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Many times with a modern rifle, and to a lesser extent a muzzleloader, a deer will collapse immediately after the shot making the trailing process a moot point, but in the event that a deer does not drop within sight here are some things to do immediately after the shot to up your odds of success.
Watch Closely
A lot can be determined after the shot simply by watching how the deer carries itself is. A mortally hit deer often hunches up, with its tail clamped down. A deer that jumps high at the shot and/or kicks at his chest, many times indicates a heart shot even if a mad run follows, it is usually only a short trail until the deer is found. A deer bounding away, waving its white tail as a warning flag, may suggest anything from a clean miss to a fatal hit more pieces of the puzzle will have to be put together to determine for sure.
The second thing, next to body language, is direction of travel. Often, deer dont start bleeding until traveling 50 to 100 yards away from the immediate area. By watching the deer as far as you can, and precisely marking its last location, your odds of picking up a blood trail increase dramatically.
Listen
When a deer is hit with any projectile be it an arrow or a bullet it makes a sound often this sound can be heard over great distances. How the impact sounds may be indicative of where the projectile hit. A deep-throated, meaty thwack is usually indicative of a vital hit however a shot into the intestinal region sounds very similar, so watch the body language closely to gather further information.
A loud crack, like a stick breaking, is indicative of a large bone being broken this may or may not be a good sign depending upon what bone it is, and what method of take is being used. For archery hunters, an arrow striking heavy bone is not the best sign, for a rifle or muzzleloader hunter, this seldom creates a problem on deer sized game.
In addition to listening for the sound of the impacting projectile, listen to the deer running off. Under many conditions a deer can be heard much farther than it can be seen and the noise created can be valuable information. Listening to the deer run, often lets hunters know what direction the deer went and sometimes the thrashing fall of a downed deer can be heard over quite a distance in the quiet fall woods.
Follow up Shots
Once a deer has been hit with a projectile, if an opportunity to get a follow up shot presents itself, take it - even if the secondary shot is not ideal (i.e through thick brush, at a bad angle etc). A little extra meat damage is a better alternative than a deer lost entirely.
Reading Sign
Before any attempt is made to follow a deer's trail, take some extra time around the site of the shot, to gather as much information as possible. Blood, hair and/or bone may be found, and these valuable clues may help up your odds of recovering the animal.
Blood
The type of blood found, can tell a hunter a lot about where the shot hit and how quickly the animal should be followed up.
- Pink/bubbly/frothy - indicative of a lung hit
- Bright red generally muscular in nature.
- Very dark red - may indicate a liver or kidney hit.
- Red, watery, mixed with yellow or green matter generally a paunch hit, which is not a good sign. The deer will eventually stiffen up and bed down, but several hours should be waited before trailing begins
- Splatter or spray patterns along the trail indicate a major vessel or heart shot.
- The height of blood along the trail may indicate shot location and should be noted when trailing.
- No blood sign does not always mean a miss. The animal may be bleeding internally or the wound sealed up.
Hair
Hair at the scene of the shot or along the trail, is another good indication of where an animal is hit. For whitetails, dark brown, hollow hair is usually found from the lateral line up. It gradually grows shorter and lighter in color as it progresses down the body until it is almost pure white at the bottom of the chest/belly.
Bone
The presence of bone along the trail also can provide cues as to where the deer is hit. Leg bones, shoulder bones and rib bones all have slightly different structure, and if a large enough piece is present, the shot location can often be determined.
Trailing Tips
- When trailing, keep scanning well ahead on the trail, watching for movement or a bedded/down deer. Many times if the hunter is observant, a follow up shot will present itself while trailing.
- If there are two hunters following up a deer, have one hunter closely follow the blood trail while the other stays off to one side and slightly ahead, looking for the animal.
- If the blood trail ends, try tracking by prints alone - many times they will lead to a spot where the blood trail resumes.
- If the blood trail is lost, try circling the area in ever-widening swaths until blood is picked up again.
- Mark every point of sign with red flagging tape if the trail is lost it is sometimes possible to pick it up again by projecting an imaginary line of travel and scouting ahead for more sign to follow.
- Stay off the actual deers trail. By working slightly off to one side, it is often easier to see the sign and if you need to backtrack in the case of a lost trail the chances of obliterating sign are decreased.
- If the blood trail is lost, mark the last spot found with red tape, and follow out every possible deer trail/travel route for at least a half a mile.
- If you believe the shot was fatal, but lose the trail, sit down and watch for scavenger birds. Many times, crows, ravens and magpies may lead you to your prize.
- Dont give up; many deer each year are recovered through sheer perseverance.
When Not to Wait Before Trailing
While most experienced hunters agree waiting before following an animal is a good idea, there are times when follow up should be immediate. Here are some examples:
- Heavy precipitation in either the form of rain or snow
- High hunter density
- Darkness is near and you cant hunt the following day.
- High temperatures that might spoil the meat
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After a deer is down the real work of getting it out of the woods begins. There are many ways to do this, but terrain, distance and amount of available manpower will determine the best way to proceed.
If you are close to your vehicle, the time proven method of grabbing the antlers (or legs on an antlerless deer) and dragging out the animal still works as good today as it did 100 years ago. However, if you are more than 100 yards from the vehicle there are some much easier methods that will not only save your back, but keep the animal cleaner and make the job go much quicker.
 A simple method many hunters find useful are deer drags - these sled-like products essentially wrap up the animal and make dragging easier due to their slick surfaces and long drag ropes. Deer drags work extremely well on snow and grassy terrain.
For rougher and/or steeper terrain, another great option is one of the many wheeled carts available. Designed to work much like a wheelbarrow, a game cart makes getting deer out of virtually any terrain a breeze. Simply load the animal on the cart, and push or pull your way back to a vehicle.
If you are deep in the backcountry where none of the afore mentioned methods are a viable option, quartering and packing out on a pack frame is the best option. Bring a clean tarp on which to quarter the animal, then place the quarters in clean, breathable game bags. Secure the game bags to the pack frame and head down the trail.
If you plan accordingly, getting an animal out of the woods can be one of the easiest chores of deer hunting.
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