Blood trailing in the thick stuff

[swampdrummer]

Stuck a pig last night about 1/2 hour before dark. Little sow about 80 pounds. At the hit she turned a 180 and headed back into the swamp. I folllowed her thru the swamp, visually and by ear. I heard her crash and squeal back on the high ground. I KNEW she was down I got out of the tree and went to where I last heard her.

 No pig, no blood. Went back to where I hit her and started a fan search in fairly open ground. Found two specks of blood in about 150 feet but it at least gave me a direction of travel. An hour later I'm head high in palmettos and briars, crawling on my knees and finding good blood. Find real good blood where the pig hit a downed tree and couldn't get over it and then nothing. This place also fit with about where I last heard the crashing and squealing.
No more blood, can't find any tracks cause the  ground is covered in pig tracks. I crawled and crashed and went back to the last sign for another hour. Flashlight batteries were dying so I backed out.
Head high very thick stuff.How do you track in it? I mean thick enough that you have to push your way thru. All the while looking for blood.

Just to give an end to the story. I went back this morning and found the pig. She fell within 10 feet of where I found the last blood.Took me 15 minutes of looking in the daylight to find her. I was within 3 feet of her several times last night and never saw her.Of course, with 80 degree temps last night the meat was beyond keeping.

I'm working on building a "tracking pack" Toilet paper, compass and spare batteries for the flashlight.

Just not sure what else I could have done. Any real tips in finding game in the really thick stuff?

[texas woody]

You did just about all you can do the only suggestion would be to use a lantern. It is a lot easier to see blood at night. I have been in that position before with pigs, must be carefull tracking wounded pigs through thick brush they do get nasty sometimes.

[Ragnarok Forge]

Your only problem was having enough light to find the pig.  Solve that and you have it licked.  Or get a blood tracking dog.

[BUFF]

I feel your pain. After going thru what you did a dozen times, I finally broke down and bought a dog to train. It was the best move I ever made. I'm color blind so I always struggled with blood trails. I never lost any deer but I had lost several pigs. Now not only can I find my game with ease, I can also help out friends when they have some thing they cant find.

[Bjorn]

Pigs don't always bleed externally-no matter where you hit them.
You may find all the lost blood inside and that is not very helpful to tracking.
Good dogs will definitely help as will daylight-as mentioned above.
With pigs shot late in the day you may be better off waiting till morning-I have only rarely found them by flashlight.

[Marty]

My beagle has changed everything- especially in this thick stuff!!!!

[Kip]

I would have lost my doe in January this year in the chest and head high palmettoes.Not a drop of blood hit it last rib but quarting away went in to vitals but stomach lineing plugged entrance, no exit.Left the camp at daylight to get my yellow lab who was also trained to blood trail.Could not use a leash way too thick but tried to keep an eye on him.He found the deer after about two hours in the swamp about 200 yards from my stand.I have a pic of the trash she was in posted in the highlights section.Kip
 
He was proud of himself.Went ahead and posted pic.

[stickbowmaniac]

Yep like Texas said .Get a lantern.Makes blood trailing much easier.My buddy once shot a spike and with a flashlight blood trail seemed fair.Went to the camp and got the lantern.You should of seen the blood that we had missed.Made this tracking job very easy even though the deer had ran approx. 200 yards.

[bawana bowman]

Brad,

A dog is really the easiest way to find them in low or no light situations. I've found the best solution when a dog isn't available to be a lantern along with a spray bottle of hydrogen peroxide. The HP will really foam up when it comes in contact with blood. Leaves no doubt whether or not what you see is blood or not at night, also works great in daylight.
A bottle with the sprayer can be purchased at Wal-Mart for under $2. I usually always carry one in my pack for evening hunts.

[metsastaja]

Originally posted by Marty:
My beagle has changed everything- especially in this thick stuff!!!!

YUP

[B/W lvr]

I have never had the opportunity to kill a pig but have tracked several elk in the dark and use a coleman lantern. Works really well, WAY better than a flashlight!!!!! You might try it I think you'll like it. Frank

[swampdrummer]

Thanks guys, Never thought to try a lantern. I've got a double mantle coleman just sitting around that I'll put into service next time.

Will have to think on the dog. I've got two mutts around here but I think that they would be just as likely to go off chasing the pigs I ain't got an arrow in! LOL

I know there was a book mentioned on here before for training for blood trailing. Will have to search for it.

Thanks again
Brad

[nc recurveman]

most of the time dogs will follow the "hit" animal any ole' mutt will do I had a dashund as a kid and he was a crackerjack blood dog. I have a jack russel bird dog mix currently for that purpose now. Another tip I use trackin is glow sticks I mark blood with them, they will give you a genarally direction of travel. I have a bloodlight the wife gave me for christmas and most admit the infernal thing does work.