If John Trout, Jr. could have his way, the phrase that starts with "I stuck a deer" would never be followed by a lengthy pause and the muttered epitaph, "but I didn't find it." Trout believes letting a wounded deer escape to die undiscovered and unused is one of the worst things that can ever happen to a sportsman. So, he's done something about it.
The Warrick county Indiana outdoor writer has just released his fifth book: Finding Wounded Deer.
It's his second book on the subject after releasing "Trailing Whitetails," his first book title, in 1987.
"I've come a long way since that first tracking book," Trout said. "I've experienced numerous tracking endeavors since that time and can honestly say that this second book about tracking deer shot with a bow or gun is much better, and much more advanced, than the first.
"This book provides many illustrations and photographs that are essential to its contents. They will give you a better understanding of the wounded deer and provide you with a quick reference guide when you shoot a deer and need to know something right away."
Trout acknowledges that tracking a wounded deer is one of the ugly little truths about deer hunting and concedes it's a subject some would just as soon ignore, lest they give fuel to the anti-hunting faction.
But the author also knows that not all shots result in the preferred "quick, clean kill" and that makes this book all that more important.
"Unfortunately," he says, "regardless of how responsible we are, there are times when it becomes neccessary to track a deer."
He's right, of course. Is there anyone reading this who has hunted deer or knows someone who has hunted deer that doesn't know of a wounded deer that went unfound and unharvested? It happens.
Trout's newest book will never eliminate that unfortunate reality, but it will cut down on the frequency of unrecovered deer if it's read and used.
Chapters in the book include: Wounded Deer Realities, Deer Hair Identification, Blood Trails, Cardiorespiratory Wounds, Arterial Wounds, Last-Ditch Recovery Tactics, Analyzing the Shot, Deer Anatomy, Tracking Factors, Abdominal Wounds, Muscular/Skeletal Wounds and Real-Life Tracking Events.
Plus, the book is spiced with little tidbits throughout that are bound to give even the most-experienced deer hunter something to make him more efficient in the field when it comes to recovering his game.
For instance:
Most wounded whitetails leave the scene with their tail tucked. There are always exceptions to the rule, however. For this reason, never assume you missed just because the tail is up.
You can safely assume a deer is wounded if it
beds down within view of your ambush site. If you see the deer bed down
you should stay put, watch the deer closely and let it make the next move.
If a wounded deer suddenly turns into a thick area, it will probably bed down. If the deer is not aware of the tracker it may lie down as soon as it enters dense cover.
The most-practical section may well be the Quick Reference Guide, which lists different types of hits (double-lung, one-lung, heart, etc.) and what specifics to look for with each type of wound.
According to Peter Fiduccia, the editor of the Outdoorsman's Edge Book Club "Trout has taken finding wounded deer to the next level...it is the bible to locating wounded deer."
To get your copy for $24.95 (plus $4 shipping) call John Trout directly at (812) 567-8948.