I am thinking a dog is the best.
I like to night trail, use a bright hand held flashlight. That way you see only what you light up and you tend to concentrate a bit better on that area. . like you see on the CI and similar shows on TV.
I am also lazy and hate to hunt early because I like to sleep in, so with primarily afternoon hunts, I typically always get my wish and have night trails.
Slow, easy does it, and look for patterns in addition to just blood (like. . a drop or spray every 6-10 feet. you may want to look for the next drop about hmmmm 6-10 feet away from the last one)
ChuckC