How long do you search for a wounded animal?

[47]

I give it all I have...several times.


Or until I start getting light headed from mosquito educed hypovolemic shock.

[sector42]

If I feel I hit them good, I look as long as it takes. Only had 1 I couldn't track down.

[kgredraider]

http://discussions.texasbowhunter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169841

We found him even when the dogs couldn't! If you know they are hit mortally, I think you owe it to the animal to recover it. Great question!

[SoTxHunter]

The oldest track we did with my dog was 22 hours. If I think it must be dead, I keep going back for a couple of days. Maybe look for some birds circling. Also, look around water. If they are hurting, they tend to go to a water sourse.

[Txjourneyman]

Until all potential hope of finding the animal is gone and then a few more hours.

[RiverRat1]

I treat hogs the same as I do deer. I treat bucks the same as I treat does. An animal is an animal in my book.

I track until blood trail runs out and then go past that. Only lost 2 in my life so far that I knew were dead. One we found the next year.

In hours I would say between 2 and 3.. but it depends on the blood trail. I had 1 that I could find a speck of blood every 5' or so..and it went on and on and on and on. So that one took a while.

[Coup de Grace]

i never stop...

[Scout]

My 5x6 bull elk was 4 miles and 6 hours. I can tell you don't yell in excitement when you shoot a stud bull elk they can run along way on adrenaline alone.

[BOWFISHER08]

tracted my axis for 3 miles and lost blood and still looked for hours and found nothin ,,, went back 2 day laterand bam there were the buzzards blood stopped 100 yards from where he was and we walked about 30 yard from him .... never give up even if its a week later and you have to go smell him out do it. it worth it to you and to the animal...

[J-J Matt]

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

That's a pretty poor response there. First, if you don't want him real bad, don't shoot it. Second, what makes "a her" any less important. If they were good enough for you to take there life, or attempt to, they are good enough for you to not be lazy and look for them. Yeah, I would be a little more upset about losing a big buck than I would a doe, but I wouldn't just give up and say, "oh well, it's just a doe" It's not "just" anything. It's an animal that you killed, and you owe it to them to exhaust every effort in finding it, "him or her." I love big horns just as much as anyone, but I also love shooting does, and they BOTH get the same amount of respect from me. Sorry I'm not trying to stir the pot, that is just a response that really ****** me off.

[old bob]

I have lost two both where does, one was at ten yards quartering away when she left the scene, I saw the exit wound right behind the front shoulder on the opposite side, she left a blood trail that even a rookie could follow and all at once it just stoped.We looked for this doe till well after midnight, I shot her around 4:30 pm we got on our hands and knees with flash lights in hands and still have not found her. The next one was a doe at 20yds. I shot this one a little high never found a drop. Both of them made me sick. And made me wish I had never made the shot, but when I look back I would have done it anyway. I will never forget them and I guess thats the way its suppose to be. The hard cold truth is if you hunt you will loose some. And if you say you have never lost one just wait, your time is coming.

[30-30]

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.

Lol that's funny!

[neskora]

That's a pretty poor response there. First, if you don't want him real bad, don't shoot it. Second, what makes "a her" any less important. If they were good enough for you to take there life, or attempt to, they are good enough for you to not be lazy and look for them. Yeah, I would be a little more upset about losing a big buck than I would a doe, but I wouldn't just give up and say, "oh well, it's just a doe" It's not "just" anything. It's an animal that you killed, and you owe it to them to exhaust every effort in finding it, "him or her." I love big horns just as much as anyone, but I also love shooting does, and they BOTH get the same amount of respect from me. Sorry I'm not trying to stir the pot, that is just a response that really ****** me off.

Ok. Well first, I didn't say what I would do. I won't shoot a buck unless I want it real bad. Second, I would like to know what I'm going to do with a doe that I find two days after I shot it. If you could tell me I would gladly appreciate it. But I'm not going to exhaust myself and time to find a doe whose meat I know is bad. That would just be stupid on my part. So get ****** off all you want, I'm just being realistic.

[Goldeneagle]

I shot a spike on the last morning of season once. My arrow clipped the feeder pen and split his belly open. I spent over 8hrs on my hands and knees tracking stuff out of his stomach. Corn, acorns and other stuff. Finally caught up to him and he was still alive. Had to cut his throat. Everything was hanging out. He was pretty much field dressed when I got to him.