Big Game

Recovery Guide
Hunter ResponslbllitySeries NBEF
Prepred and Illustrated
by
Wayne M m m

Responsible blg game

hunting requires that
sportsmen know the
basics of the trailing
and recovery of
game animals.
This publication
provides such information.

Copyright 1989 National Bowhunter Education buidation

Route 6, Box 199, Murray, KY 42071

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Anyone who hunts has a responsibility to

the game pursued. to the person or persons
who own the land. to other hunters and to
him or herself. A good hunter tries to learn
all that is poa,ible about the species hunted.
Shots should be planned and carefully
taken and if a hit Is made the game should
be trafled untll found or until It Is reasonable to
believe It wasnot vltally hit. Once the game
is found It should be properly handled so it
will not be wasted. Thls ranges from c o m t
field dressing to preparation of the meat
andlor the trophy.
Huntera should consider the landowner by
trcatlng the landowner as a friend and the
land as if it were your own home. Mutual
conslderatlon between huntersand
landownerscan do much to keep hunting
available.
Hunters arc conspicuous because of their
clothes. hunting devlces. and other
features. For thls reason iIs Important to
d l z e that the behavlor of one hunter will
be identlfled with all hunters. Good fleld behavior and courtesy wlll reflect well on the
whole sport. DLsrourteous. illegal and Irresponsible behavior ofone or a few fndivlduals can preJudlce people against all
hunters. Realize that hunters are in the
minodty in thlscountry and that many
people who arc not hunters are watching.
The future laws on hunting and hunting devices may depend o n these people. Act
accordingly.

shot Placement

,.t3

&.,. . '.

Tracks

Sultable Shots
G Gun
B Gun and Bow

Internril Amtomy

Shot Placement

White T d o d Deer

Tracks

Suitable Shots
OCun
B Gun and Bow

There are several proceduresrecommended

when a hit Is made on a big game annlmal.
After a shot. stay put and try to
remember where the hit wys made on the
anlmal. Wounded deer usually run wlth
thelr tall down.

Take conpass readlngs on the last sighting andor &sound

of the game. If no compaes
I s available,carefully note dlrectlon the
animal traveled.
With binocularscheck the detallsof the
place where the game was last seen. Try
to Identify some landmark to ald In locating correct trall.
Walt for at least an hour before startlng to
trall. Walt at least 6 hours before starting
to trail an anlmal hlt In the guts. weather
and circumstances permitting. Cut shot
anlmalsalmost always dle from the
wound. Cut shot anlmals often "hump"
thelr back when hlt.
A strlng tracklng devlce attached to the
bow & arrow lssometlmes useful In recovering game. However the strlng does
d e c t the a m w flight on long shots so
practlce1required.

When the tralling beglns:

Move to the place where the anlmal was
standlng at the tlme of the shot and check
for blood, arrow. hair or other slgns to
vedfy a hlt. Trall ve
uietl Avold
talklng. U
~
c
~whlstlea
f
If wlth companlon.
,

Even If there Is no blood. mark the

beglnnlng of the trail wlth surveryors t a p
or other easlly vlslble material. placed
high enough to be earlly seen from a dlstlance. All tape should be removed once
thc anlmal Is found or the trall Is lost.
Some people use colored crepe paper or
toilet paper tomark a trall.

Move In the dlrectlon the anlmal travelled

checklng constantly for blood slgn. When
nrst blood Is found mark the locatlon wlth
tape. Note location of blood 1.e. In a foot
prlnt. on bushes. grasses or other vertical
objects. rlght or left side of trall. etc. See
speclal note on blood Sign.
Look for dlnerent or abnormal scuBmarks
or hoofpdnts that would Identify a
wounded anlmal.

t
t

Be careful not to dlsturb the trall and sign

by staylngJust to the side.

Some people have difficulty walking

clrcles. particularly on varylng levels of
ground. Another method ofsearch is to
walka grid pattern using compass readings. If the grid is tight. 3 lo 5 feet In grass
and brush. this Is a good method of
searching for more blood signs or a
downed animal.

Iftrailing with another person. mark

occasional blood sign locations to glve
direction of travel. The person who locates
sign stays put while partner looks for next
sign.

If no blood or animal ran be found but you

feel the hit was a lethal one slt down and
listen. Onen crows. ravens. magpiesor
Jays wlll beattracted toadowned anlmal.
Listen for their calls.

Three people should be the maxlmum

number trailing. Even wlth thisnumber.
trailing should be silent.

Game. after being hlt, wlll often circle back

to where it came from. Ifthere is a
problem locatlng a good blood sign. rheck
along the trall on which the animal first
appeared.

If trailing alone. mark location of every

blood slgn until the quantlty becomes so
great that there Is no need for futher
marking or the sign disappears.

If the blood trall Is lost make sure the last

blood sign is conspicuously marked.
From this point check 011 maJn trall lanes
or trails for at least half a mile.
b

If no more blood slgn shows on trails come

back to last slgn and start walking in concentric clrcles outward around the last
sign. Animals often double back on a trail
or stagger offof regular tralls shortly
before they die.

Check all major crossing pointson human

trails. back roads or stream banks for
possible sign.
Vitally hit animalsoften go down hill
rather than climb.
Be sure to check In streams or swamps
for a downed d e a f the trall leads In
that dlrectlon.

lsrr nrxt page.)

Pick a length unlt (e.g. 10 paces)

Walk ahead thls dlstance. looklng for slgn of deer.
Make a right comer turn and search the same dlstance. Thls
completes the nrst "L".
Now make another right angle, turn and search 2 lengths (20
paces)
(always to the
search 2
cornpletlng "L"12.

Cut shot animals beromc thirsty and

0kc.n head towards water.
Heart shot animals may travel surprlslng
distances and show llttle external
bleeding.
Deer. particularly in northem areas, have
thlck layersof tallow along the barkand
below the brisket. Thlscan plug wounds
preventlng a good blood trall. Avold
stralght down shots from tree stands for
thls reason.

start " L #3.

Do not start to follow blggame hlt In the
gut for 6 to 8 hours If dayllght.permlts.
Contlnue
making " L ,each one
unlt longer than the last.
Continue cnlarglng the
grld untll the game Is found
or the trail isdennltely lost.
Another effectivesearch
pattern. also using the
compass. I s the U-shape.
thls would miss deer
that back-track. m

ow ever

From the Andcnon Tnck'N Syrtcm. Repbinled wlth

the pcrrnlsalonof A n d e m Dcslgnr lnc. Copyrlghl and
pe:nl pndlng. All tight8 reserved

An exception to the rule about walting

before starting to trall a wounded deer Is
when the hunter knows the only hlt was
In the leg. If the anlmal is kept walklng the
wound may stay open.

,.

,-.

j :,

If there Is a threat of rain or snow then it

may be necessary to start traillng sooner
than preferred. Always trall quietly, even
more than when stalking uninjured
game.

,.

":

Ifa hlt Ismadelate in the day. and the

weather I s cool, walt untll mornlng.
unless there are a lot of coyotes. wlld dogs.
raccoons. or bearsaround that mlght
destroy the game.
Ifa late hlt Is made and there Is a threat of
rain or snow get good lights. gas or kerosene lantern. leave the bowsor guns In
camp or vehlcle and trall the game. Sometimes It lseven easler to trail at nlght. Be
sure to mark trall for two reasons. If the
blood trall Is lost, there's a better chance
of locatlng It again lftape Is tled In
consplcuous spots. Also It is very easy to
get lost at night while trallhg. A wellmarked trall wlll at least get the hunter
back to where the trall~n~started.
Reflector tape Is a good addltlon for nlght
trailing.
If there Is no blood. look for compressed or
dlsturbed leavesor vegetation. &am tend
to pack the leaves much the way people
do. Look for flattened plants wlth leadlng
edge dlsturbed. As a bear ralses the paws
the claws tend to scuNtheground. Deer
printsare usually narrow and tapered.
even In leaves and grass. A runnlng deer
tends to scatter leaves to the slde ofthe
trall.

In blood tralllng sometimes It Is often

necessary toactually rub reddlsh spots
wlth the fingers to verify that It Is not Just
autumn colorson a led. Sometimes
gettlng down to almost ground level wlll
help a hunterspot blood sign that o t h e ~
wlse mlght be mlssed.
When blood tralllng, look at speclnc
obJectssuch as stones. twlgs. leaves
rather than the whole trail. Women are
often excellent at tralllng because they
notlce detail and-fewer are color bllnd.

Practlce blood tralllng on a simulated

trail w ~ t hartinclal b~ood.
Near populated areas remove vlscera as
well as deer from woods. Rotting guts
are poor publlc relatlons.

Blood that Is frothy wlth bubbles usually

lndlcates a lung hlt.
Very dark blood may lndlcate a llveror
kldney hit.
Blood mlxed wlth vegetable material often
greenlsh In color lndlcatesa "gut" or
vlscera shot.

Use knowledge of white tailed

deer hrir in t d l b g .
Back halr Is long. dark (often black tlpped)
and coarse.
Neck halr Is llke short back halr except
underneath. or front of neck where It Is
short and llght colored.

Blood wlth bubbles may Indlcate a neck

hlt where the arrow hascut the neck
arterles and wlndplpe. The arrow may
show almoslt no slgn of blood.
Blood In spattered pattern may Indbate a
rapldly moving animal or one In whlch
major blood vessels have been cut.
Blood on both sides of the trail usually
lndlcates a pass-through wound. In some
instances a one openlng wound may
produce thls slgn If the animal doubles
back on trail.
The height of bloodslgn Is a n Indlcatlon
of wound location.
Blood splatter dmps usually polnt
dlrectlon of travel of a rapidly movlng
anlmal llke the fingers ofa hand.
No blood slgn doesn't always mean a
rnlss. Bleedlng may be Internal.

rk and twisted near

Side halr lsshort. brown wlth dark tlps.
Bottom ofrlb cage Is mixture ofwhite, dark
brown halrs. straight. moderately long and
thick.
Belly halr tends to be whlte. long. fine and
sometimes twisted.

Tall halr Is very long. Top of tall Is dark

brown wlth halr tlpped with black.
Rear of ham or nank Is where the belly halrs
and long dark brown side halrs meet.
Lower legs have very short reddlsh brown
halr.

Study suns of
other big game
to learn their

~haractWbtiCS
before the hunt.

Field Dramring Oune

When game 1
nd approach c
sly
and quietly and. If possible. from the backof
the anlmal. Sometimes a wounded anlmal
will suddenly spring to Its feet andrun. Try
to watch the eyes. If they are glazed or unbllnklng the anlmal Is safe to approach. If
the anlmal isdown but still obviously alive
try to get close enough for another shot.
Bowhunter should try to place a shot In the
rlbcage then eltherquletly back offand
walt at a dlstance or wait silently In place
so a s not to further "spook the anlmal.
It's better to have an extra hole In a skln
than lose a wounded anlmal.

If game is dead the first Job is to field dress

It. Because of the dlgestlve juices the
stomach and lntestlnes tend to fill wlth
gasses and bloat and this can turn meat
sour. It Is Important to remove the entralls
from the body a s soon a s possible. To do
this:
Roll anlmal onto Its back.
Wlth a sharp knife tlp cut around the
anal opening to free end oflntestlne from
the skln.
Start at sternum or breastbone, cut careiully towards the pelvis through the skin
and thln wall of body cavlty. Be careful not
to cut the intestines.
Once body cavlty Isopened roll anlmal
on its slde so gravlty will help remove
vlscera. Wlth most ofthe vlsce'ra fret from
the body carefully cut tlssues connecting1
along the backbone. If the end of the
Intestine was freed properly It should pull
free of the pelvis area with ease.
Once the vlscera Is free. cut around the
edgesof the diaphragm. a thln flat muscle
which separates the lung area from the
vlscera. This exposes the heart and lungs.
Reach forward and cut through the
esophagus and windpipe at the front end of
the rib cage and remove the lungs and
heart.
Turn the animal on Itsbelly with the head
elevated a s much a s possible to drain any

accumulated blood. As soon a s posslble

wash olTinteriorofbody cavlty wlth water
to remove blood, din. and hair. Then wipe
the interlor of the body cavity thoroughly
drv wlth a cloth. paper towelsor dried grass.
-L
Smaller animalscan be hung up wlth
haullng llne for easler field dressing.
Large anlrnals can be skinned and
quartered for easier transport. Check local
laws regarding rules on transponlng game.
In warm climates game should be
skinned a s soon a s posslble.
Pepper sprinkled on meat wlll dlsrourage
flles.
A body net will also
protect the meat
from flies.

ylisor Blood V e u e l .

11

The material in this guide rcpnsenta the accumulated trailIngcxpmicncesof many hunters and guides. This pubIlceuon i
would not be pcesible without their help a n d caoperauon.Spe- I
cid a t t h a n k s arc d u e Ron Larche of the Manitoba Dmmtmcnt of

Natural Rcaowccs a n d t h e N.Y. State Departmentif Envlronmental Conservation for their help o n t h e deer and bar r u t -

The future ofall huntlng depends

on hunter educatbn.Every
hunter should know and prectln
the procedures outllned in thls
y l d e aea mpansfble representatlve dthe sport.

The National Bowhunter Education Foundation is a non-profit education foundation that administers the International Bowhunter Education Rogram in the United States, Canada and around the world.
The hundation was created to ensure bowhunting's future existence
in a world steadily growing away from the hunting tradition by
improving the quality of bowhunters.
u
All profits from the sale of this guide go towards NBEF programs.
Other guides are the %e Stand Guide and the Shot Placement a
Guide. Tax-deductible donations may be sent to NBEF, P.O.Box
9
1120, Piscataway, NJ 08854.

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