The bear appeared with no sound, meandering down a path in direction of a corn area. I slipped off the security on my crossbow earlier than placing the pink dot on the bears’ firebox and letting the bolt fly. There was a thwack because it discovered its goal. The bear instantly charged into the bush 50 toes away. All the things occurred rapidly, however I made a psychological observe of the place the bear disappeared.
On the bottom, there was some hair, however no blood. I reloaded the crossbow and thoroughly walked within the route I’d seen the bear run. My coronary heart sank a bit as I couldn’t see any blood. Had I made a shoulder shot?
Following downed sport
As I walked in direction of the place I believed the bear went out of sight, I finished and regarded again on the tree stand. This was actually the spot it disappeared. I connected some flagging tape at eye stage. Now I needed to look further fastidiously for blood.
I went down on my knees and scanned the vegetation. Any signal of a shine or pink on the inexperienced leaves may very well be a blood drop. All I wanted was a place to begin. A number of toes in, I discovered a single, small blood splatter. One other piece of flagging tape was added. Nonetheless crouching, and transferring slowly, my eyes scanned ahead for my signal. Forward a few paces, however off the path, was a tiny blood smear on a department.
The bear had veered proper. A number of extra small drops had been discovered, now nicely off the path. Then, I noticed the bear. Useless, it had stopped in a despair close to an overturned tree. The bear was not seen from the path, and I’d by no means have discovered it with out doing a little cautious monitoring. This required some critical effort.
You probably have hunted for just a few seasons, you may have virtually actually been in a scenario the place you needed to comply with a blood path. Some conditions will be very demanding and require not solely endurance, however forethought. The method of finishing a profitable restoration can be drastically elevated with just a few fundamental instruments and strategies.
Shot recoveries
After the shot is taken, it’s at all times sensible to take time to take a seat and suppose. I’d say a minimal of half an hour except the animal is visibly down. Even then, take your time. Downed animals have to be given time.
In most conditions, I’ll wait an hour earlier than I go away the stand or capturing place. Not solely does stopping to take a second permit the adrenaline to subside, however you may replay the shot in your thoughts.
How did the animal react? Did it make any actions or sound that may point out how nicely it was hit? Which route did the animal go and the place did you lose monitor of it? Any piece of data will be helpful. Some hunters take footage of the place an animal bumped into the woods and make observe of timber or different seen clues. If a shot has been taken, at all times assume the animal is hit. Each effort must be made to search out signal.
Photographs taken at an animal standing in open cutovers are particularly problematic, particularly at lengthy distances. Cuts can look a lot the identical and it’s particularly troublesome when there are leaf-covered shrubs throughout. Search for a birch snag, massive rock, tree stump or any identifier that may allow you to go to the place the animal was standing. For those who personal one, a spread finder gives you the tough distance the animal was standing at.
Depart a blaze marker at your stand. It could be a blaze toque or flagging tape. Marking the place the shot got here from might help you get your bearings.
Blood recoveries
On the spot the place the animal was shot at, search for hair, blood, bone, and animal tracks. Usually — however not at all times — animals that don’t drop when shot, will kick, and run. Discovering tracks and route is vital info. All the time stroll beside a monitor and by no means on it.
You gained’t at all times discover blood instantly. Typically you gained’t discover blood in any respect. Hit animals can bleed for some time and cease. Or they’ll bleed after a time or not bleed in any respect. There are conditions the place you’ll solely have tracks to comply with. One good trick if you find yourself following tracks in sand, mud or snow is to hold a small stick as you go alongside. For those who lose the path, mark the final monitor within the sand with an X.
Then it’s simply discovered once more in the event you want to start out trying round for the path. A stick pointed on the tracks as you go might help with focus. Lookup and round as you go. Typically an animal could also be bedded down and in the event you don’t see it rise up, you gained’t have likelihood to dispatch it earlier than it runs off once more.
You probably have blood, you may have a great opportunity of retrieving the animal. Whereas discovering blood is a optimistic signal, it might nonetheless present a monitoring problem. Blood on inexperienced vegetation normally sticks out nicely, however within the fall, a number of leaves flip orange and pink. This will make it tough to see blood drops. Utilizing flagging tape to mark blood helps you retain monitor of the signal.
Another choice is to make use of rest room paper. It’s shiny white, biodegradable, and can disappear with the primary rain. It doesn’t work as nicely in snow. Blaze orange rest room paper is another. Sure, this product exists.
Monitor in black
When it begins getting darkish, blood is even extra tough to comply with. There are blood monitoring lights that seem like flashlights. These use a filter that dims leaves and brush and helps improve the visibility of blood. Some function pink and blue gentle. Blue is usually greatest for discovering blood in opposition to the greenish browns of woods. A shiny, high quality LED flashlight or even an old-school gasoline lantern work nicely.
Shot follow-up and sport monitoring are vital abilities for all hunters to study. It’s our oath as hunters to make sure each effort has been made to retrieve the sport we pursue and harvest.
Gord Ellis is a Senior Editor, journalist, radio broadcaster, photographer, {and professional} angler based mostly in Thunder Bay.
Attain Gord at: mail@oodmag.com and @GordEllis on Twitter.
Initially printed within the 2021-2022 Looking Annual challenge of Ontario OUT of DOORS Journal.
