How long do you search for a wounded animal?

[whitetailfanatic]

If you believe you mortally wounded it, how long should you search even after the blood trail runs out?
24hrs?
1hr?

[Tommyh]

until my two favorite trailing dogs cant find it . thanks sandy and rose!

[slayer]

as long as it takes to find it or exhaust all potential outlets.

[bowhuntntxn]

About 10 minutes. Cause if the blood stopped it had to be the crappy brand X BH, and there is no way that animal is dead. Or until I have ruled out all possibility of finding the animal, dead or alive.

[dangerous dan]

Depends on the temp and if it was a morning or evening kill

[Eric Pence]

I kept looking for a month and finally found where he fell into a hole on the side of the hill
I still remember the smell....

[BrandonA]

Until I am 100% confident that recovery isn't an option and I feel certain that the hit was non-lethal or if I see the deer alive in good shape.. I have looked for deer days after and found them due to buzzards and smell. I may not be able to save the meat but I have the horns and peace of mind. Just because you run out of blood doesn't mean to stop looking. When that happens do a grid search or get some dogs. And always look in 360 degrees from where you shot them. Deer have a funnny way of circling.

[neskora]

depends how bad you want him... if it's a her not too long... till dark if it's not hot

[scissorhands]

spent 2 days looking for a doe before. I guess it depends on how much it bothers you.

Rob

[Codie]

If you believe you mortally wounded it, how long should you search even after the blood trail runs out?
24hrs?
1hr?

I have only had 2 that I could not find

1st one: I searched for 2 days after I shot him
2nd one: We searched for 2 days and then happened upon him this past turkey season about 500 yards from where I shot him. Don't have a clue how we did not find him originally (other than the broomweeds)

I REALLY don't think the time that should be put into searching for a mortally wounded animal should be measured in hours, but days if it is allowed

The 1st buck that I lost I will be looking for again 1 yr later on the weekend of Nov 5th when I go back to that property to hunt for our annual hunt.

[SWilson]

shot a 140" 10 point last day of the season. waited 2 hrs. went looking. no buck looked a couple hours after last blood. called for a dog. dogs looked 2-3 hours. no buck. went back 2 weeks later (7 hr drive 1 way) searched grid with 4 wheeler. no buck. rancher found him just over the fence about 100 yards from where we stopped. rancher kept head for me but then lost it, said it must have bounced out of his truck....... it just wasnt meant to be,,,,,,,,,

[texan16]

I feel that you/me/we are obligated to search for any game animal we shoot until we either find it or we feel that without a doubt the animal has escaped and will probably live. Might be a 30 minute track or it may be a 3 hour track. Depends on where it was hit and what it was hit with. Just be ethical and do all you can to try to recover the animal.

If its a pig- I might look for 5-10 minutes and call it good.

[Stonecreek]

As long as possible and well beyond the end of the blood trail, I've taken my dog out and have found deer keeled over 50yds beyond where the last trace of blood was at

[DaveS903]

I hunt until I decide I cannot/will not find the animal.

[Scout]

If you mark the blood trail with orange marking tape you will have a great visual referrence on where the animal is heading. If the blood stops maybe it has almost bleed out? I try to think like a wounded animal and where would I go, cover and down hill if possible. My buck last year was found 200 yards after the last blood spot the following morning and with binos (saw the white of his belly) and I was about to give up.

Do circles around the last blood spot and widen the circles until you pick up sign or the animal. You owe it to the game you hunt to do all you can to recover it. That is not to say about the legal aspects.