I have had the experience that 430Man describes. No blood, many tracks, dividing trails, etc. We even used a dog, without success. But it was not the crows, rather the buzzards that led us to him the next day.

Yeah, very valid points for the most part. I don't want to start an arguement, but I disagree that you can't track them without blood. The trail may not be blood or footprints that were left behind, but there is ALWAYS a trail. It may only be displaced rocks, slips on wet or damp slopes, broken branches on low lying bushes or ground cover, broken GREEN leaves that obviously wouldn't have fallen otherwise, or a multitude of other signs.

I believe there is ALWAYS evidence, t's just that sometimes we don't always find it. If ya hunt long enough, you will experience that gut wrenching and heart sinking feeling of knowing ya hit one, but can't find it.

I HATE that feeling.

no argument here either, but i do not totally agree with that statement. i'm not that worried about a blood trail for deer around here. maybe it is from experience, a good guess, or just plain luck, but in the hills of kentucky a lot of guys usually just have a fair idea of which way they went, or would go if injured. in the flat lands....maybe it is different, i don't know. blood is a definate help n makes it much easier! i havn't lost too many deer and not one i can think of recent. that does not mean i may not find the next one.....

Hay 430man, look at the title on the thread.

PS, I have found more than 1 deer with out tracking blood! It is called having good tracking skills!!

So back on topic?? Put your bullet where it needs to go and the rest is history...

Duane

Yep, and I have tracked my fair share of hogs without blood. It can definitely be done -- but blood certainly helps.

Yea, how about that ;-)

For the price of a Smith X-Frame you can have an Encore 460, and a small bore barrel for practice, and another tweener barrel for varmints, and another barrel for whatever. You just gotta make the first one count.

Like i said- there is ALWAYS a trail, and this trail has FINALLY come full circle to where we are back on topic!! I went with the pro hunter for the price as well, but mainly to try something different. Sure am anxious for september 1 as that is the start of my private land only cow elk tag that runs clear through the end of january!!!

I am sure you will be happy! Keep us posted!

I can't resist responding to other statement real quick

I've seen more elk without blood trails than I have with and the best blood trails in general that I've seen have been from arrows.

Deer trails are to get from one place to another. They are not where deer move and feed. Deer will walk over every single inch of the land. There is not a blade of grass they have not stepped on but some can track a single deer---WOW.
Sorry, I need your skills.
I have found deer because I knew the land and where they go and have found deer by cutting circles.
Hunt a strange place without knowledge of travels and tell me you will track it, you surely hoax.
I find deer by knowing them and where they go, not by a turned leaf. 50 other deer could turn a leaf. OH, OH, a bent blade of grass I missed. When will you get real?
To find a dead animal without blood means you and others fan out and search. It is luck. To find a dead pig in a pig tunnel means it died in the tunnel.
I have tracked hundreds of deer. If you can tell me you can track a deer without blood you are crazy.

I have had to track deer and pigs on my hands & knees looking through those trails. Putting yourself in the mind set of a wounded animal really does help. I shot a pig with my 70lb Hoyte shooting a fixed blade broadhead. It left a 2in entry wound the blade was so sharp. But, I shot it out of my tree stand and the entry was a high shot. The exit wound was closed up by the fat of the pig.

The shot was close as you can see.


Picture is of inside rib cage. Left is entry and Right is exit



Picture is of the outside rib cage. Left is entry and Right is exit.




The worst was a doe I shot with my 15in 257 Rob AI with a 115 NBT. It was a frontal shot with no exit. The shot took the doe off its feet. She got up and was off in a full run. I was lucky and found were she crossed the canal that had standing water. It gave me a starting point of the trail she was following. Not a drop of blood until she dropped then there was a 8 foot circle where she laid down and kicked in circles.


Duane

I am real, and I am a damn good tracker! It is called paying attention to your pray as they run off and knowing what wounded game will do. They walk heavier, break more twigs, and don't usually leave equally placed steps. Think of the trackers in Africa, they put me to shame...

Well, just called two users on this forum liars. That simple. I have found game animals after others have given up. I have family members that will come and get me because they need help…

My brother shot a nice buck with his 270 that he said stumbled after he shot it. He said he had a quartering shot away and he aimed at the shoulder facing him, a one lung shot. He also said never found any blood. Knowing that he was hunting 200 yards away from a fence and the deer jumped it I had a plan. I crossed the fence, went 100+ yards in, and started walking parallel with the fence line. I found a pair of heavy steps that intrigued me and started fallowing them. I went down the trail and found a small drop of blood, it was over 500 yards from where he had been shot. (Yes we measured it the deer ran at an angle to the fence and not directly toward it.) I had the trail! After that small drop I started finding a LOOOOT of blood. BUT, my tracking skills paid off and I knew how to look and what to look for. That is the reason we found that deer.




430man, we don’t need trolls on this sight. So please conduct yourself in an appropriate manor.

Duane

tracking without blood really sucks but can be done#1 thing is to start looking for splayed tracks as the hit animal will be trying to regain balance,and for those that might think I'm crazy try to be be aware of any deerscent , once you've found a splayed track-it is more easily done if its a rutting buck of course but can be done,and of course a wounded animal will usually try to get to water to ease their pain/fever.The areas I hunt I've been around since I was twelve years old so I'm aware of most of the trails,bedding areas ,so forth... the scent trick really works well on a musty old buck,whenever my wife and kids have been scouting I've been able to tell them several different times ,theres a deer really close and several more yards we'd kick em up,I've done this with my dad also and one buck we had trouble tracking,blood just stopped,my dad found within forty yards because he could smell the musky scent of the buck,make yourself aware of the scents of animals in your area and you'll see what I'm talking about-john

How about somebody start a TRACKING thread so we can get back to answering the OP's original questions on this topic!?!?!

I apologize for getting off topic. I am not use to users calling me a lair on this sight and it bugs me. It is one thing to disagree with multiple issues in this thread and discuss them. Another to...ya...


So, with the topic in mind…

I have a friend over on Specialty Pistols that has shot a 460 in both the S&W and TC platform. Using the 200gr factory ammo the TC had a 400 FPS advantage over the X-frame. FWIW. If you use a heavy”er” bullet that number will diminish. In my experience, the more weight the less the difference there will be.

If you have a couple of deer and can see where it went, yeah, maybe. Have the deer turn into a trail with 100 other prints and sort them out, tell where the wounded deer left the trail, give me a break. 50 other deer left to feed but the wounded deer steps harder. Give me a break.
A troll is a liar with magic powers.

Take the time to read others posts Jim, AND respect them...




Rod asked plain and clear... so please go away troll

I apologize ahead for another off topic post, but I have PM's from other members here about it and feel it is needed.

I would normally like to address this with 430man with a PM but his referred to posts by the PM's have been public so this will also be.

430 man, I think a lot of us respect your seemingly vast experience; but a lot of us here also have a looooot of experience. Your opinion is fine but is not the only viable one. Also, it is inappropriate to infer that some here are "crazy" or a "hoax."

Also please refrain from insulting remarks or remarks that some may take as an insult.

Thank you.

As for tracking a deer, maybe in your situation where there are so many tracks it may seem "impossible," but I, along with several others here, can do it and have done it; where we respectively hunt, and done it quite successfully. And will continue to do it.

Hey TCtex, just curious about the barrel lengths used on the encore and revolver in that test your buddy did. THAT is the test I'd like to see!! Thanks!!

RT

It was a 14 or 15in barrel. Do a search over on SP or even better yet post a question… LOL

I can’t even remember the user. I will look later and see what I can’t find…

I even had a few pm’s from when I was considering barrel length before I bought one. They are old enough they are not there anymore.

Duane

Never been to SP. Gonna have to check that out!!

That is the reason, we have too many deer. There is no way to track one. Even when tracking I jump many more and wonder if one of them is the one I am looking for so that will lead you off on a tangent until you go back to the starting point again.
You will not track a deer when every square foot of ground has tracks.
Even in snow, you go good until the deer turns into a trail with 50 other prints. I NEED blood here. Heavy trails can be two steps apart.
I understand your situation but you must also understand mine.
You might be a good tracker but I will bet you will stand here and scratch your head. The deer shot does not have a stamp on it's hooves that says "ME."
It takes hours to check every trail to find a speck of blood and if it is the last, where do you go? The trails will split into 3 or 4 so you look at more hours to find a speck of blood.
Sorry that I can not pick out one deer track from another because most are the same size. What will a broken blade of grass tell you?
Come here and hunt with me, you are welcome. If you hit a deer without a blood trail you will be 100% lost and will never find it. I am a good tracker, do not over blow yourself. I will never call you a troll.
I am not the average hunter and will spend all night with a lantern to find a deer. I need you here to walk right to it.

Mr. Jim, we started a new thread, stop playing a troll on this one please. If you have something you would like to contribute to the new thread please do so. This is off topic and you have been asked to stop several time by multiple users…

Not really…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(Internet)
In internet slang, a Troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response “OR” of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion

Jim, I am not going to debate you, it is off topic here and not appropriate.

You need to spend the time to read the posts in a thread and respect them please.

OK, I understand it went off topic, sorry for that.

I've taken care of the issue with 430man. I'm tired of the crap with him. Adios

Gary, any chance this thread can be closed? I got the info that I was seaking when I started the topic. I don't claim to be the only one getting useful information of this thread, but I think it has gone well beyond its original question.

Just a thought...

Yes sir, it is now locked.