blood trailing buddies

[Ohio farms]

Two years ago my brother and I bought one of those devices that detect heat from cabela's. You were supposed to point it and if there was something warmer than the surrounding area it would detect it (your deer). I shot a doe one evening that I saw fall, so we wanted to try to see if it worked. Nope. We were smart enough to buy it just before bow season started, so we could return it if it didn't work. As I recall it was a couple hundred bucks. Not sure if they even sell it anymore.

[jonny5buck]

@Ohio-my buddy was gonna get that device several years ago...he is totally color blind...he really shouldnt be out deer hunting unless he can somehow follow the blood trail...turns out he hasn't hunted the last 2 yrs...economy and other worries...kids,money,etc.....i do remember a while ago running into a guy with a spray bottle on a blood trail...park hunting....he said it was luminoul...[not sure of the spelling] you know the stuff CrIME Scene techs use?...i dont recall if his wife acquired from work or if you could buy it..but it did work...i thought he said it was expensive....it also doesnt help if there is NOT a dead deer at the end of the trail![8D]

[Jslotter]

Thanks for the response on my question. I dont think I am convinced either that those blood lights really work.

[kellory]

Best thing I can tell you, is don't fixate on any one type of tracking. Look at the whole picture. Tracks, blood, hair, flipped leaves, the way the grass flows when something has passed this way, Transfer blood as well as drops. lenth of stride, and direction, (toward water, brush, lower ground, or ridgeline, direction gives you an idea what the deer is thinking, stride tells you how strong and surefooted he is, flipped leaves from dragged toes and grass tufts can give you direction, check carefully at all fences, if he jumped, he will dig in further, if he went under he will leave hair, blood is obvious( how heavy bubbles? bile?) I carry a roll of surveyer's tape to mark the path as it unfolds, and break and shake chemical light for low/ no light tracking. I don;t know if the blood lights help or not, I have never used one. I have a color blind uncle who tracks sign very well, and I track transfer and blood trail better than most, when we are on the same trail we can usually track at a walking pace, and we have found a few that others have given up on. Last year, we found two deer at the same hiding point, one warm and one long cold. Had it been a day or two fresher.....! The only real difference between a good tracker and a poor one is attention to detail.