Collection of tracking tips including my own

My experiences in the woods have taught me that tracking is used before and after the shot, first in finding the game and then during the retrieval process. Every sport hunter knows the importance of that first shot and wish for it to be quick and effective, insuring that the game does not wander too far before night fall and most of all does not suffer.

The author Ian Sheldon writes that tracking is a skill that will grow with you as you spend more time in the pursuit of game. This is so true and it is so rewarding to see your skills grow and ultimately improving your chances of being successful in seeing game and your hunt. 

Here is a collection of tracking tips and searching for wounded game: 

-Conduct research on the game that you are pursuing and learn its habits for feeding, resting or even traveling. Learn the time of day you are more likely to see them and most importantly learn their habitat and type of forest and the terrain where the game might be found.

-After firing the shot, allow yourself to calm down and collect your thoughts, so that when you end up at the spot where the game was located, you are able to find clues such as blood trail indicators based on the color on the ground and in the bushes nearby. Look for overturned stones, dirt and leaves that has been displaced. 

-Once you have found some prints look at the type of the print, count the number of toes, check for claw marks, for spacing between the toes and see if there is a heel. Do not limit yourself to one set of prints but use many of them as I have found sometimes they will lead you right to a Snowshoe hare hiding spot. Follow Snowshoe Hare and Cottontail runways or other small game and it might give you clues as to whether they are climbers or live near fallen trees and recesses in the ground. 

-Get yourself a good pair of binoculars and do not just focus on clues but also for the animal itself. 

-Look for indicators of presence of game such as fresh droppings, fresh beds and feeding spots and for recent digging or little chew marks on small tree stubs. 

-Most of us have been reading from a young age using the left to right method and our eyes may at times skip a word or two as a force of habit, this can also happen while scanning the woods. Therefore try scanning the woods from right to left and your eye will notice movement or something out the ordinary more easily. 

-When scanning the woods or fields or different types of terrain, break up the area into zones starting closest to you and moving away toward the horizon. Scan each zone carefully looking for movement and using the sun to your advantage allowing you to notice different colors with better precision. 

-While still-hunting walk very slowly and avoid all types of obstacles being careful not to make too much noise or break branches. Try walking on the outer edge of your boot and avoid rubbing the inside of your hunting pants, from time to time get down on one knee and look around very carefully.

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