Tracking Wounded Deer at Night

I’ve been fortunate at not having to do any major tracking for deer I’ve shot but that could change 1-day. I have been involved tracking wounded deer for others well into the night. If you are in unfamiliar woods it’s easy to get turned around or temporarily lost, chuckle.

The purpose of this post is first to ask some questions and hopefully others will share their experience to help anyone new at this to find/retrieve a wounded animal in as short a time as possible.
The main item we utilize is finding and following a blood trail that during daytime is usually easy but at night time is another story. So of course artificial lighting has to be employed.

Here are some questions I am asking for the aid of artificial lighting.
What type of flashlight and amount of lumens do you prefer?
Has anyone had experience with the Blood Hunter Light?
Attachment 29440

I have heard say the best lighting is with a Coleman lantern for finding a blood trail and wonder if anyone has used this method?

I’m going to keep this thread open for a bit before joining in with any comments I have. I look forward to what anyone has to share in this area.


Ed

Yes the blood lights work....really well actually. In fact these new LED flashlights work remarkably well.

to add; the bush we hunt thru as a camp is a Maple bush and it is actually easier to track deer, with a blood trail, at night with a blood light (uv spectrum) than it is during the day with all the red leafs on the ground ....

I am a big fan of the coleman lantern and I use toilette paper and wrap a wee piece on brush or branches as I mark blood. This helps to show direction as well gives u a trail to follow back out if you are dumb enough not to have a compass. Having said that if it is cold enough and no rain or snow is forecast I will just wait till morning.

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Originally Posted by Hunter John

I am a big fan of the coleman lantern and I use toilette paper and wrap a wee piece on brush or branches as I mark blood. This helps to show direction as well gives u a trail to follow back out if you are dumb enough not to have a compass. Having said that if it is cold enough and no rain or snow is forecast I will just wait till morning.

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X2 TP works great, and if the weather permits, why risk pushing the deer further, if you are unsure of the shot, and the meat will be safe over night, best to regroup in the morning and pick it back up.

Just make sure you don't carry a loaded gun with you, this is frowned on. We don't track at night, we will check, and if it is too far and hasn't been hit hard. We let it settle down and go in the morning. No sense chasing it out of the county in the dark.

the type of light is not of importance if you use a dog. most dogs can be easily trained on basic blood tracking (on leash). that doesn't mean they become reliable trackers, but they are certainly better than an entire hunt camp stumbling through the bush at night…
marking the trail with tissue paper, as earlier noted, is the best thing you can do to find your way back on track (and you don't need to bother taking it down either).
One thing to mention, don’t go right away after any deer. No matter how good you hit it. I always wait at least five minutes (even when I know it just lays there). If you hit it poorly, wait at least 30min (just enough time to get a dog…)
Leaving it over-night is good if temps are around or just above 0ºC and the chance for predation is low. Otherwise, I’d get it the same night. Anyway, instead of investing in a light, find someone with a dog.

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Originally Posted by TurkeyRookie

X2 TP works great, and if the weather permits, why risk pushing the deer further, if you are unsure of the shot, and the meat will be safe over night, best to regroup in the morning and pick it back up.

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Not necessarily, we have had coyotes on the deer at less than one hour after the shot, I guess it all depends on the area you hunt.
If possible , use a dog , we use a standard 1 million candlepower spot lamp and toilet paper .
Big reason for hunting mournings and early afternoons, you then don't have to track at night.

Exactly what woody says. Check and go after it a bit then wait for morning if not found.. Without a weapon if after dark. Animals will start bloating immediately when they die.

Leaving without looking is abandonment according to a CO.

Bring an axe. You dont want to find a still alive deer without something to put it out of its misery. Its not a pleasant experience but the animal deserves it.

In my area I have stay close by & never leave the area especially late season. The coyotes are on the trail within minutes of the shot & will eat a deer rapidly if left alone. Did I mention I am not a big fan of Coyotes but I understand they do serve a greater purpose... LOL