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Night time tracking #8671853 08/23/22 02:52 PM
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Nickbyrd Offline OP
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Gearing up for the season and trying to play out all the scenarios in my head and yada yada . Ok it could be borderline fantasizing about it lol but anyways I’ve never tracked/ chased a blood trail at night time . And just thinking about it sounds like it would suck a lot . But maybe I’m overthinking it . It’s making me shy away from evening hunts . What are your thoughts ?

Re: Night time tracking [Re: Nickbyrd] #8671861 08/23/22 02:59 PM
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All blood tracking is worse on me because I'm color blind. I can't even see blood on the ground in day time.

Re: Night time tracking [Re: LanceH] #8671871 08/23/22 03:18 PM
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Originally Posted by LanceH
All blood tracking is worse on me because I'm color blind. I can't even see blood on the ground in day time.

That sounds horrible

Re: Night time tracking [Re: Nickbyrd] #8671875 08/23/22 03:20 PM
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Tracking blood at night does suck. The best light I've found for doing it is the good old Coleman lantern. Cut a soda or beer can to cover half the globe so it's not blinding the user, and it will basically make a good size area look like daylight. That being said, I do heavily consider what shots I'm willing to take as dusk approaches. Bow hunting is obviously more of a concern than rifle hunting, one means you are most certainly going to be tracking, the other means you might be.


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Re: Night time tracking [Re: Nickbyrd] #8671877 08/23/22 03:22 PM
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Learning how to follow blood trails is a very important part of hunting. Having been bow only for the last ten years I’ve gotten a lot of practice at it. A couple of good LED flashlights and some toilet paper to mark blood with are essential. Often you can get on their hoof print and follow those when the blood is lacking.

Re: Night time tracking [Re: Nickbyrd] #8671878 08/23/22 03:23 PM
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Make a good shot and it wont be much of an issue. Shot many critters in the evening/night. Its the same as during the day, except its dark and you have a flashlight. Mark blood with tp or tape as you go.
If you're talking bow hunting, give them ample time to bed down and expire, then get after it. Only problem would be if rain is in the forecast. Worse case scenario, call in for a dog. https://www.unitedbloodtrackers.org/

Re: Night time tracking [Re: Nickbyrd] #8671881 08/23/22 03:26 PM
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One's ability to track blood at night is directly proportional to the quality of one's flashlight. Get a really good LED flashlight, and carry spare batteries.

The real trick is to get really good sight markers of where the deer was when you shot. You want to know the spot where it was standing, and the last point you could see him run. Then watch those two spots from your blind as the sun goes down because they will look different in the dark. Flagging tape is never a bad idea to mark the last point of the blood trail in case you have to back track. A spooked deer's first instinct is to get distance between himself and the danger; his second instinct is to find cover. Generally your blood trail will run in a straight line or it makes a single turn into heavy cover.

I've had a couple of the "blood tracker" lights with blue lights and have found them to be ineffective gimmicks. If someone has insight into something specific that actually works I'd be interested to hear about it.

Re: Night time tracking [Re: Nickbyrd] #8671885 08/23/22 03:33 PM
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I’ve had a few LED flashlights that showed blood very good and others that were just ok. It depends on the temperature of the light. Unfortunately the very good ones I have the temperature wasn’t labeled on the light.

Re: Night time tracking [Re: Nickbyrd] #8671887 08/23/22 03:34 PM
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There are chemicals out there for this purpose but they are relatively expensive. Luminol. Once applied to blood it will glow when hit with UV. Cheaper alternative is spray bottle of peroxide.

Re: Night time tracking [Re: Nickbyrd] #8671891 08/23/22 03:40 PM
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As previously stated, a Coleman Lantern is still the best tool I’ve found for trailing a wounded animal in the dark. It just seems to have the best level and color of illumination to help see small drops of blood. I always bring toilet tissue and uses small pieces to mark the spots were blood was found. The paper trail provides an easy to see pattern of the likely direction the animal is headed.


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Re: Night time tracking [Re: Nickbyrd] #8671893 08/23/22 03:43 PM
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Get a good flashlight. Go slow when looking for blood and don’t forget to stop every couple yards and look around. I’ve seen people walk right past a deer looking for blood because they didn’t have their eyes up. Flagging tape for night or rain is also really helpful.

Re: Night time tracking [Re: psycho0819] #8671894 08/23/22 03:43 PM
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Originally Posted by psycho0819
Tracking blood at night does suck. The best light I've found for doing it is the good old Coleman lantern. Cut a soda or beer can to cover half the globe so it's not blinding the user, and it will basically make a good size area look like daylight. That being said, I do heavily consider what shots I'm willing to take as dusk approaches. Bow hunting is obviously more of a concern than rifle hunting, one means you are most certainly going to be tracking, the other means you might be.

My dad's old Colman lantern had a shield on one side that had a handle built onto it. You could grip it by the handle and point it like a flashlight. Best tracking light I have ever used.
And like others said, mark you blood spots with a piece of TP, preferably several feet off the ground if possible. It's really makes it easier to locate your last spot if you get off the trail. You can look back at the TP trail and get a sense of direction the animal was traveling.

Re: Night time tracking [Re: Nickbyrd] #8671898 08/23/22 03:46 PM
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in case I am with others, I keep some fluorescant orange tape in my Taco. Cut off a piece every time I get to the "last drop of blood". Just helps me to easily locate the last spot when going back to it and having to start up again.

Re: Night time tracking [Re: Nickbyrd] #8671914 08/23/22 04:03 PM
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If you shy away from evening hunts, you have eliminated half of the season. Practice your shooting skills and have the number of a good tracking dog owner in your truck.

Last edited by BenBob; 08/23/22 04:05 PM.

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Re: Night time tracking [Re: Nickbyrd] #8671917 08/23/22 04:09 PM
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Most of mine I shoot in the morning are DRT but Murphy's Law says the one you shoot in the evening will run and you'll be tracking.

Like mentioned above, in the evenings I'm either big buck hunting or pig hunting. I'm not going to risk having to track a doe or a cull buck when I can easily get it the next morning, at least here in the Hill Country. Pig I'll track but no big deal if I don't find it, and a big buck is worth tracking all night if need be.


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Re: Night time tracking [Re: Nickbyrd] #8671920 08/23/22 04:09 PM
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Knock on wood I've never had to track a deer. I'm sure that day is comming.

Re: Night time tracking [Re: Nickbyrd] #8671935 08/23/22 04:49 PM
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A good shot makes tracking a lot easier.


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Re: Night time tracking [Re: Nickbyrd] #8671949 08/23/22 05:10 PM
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These day I use an M12 LED light from Milwaukee. Get the big battery and it will stay bright for hours. It throws a wide evenly lit beam of light. I helped a neighbor track a wounded buck for hours, and the light never dimmed. Best tracking light I’ve ever used. It’s the 49-24-0146. The head swivels.

And, toilet paper is your best tracking friend after the light. After you’ve marked a few spots with the TP, you can look back with the light to see if you are still tracking in the right direction. Over the decades I’ve found that badly wounded deer move in a somewhat steady direction, whereas lightly wounded deer will wander more. That knowledge may not apply to heavy brush in south Texas.

Last edited by 603Country; 08/23/22 05:18 PM.

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Re: Night time tracking [Re: Nickbyrd] #8671950 08/23/22 05:10 PM
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Re: Night time tracking [Re: Nickbyrd] #8671951 08/23/22 05:11 PM
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If your shooting a rifle then you can prevent tracking by well placed shoulder shots.

That was always my method to prevent looking for deer in the dark.

Bow hunting, I use a big expandable broadhead to help mitigate the track job.


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Re: Night time tracking [Re: Nickbyrd] #8671960 08/23/22 05:30 PM
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Step one, immediately after the shot, LISTEN as you watch the animal run. I have found several deer, walked straight to them, by hearing them 'crash' when they go down. They might run into a fence or over a rocky spot or into the only brushy patch in that direction-those are all clues for you. You can also estimate distance by comparing how far they ran while you could see them, to how long it was before they crashed after getting out of your sight.


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Re: Night time tracking [Re: Nickbyrd] #8672003 08/23/22 06:28 PM
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Tracking blood in the dark is no harder that tracking during the day IMO....as long as you have the right flashlight. Too bright, and it will wash out the blood. Too dim, and you won't be able to see it. I like to carry a roll of orange flagging tape to mark blood spots. I hang them in a tree if I can so that they are above the ground. When you are tracking, you can periodically look back and see the trail easily.

Re: Night time tracking [Re: Nickbyrd] #8672010 08/23/22 06:47 PM
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Blood tracking can get complicated. I’ve been bow hunting for 42 years so I’ve seen just about every scenario you can think of. The best thing invented in my lifetime for finding a downed deer at night is a thermal spotter. I always have one with me.

Re: Night time tracking [Re: Nickbyrd] #8672018 08/23/22 06:59 PM
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Leupold LTO Tracker works great, I can spit on the ground and walk away for quite a while and come back and find it....

Re: Night time tracking [Re: Nickbyrd] #8672030 08/23/22 07:11 PM
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Something not mentioned here yet - know the land and how the deer use it. Rarely have I ever shot a deer and had it run off and end up finding in a spot that doesn't make sense. They use the same trails they always have and want to head to where they feel safe. Paying attention to the trails and locations hit deer go can teach you a lot about your property.

Otherwise a good flashlight. a thermal spotter, and a dogs nose help too

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