Just thinking out loud to kill some time during the "off season"....lets assume we're talking about deer.....

So you've just released a great arrow and you watched your arrow bury right where you wanted it to....you've made a great shot and you have a dead deer running!


Do you like to have them go down in sight, or prefer when they run out of sight?


Me, I've always liked the excitement and anticipation of following a bloodtrail. There's just something about the "unknown factor" with the critter running out of sight that adds an awful lot to the whole experience for me.

I know it's dead with the shot I made. But how far will he/she go?  Is he as big as I thought he was?  Etc.....

Certainly nothing at all wrong with them going down in sight, I've had plenty. Just something about having to "find them".....

I like them to go down in sight, but I also like the trailing blood job too.


My answer would have to be BOTH.

Trailing is fun, but if warm weather, the chance it could run off the property, run into another hunter,  not be found at night and risk the coyotes getting to it before day light or something like that I like down in site.  Also if I have another tag in my pocket I will only shoot a second if the first was down in site.  I have also had a few of those slam dunk shots turn into really crappy blood trails in heavy cover.  This has been more of a problem with tree stand shots with high entrance and low exit that clogs up.  I found them, but it was a real challenge.

I like it when they go out of sight and I hear them " crash". Real sweet sound.RC

Interesting, as I sit here and think about this I have been so excited about both situations. I love the hunt and blood trailing is very rewarding. However, everytime make that shot and I see that animal start to woble and go down in sight I get so ecxited.

I guess I am torn on this one as long as my shot is good.  

Thanks for bringing back some great memories.

I like to watch them go down in sight, always brings a smile to my face, but when they run off and especially when you cannot hear them, even though you felt it was a good shot, there is always some anxiousness wondering if that shot was as good as you thought, but do enjoy blood trailing 'em as well, always neat to follow a great and short blood trail, just hate those long ones!

When I first thought about them going down in site I only thought about the typical full out run and pile up with not much after that.  However, there have been those times I have seen an animal bed down or slow down and walk.  At those times the death experience is a whole different thing.  It becomes a whole different experience when you watch death more slowly take hold and win out over the struggle to survive.  I have seen this from the stand and from the ground when trailing up animals on some occasions.  It is harder to watch, but in some way I find myself more bonded with the animal having shared it's last of life's struggles in a more personal way than watching them pile up after a death run or finding them stone cold at the end of a blood trail.  Last year my #3 was a lung, and liver hit on a quartering away shot when I turned sharp on the trail just as I shot ,and I got back a little farther than I would have liked.  I watched that buck stop running, walk, circle around and bed down about 60 yd. out.  I watched him in my binoculars in a little gap in the cover where I could see his tail and part of this head as he weakened.  After a while I saw another deer back in the heavy cover.   I couldn't tell what it was.  There was a big commotion in the area.  I thought another larger buck I had seen in there a few days earlier was after him and they were fighting.   I am still not sure if that happened or it was all just him.  At one point he ran backwards through the brush to about 20 yd. from me.  He ran around in a couple circles backwards and went down for the last time.  I sat and watched him a long time after it was all over.  I was happy, sad, and a few other things all at once as I sat there.

I like it when they go out of site and the blood trail ends near my truck...lol

Seriously...I enjoy the trailing so I would say out of sight. Whether easy or hard it just adds to the overall thrill of hunting for me.

I like them both ways.  I am color blind, but this adds a whole new factor to the trailing.  I CAN'T DO IT!!!  Which is where it gets good, actually.  I go get my 6 year old boy and he trails it for me.  He really likes knowing that he just helped me find a deer and I think he like to know he can do somethings that I can't.lol  I get a kick out of it also.  He gets so excited when he finds my deer that it is almost like he killed it himself.  Very very cool.

My answer is both, too!!  I like to see them fall, but I really like to get my son involved in the whole process!      

Dead in sight. There is a lot of heavy brush and it always seems to be raining during hunting seasons in western Washington State.  The animal dropping dead in sight is both exciting and a total relief. Add in the tough packing job in  heavy brush and the relief is palpable.  Elk always seem to run downhill and then bury in the worst brush holes they can find before dying.

I love following a blood trail.  My Dad used to always come back from the woods after making a shot to let me help trail the deer and when I follow one its like I'm a kid again.  It's like a great book that you just can't wait to get to the end, but you're making yourself slow down to savor it.  That said, I've had them go down in sight and it's also very satisfying to stay in the tree, fill up my pipe and relax for awhile replaying the event from the scouting to the shot.  It's all good.

Elk... down in sight for me.  I've usually covered enough ground to make me happy up to that point.

definitely down in sight

In the solid palmettoes I hunt I am not comfortable until I see what kind of blood trail I have even on a perfect shot(perfect entry but no second hole to drain).They make a lot of noise when running off in the cover and sometimes hear them go down but without blood it is a problem so watching one go down is a treat.Besides in the swamp I hunt just getting them out is a chore.Kip

Down in sight, but like if Guru said I knew it was a perfect shot and they tip just out of sight that's fine too.

Guru i love it when the deer runs out of sight but i hear him pile up a short time later. Even if i see the deer fall in sight i always follow the blood trail, i love it.

QuoteOriginally posted by joevan125:
Even if i see the deer fall in sight i always follow the blood trail, i love it.

Me too!

Good stuff fellas    

My Dad always helped me follow the blood trails when I was little even though he knew where the animal was already to help me learn. Ever since I always follow the blood trail even if I know where they are.

Good stuff Joe Van.

One of my favorite things to do especially when im hunting with someone who has never killed a deer with a bow.

I will go and bring them back to my hunting spot where i already know where the deer is laying and let them follow the blood trail.

I never get tired of seeing the look in there eyes when they follow the trail to the deer, i have done this 4-5 times and believe me it is priceless.

There is always excitement in the anticipation of the unknown. With that said there is never disappointment in a recovered animal, even when I see it go down.