From time to time, even the most experienced hunters wound game and are forced to track it. This does not necessarily mean the hunter made a bad shot! Sometimes animals run on sheer adrenaline, and it is amazing what an animal can do under duress. Ethical hunters do their best to recover the animal, and with patience and the right techniques you’ll succeed. Just avoid these six tracking blunders… 1. Not watching and listening to the aftermath It’s crucial to stay in “hunter mode” even after the shot breaks. Keep your eyes and ears focused on your animal even as you’re coming out of recoil. When shooting at an animal it is wise to watch it for tell-tale signs of a good hit. A “humped up” deer, one that is obviously wounded, and sometimes (but not always) a deer with a tail down as it runs off is a sign that you probably hit it hard. Hunters should listen for a crash of their game animal falling or running. Watch which direction it heads and how directly it goes in that direction. Does it leap over logs and act uninjured? (That doesn’t mean that it isn’t mortally wounded. Adrenaline is a powerful chemical!) Next, mentally note exactly where the animal was standing when you shot and note what is directly behind it, too. Then mentally note the last place you saw it before it disappeared. Commit these to memory. 2. Starting too soon This is the toughest part for many hunters. You’re very excited and want to recover your animal as soon as possible, but starting too soon can ensure that it never happens. Your wounded animal may very well be quite close by, but if you make a big racket it’s going to run as far as it can. Give it a few minutes and let yourself calm down. Then you can quietly and carefully get out of your stand to go to the spot where the animal was standing. Once you arrive at the impact site, look for hair and blood and any other evidence the animal is hurt. Then you can begin tracking if you feel the shot was well placed. Some people stress waiting a half hour to an hour. If the shot was good you can proceed.  If your blood trail is mere drops every 10 to 20 yards and the animal is going uphill, over logs and crossing water, you need to stop immediately and give it several hours to bed down and hopefully expire. Tracking an animal in this situation is only pushing them with adrenaline. The will to survive is incredible. My father once hit a deer with two slugs—either of which should have proven fatal—but ended up tracking it back and forth across a swamp four times. Had he let it rest for a few hours, he probably would have found it the first time. 3. Starting too late There is such a thing as starting too late, of course. Is it about to rain or snow, or is it doing so now? If so, know that blood sign, hair and tracks will be obscured quickly. Is the wind howling moving leaves over the trail? Are there large predators that might take advantage of a lull in tracking? The most important thing (after your own safety, of course) is to do everything in your power to ensure that animal’s meat isn’t wasted. Sometimes that means starting out a little earlier than you’d like. 4. Walking on the blood trail Once you begin tracking, the one thing you do not want to do is walk on top of blood or other sign that the animal is leaving in its wake. So many hunters eagerly charge ahead once they spot blood! There are times you may need to go back and find the trail and line up a travel direction and analyze how the animal is acting by its choices of travel. Be sure not to have anyone helping you disturb sign. 5. Not marking the trail Many hunters also make the mistake of not marking sign that they find, and then they end up losing the trail. I carry blaze orange flagging with me to tie above the trail at intervals where blood is not very obvious. This is especially helpful at night. Just be sure to go back and remove your flagging when you are done. Do not use your blaze orange hat; you need to be wearing that while you are rustling around looking for your animal! Using flagging not only helps you stay on the trail, but you can look back and get a visual on the direction of travel the animal is taking from time to time when the trail seems to stop. 6. Approaching a wounded animal too soon If you come up on your animal and are in doubt of its ability to move but it is clearly alive, it is best to put a final shot on it from a safe distance rather than risk injury to you or risk the animal getting up again and running off. In fact, wounded animals (even herbivores like deer) can be very dangerous. This is not the time to be stingy with your ammo. Do the animal and yourself a favor and put it down humanely. Good hunting this season…our wish for you is that you won’t need any of this advice!
There are many modes of hunting foxes and other feral animals. FOXBUSTERS wish every hunt to be successful but more importantly “SAFE” The following are guidelines are based on common sense and collective experience. Spotlight Shooting Code of PracticeSpotlight shooting is a potentially dangerous activity, because it involves the transport and use of firearms on a vehicle moving over uneven terrain, sometimes at considerable speed. A firearm injury is a very serious matter. Safety is everyone’s responsibility. The driver and shooters should not be fatigued or have consumed alcohol for 24hrs prior to the hunt, nor during the hunt. When spotlighting shooting from “Rover“, or any other suitably equipped vehicle, maximum duty of care must be taken to provide secure firearm holders, the vehicle maintained in safe working condition and driven with as much care as possible. Safe Operational Practices (SOPS)
Non-compliance of SOPS could result in the cancellation of the hunt. Enjoy your hunt, may it be safe and successful. ————————————————————————————————————- FOXBUSTERS Hunting From a Vehicle Code of Practice Possibilities 1. One driver/shooter. 2. One driver/shooter and one passenger shooter. 3. One driver/shooter and two passenger shooters. 4. One driver and one passenger shooter. 5. One driver and two passenger shooters.
Any more persons – shooters or passengers – significantly increases the risk of mistakes and possible injuries unless the vehicle is customised to accommodate higher numbers of persons. v All firearms must be UNLOADED (no cartridge in chamber) when in transit. v All firearms must be UNLOADED (no cartridge in chamber) when unattended. Unattended is when the firearm is not in the hands of and in control of the shooter. v The firearm should only be loaded, when game is present and in control of the shooter and pointed away from any part of the vehicle and any part of occupants. The firearm must be SAFE. SAFE means open breach or reliable safety catch on, so the firearm cannot accidently discharge. v The firearm should only be made ready to fire when the target is in view, in range and presented where a successful hit be made allowing for a safe background. A safe background means that there is nothing that shouldn’t be struck by projectiles behind the target and 30degrees either side of the target. v After shots are fired, the firearm must be UNLOADED again displaying the UNLOADED firearm condition to a buddy. ØWARNING Ø Extreme care must be taken when alighting from the vehicle to engage the target. The firearm must be SAFE and not allowed to point towards any part of the vehicle and occupants. Made ready to fire only when trained toward the target. Ø At the conclusion of the hunt, particular care must be taken. All firearms must be checked as they must be unloaded – breech open – before being transferred to other vehicles or secure storage. Firearms should be stored uncocked to preserve the integrity of the firing spring. ————————————————————————————————————-
FOXBUSTERS On Foot Hunting Code of Practice
Calling foxes with decoy sounds.
National Firearms Safety Code – Northern Territory Police, Fire and … |
Which of the following should be done by a hunter who is tracking a wounded animal?
Pos Terkait
Copyright © 2024 membukakan Inc.
