How long to wait?

[TNSTAAFL]

Help an AOH hunter grow and learn: how long should one wait on average before looking for blood and tracking a deer.

What I think I know already:
1) It varies considerably based on many factors involving the situation, equipment, and shot placement.

2) The deer's reaction can provide information.

3) Blood or other material on the arrow can provide information. Lung shots, liver shots, gut shots, etc.

4) Environmental factors affect the decision, such as rain or high temps.

I guess what I'm asking is, ceteris paribus, assuming you have no film to confirm shot placement and have no reason to significantly doubt your shot, and the deer runs out of sight and there is bright red blood on the arrow but it might not be lung blood, and you can see the start of a blood trail... how long would you wait before tracking?

I appreciate the wisdom of those more experienced than I.

I really am just looking for a general guideline that has worked well for you on average. I know I'll have to adjust based on circumstances.

 

[Matki15]

With a bow i always wait 20-30 minutes unless I actually see the deer go down. With a rifle I tend to wait 10-15 minutes

 

[enkriss]

If you see it go down, hear it crash or hear a death moan. Pack up your crap and get your deer. Otherwise I typically wait 30-40 mins get down and check my arrow. Lung blood I will track right away. Liver blood I will go eat dinner/breakfast come back and track. Guts I leave... cry for several hours. Drink several beers and go back to track once sober.

 

[TNSTAAFL]

Back story for this thread/question:

I've twice this year and three times overall started blood trailing a deer after dark and suspect I bumped them as I heard noises up ahead of the blood trail, and then never found all three deer.

1) 2018 - close range (15 yards tops) with compound bow. Steep angle. Probably aimed poorly thinking more about point of entry than exit. Arrow was in ground with the head partially broken off (the shaft itself breaking). Deer hopped off 30 yards ish and stood looking back for a while than ambled off. Shot in last 15 minutes of light. Waited those 15 plus 15 to climb down and pack up and 5-10 to go look at arrow and area she stood. Bright red blood on arrow and very heavy blood where she stood for a while. Trail got thinner and thinner as I followed. Tracked slowly over a couple hundred yards for a couple hours. Heard noises ahead several times. Blood ran out eventually. No deer recovered.

2020 #1 - 39 yards with crossbow (pushing the envelope, I know). Last 15 minutes. Large doe standing calm and broadside in a large cut grass field. Shot "felt" low but I'm not good at judging arrow flight, even with lighted nock. Deer ran back across field 120 yards and looked back, then disappeared into woods. Waited the 15 minutes till close, climbed down and packed 15 more minutes, walked to arrow which was sticking in ground 5-10 minutes scanning the area. Bright red blood on arrow. Blood trail obvious near by. Easy trail across the field. Looked like someone with a ketchup bottle squeezing full blast. 5-10 minutes working across the field. 40-50 minutes elapsed time so far. Followed trail into woods. Got more and more sparse. Took me through thickets, and heard noises ahead. Backed out and returned in morning and found nothing.

2020 #2 - 31 yards in my food plot with a crossbow. Broadside standing still. Shot felt right in the big brown box (ribs). Deer hopped 20 yards and stood flickered tail a bunch. Thought for sure I'd see it fall over. Hour before dark so I just sat in blind with no sounds. Quietly left blind and went inside and waited another hour. 2 hour total wait. Found arrow in ground. Some blood on fletching and shaft, but less than above scenarios. Went to last sighted area and found decent bright red blood. Followed trail. Got pretty spotty and difficult within 30 yards. Heard noises ahead. Backed out to look in morning and found nothing.

I know this is part of the game. A frustrating part. I'm trying to get better at it. The 2020s came in the same week so they were extra difficult to swallow. It is making me nervous about the next time I have the chance to loose an arrow. Worried I can't take a 3rd. I know there are no guarantees or easy answers. I know a big part of it is that I have to work to get closer to deer and to resist shots that stretch the effective range. Appreciate any insights about wait times or related issues my scenarios bring up.

 

[Deltahuntr]

I always wait an hour if I do not see the deer on the ground. Depending on what that first blood/hair looks like I may or may not begin tracking even at the hour mark.

 

[Matki15]

I will add to my last post by saying i have access to 3 blood dogs that work together to track the deer. Anything except for a gut shot I’ll wait 30 minutes and if blood is sparse or i hear the deer still on its feet I get the dogs and they’ll bay it up or find it for me. Gut shots I only wait an hour or two due to a high coyote population in the area then I’ll let the dogs loose. Have seen too many people on my lease lose deer due to thin blood trails or iffy shots. I know those dogs will find the deer no matter what as long as it’s a lethal shot. Tracked a buck i shot last year for 5 miles until we accepted the fact he was going to be fine

 

[tyson12590]

Double lunged deer rarely live more than 30 minutes. Your first two scenarios sound like possible single lung hits and the third scenario sounds like a possible liver hit. If I believe I hit both lungs and or heart I usually wait 1 hour. If I doubt that I got both lungs I try to wait at least 6 hours. Liver shot deer are VERY inconsistent. I have seen some die within minutes and others live for 12+ hours. With the variables of coyotes and high temperatures, choosing when to track can be very tricky. My best advice is to have a good hunting friend who you can call and ask their opinion given the specific circumstances. They will not be emotionally tied up in the hunt and can give you some objective advice. The natural tendency is to track too soon. When in doubt give the deer more time, it is rarely the wrong choice.

 

[mattsteg]

@John Eberhart has some great and thorough advice.

Recovering Whitetails - newer version Part 1

Recovering Bowshot Deer Over my 50 plus years of bowhunting whitetails I’ve learned that patience must be applied to just about every aspect of it, and this can’t be any more overstated than what to do once a deer has been shot. I’ve taken around 100 bucks and likely as many does with a bow...

saddlehunter.com

 

[PEEJAY]

Shot felt right in the big brown box (ribs)

with a xbow dont be too scared of getting close to the shoulder. broadside and quartering away shots i try to aim at the opposite elbow. this puts you right in the good stuff. So much can go wrong aiming for the BIG BROWN BOX. your shot window should be a teeny tiny spot lower front third. way more arteries and good stuff the closer you are to the heart.
if they are getting up or not dead after an hour, something went pretty wrong and i would wait as long as you can. go in slowwwww. you can get a follow up shot a lot of the time if you have your head on a swivel and try to glass as much as possible. Get a high lumen flashlight with a warm color temperature for nighttime tracks, makes a world of difference and ive found blood on tracks for my buddies so many times they call me for help all the time now . Bontrager Ion RT 1300 Lumen is what i use. A standard headlamp will struggle trying to pick up a spotty blood trail. a good light, although pricey, is going to make that spec of blood stand out surprisingly well.

 

[SCSaddleman]

Back story for this thread/question:

I've twice this year and three times overall started blood trailing a deer after dark and suspect I bumped them as I heard noises up ahead of the blood trail, and then never found all three deer.

1) 2018 - close range (15 yards tops) with compound bow. Steep angle. Probably aimed poorly thinking more about point of entry than exit. Arrow was in ground with the head partially broken off (the shaft itself breaking). Deer hopped off 30 yards ish and stood looking back for a while than ambled off. Shot in last 15 minutes of light. Waited those 15 plus 15 to climb down and pack up and 5-10 to go look at arrow and area she stood. Bright red blood on arrow and very heavy blood where she stood for a while. Trail got thinner and thinner as I followed. Tracked slowly over a couple hundred yards for a couple hours. Heard noises ahead several times. Blood ran out eventually. No deer recovered.

2020 #1 - 39 yards with crossbow (pushing the envelope, I know). Last 15 minutes. Large doe standing calm and broadside in a large cut grass field. Shot "felt" low but I'm not good at judging arrow flight, even with lighted nock. Deer ran back across field 120 yards and looked back, then disappeared into woods. Waited the 15 minutes till close, climbed down and packed 15 more minutes, walked to arrow which was sticking in ground 5-10 minutes scanning the area. Bright red blood on arrow. Blood trail obvious near by. Easy trail across the field. Looked like someone with a ketchup bottle squeezing full blast. 5-10 minutes working across the field. 40-50 minutes elapsed time so far. Followed trail into woods. Got more and more sparse. Took me through thickets, and heard noises ahead. Backed out and returned in morning and found nothing.

2020 #2 - 31 yards in my food plot with a crossbow. Broadside standing still. Shot felt right in the big brown box (ribs). Deer hopped 20 yards and stood flickered tail a bunch. Thought for sure I'd see it fall over. Hour before dark so I just sat in blind with no sounds. Quietly left blind and went inside and waited another hour. 2 hour total wait. Found arrow in ground. Some blood on fletching and shaft, but less than above scenarios. Went to last sighted area and found decent bright red blood. Followed trail. Got pretty spotty and difficult within 30 yards. Heard noises ahead. Backed out to look in morning and found nothing.

I know this is part of the game. A frustrating part. I'm trying to get better at it. The 2020s came in the same week so they were extra difficult to swallow. It is making me nervous about the next time I have the chance to loose an arrow. Worried I can't take a 3rd. I know there are no guarantees or easy answers. I know a big part of it is that I have to work to get closer to deer and to resist shots that stretch the effective range. Appreciate any insights about wait times or related issues my scenarios bring up.

Find someone with a good tracking dog and put his name and number in your phone

 

[I'm your Huckleberry]

Well, I guess I am strange but I going over in my head what happens when I shot. The bigger the Deer the longer I wait. My biggest Deer to date was killed in pouring down rain and I was sure I missed but I knew the rain would wash away all the blood fast. It was getting dark very fast so away I go to my surprise 20 yards from where I shot lays my Deer. I usually wait as long as I can take it. I never ever get up for the first 15 minutes usually I wait around an hour.

 

[Vtbow]

Well I'm playing that game right now....just shot what I think is the biggest buck I've ever seen in the woods. Been in the tree still 15 minutes....he ran about 100 yards then I lost him....every minute or soni hear a loud grunt or moan....never heard this before...I can see arrow with binos...blood on ground, but don't necessarily seenanynon fketching....giving it another 15 the climbing down to check arrow.....

 

[TreeCreep]

As already suggested read (reread) the Eberhart post.
Deer are tough. Check out that new tethrd video where a big deer survived with a bolt and junk broadhead in its lung for two years.
Contact a blood tracker in your area if legal . They will provide guidance either way .

 

[SCSaddleman]

Well I'm playing that game right now....just shot what I think is the biggest buck I've ever seen in the woods. Been in the tree still 15 minutes....he ran about 100 yards then I lost him....every minute or soni hear a loud grunt or moan....never heard this before...I can see arrow with binos...blood on ground, but don't necessarily seenanynon fketching....giving it another 15 the climbing down to check arrow.....

Good luck keep us posted