. Even if it looks like the perfect shot, give it at least 30 minutes to check for initial blood at the spot of impact. Check for hair here and pay attention to the color of it.
7) When you take up the initial track, try staying to the side of the actual blood trail instead of walking directly on it.
😎 Pay attention to the blood. How does it look? How much? What shade of red is it?
9) Inspect the arrow if you found it, and take pictures. Take a whiff of it if you think the shot was back. you'll know if it was guts.
10) When in doubt, back out and call us or another tracker.
11) Get permission from neighboring landowners prior to either yourself tracking or us arriving. Even if you don't think you need it, it never hurts to gain access to the neighbors. We will NOT trespass.
What NOT to do:
1) Do not take up the track immediately. Give it some time. A dead deer is already dead and isn't going anywhere. A wounded deer takes time, and rushing it almost always leads to a longer recovery.
2) If you already know or have a strong feeling that it was a bad hit, do not even start tracking. Back out and call us or another tracker. We may never even end up coming out, but there is a chance we can listen to your story and give some advice that leads to you waiting until the next day and recovering your deer on your own. It makes no sense to go in and contaminate the ground with you and your buddies' scent.
3) Do not walk out of the woods the same way your deer went. Take the wind direction into consideration with this as well. Wait in your stand 30 minutes, then back out quietly.
4) Do not blaze through a blood trail. Now I'm not talking about the blood trail we all dream about that looks like its out of a horror film, but even so...TAKE YOUR TIME.
5) If you backed out and called for a dog, either before even looking for blood or after you ran out of blood, do NOT go back in trying to find more. The only thing this does is contaminate the ground and takes the dog even longer to figure everything out and it is frustrating because we really want to find your deer, and that certainly doesn't help us.
6) Do NOT be afraid to call for ANY deer. It doesn't need to be a big buck. We treat does, small bucks, and big bucks all the same and they all deserve a solid effort of recovery. They are all trophies!
7) If a tracker is coming, we obviously want to make it a positive and fun experience. With that said, we don't need the whole gang along. A few people are fine, but less is better. There is less chance for ground contamination if we have to backtrack, there are less distractions for the dog, etc. Bring in the crew once we found your deer, then they get to help drag it out! Along with this, while we are tracking, give us a little space. It's not that we don't like you, but we also don't need you right behind us holding our hand, believe me...we're not afraid of the dark, or water, or the boogeyman or anything like that 😉 I will let you know to proceed up to us or just hang out where you're at for a minute.
Check out the Screenshots about how grid searching affects contaminated ground scent. While we do follow blood, what the dog is really following is the scent front the interdigital gland on the hooves of YOUR wounded deer, and that's how the dog actually deciphers what track to follow.
SO YOU DECIDED TO CALL US, HERE IS THE INFO THAT I'M GOING TO TRY TO GET FROM YOU BEFORE I LEAVE THE HOUSE/ARRIVE ON SITE.
1) Shot placement (I will also text you the picture of the grid chart) Be honest about it. I’m not going to judge you, I just want to get a good idea of the situation and how to move forward with recovering your deer.
2) Shot distance
3) Shot angle (ground or elevated position)
4) Deer's position (1/4-to, broadside, 1/4-away, frontal)
5) Deer's reaction to the shot (run, trot, hunch up and walk off, etc.)
6) Weapon
7) Pe*******on and how the arrow looks/smells
😎 How the blood looks if you did check it out or start tracking. Also if there was any hair at the impact site and what color it was.
9) Time of shot
10) Time you started tracking
11) How far (in yards) you tracked before backing out or losing blood
12) Do we have permission to go on the neighboring landowner's property if need be
13) what type of terrain (mainly so I know what type of boots to put on)
14) Will gladly take a map or pin on OnX so I can start going through possible scenarios in my head while we are on the way. Also, when you do start tracking your deer, if you have OnX, TURN ON YOUR TRACKER AND SAVE THE TRACK, even if you stop tracking after 50 yds.
Keep in mind that between work, personal life, hunting myself, and tracking that there's a good chance I don't answer your initial call. If I don't answer, I would encourage you to text me vs. leaving a voicemail, especially if I do not personally know you and am unfamiliar with your phone number, as I can read a text much faster and at least respond quickly.
Good luck and shoot straight! If you need us, the number is 920-428-7117
Feel free to share this and/or leave a comment with any questions you may have
