Tracking Wounded Game (Eftersöket)
Tracking is something you always do when a game animal disappears from the hunter’s sight after being shot at. Always! The only exception is when you can clearly confirm a miss, for example, if you find the bullet strike (in a tree, a stone, or the ground) and can thereby rule out a hit on the animal.
Tracking continues until the animal is either found dead or you are certain it is unharmed — which can mean several kilometers of tracking. A tracking situation doesn’t necessarily mean a bad shot; more often, it just means the game lies dead outside the shooter’s line of sight — not uncommonly even after a perfect shot.
As a new hunter, you should know that sooner or later you will cause a tracking situation, possibly even a wounded animal. All experienced hunters have done it at some point. Shooting perfectly in the forest is hard. The target can appear from any direction and is moving. The shooter may be stiff, cold, tired, sweaty, and surprised.
What really matters is not the cause. What matters is that you and your hunting team can resolve the situation and shorten any suffering. It is your moral duty — and legal obligation.
Stay Calm
There are some psychological factors that can seriously complicate tracking: namely, shame, pride, and panic. This is a tough part of hunting that all hunters should reflect on and talk about. Hunters need to feel safe in their hunting teams and be willing to admit mistakes and describe them honestly — even when it’s uncomfortable.
It’s important to remain objective when the animal leaves your sight. Tell the hunt leader exactly what happened, what you think might have gone wrong, and how it felt. Always assume a hit unless proven otherwise. Tracking based on a shooter’s claimed miss has often led to the discovery of a dead or injured animal.
Another common misjudgment is that the shooter believes they fired at one animal — when in fact, multiple animals were present and more than one was hit. This is also a reason why a tracking situation should always be initiated when the shooter loses sight of the animal after the first shot.
Memorize the Situation
It’s frustrating for the shooter when things don’t go as planned and the animal vanishes into the forest. Emotions surge through the body, and it’s easy to act irrationally — yet it is more important than ever in that moment to stay calm, remain still, wait for the dog handler or hunt leader, and memorize the situation.
The tracking team will want to know, among other things:
- The exact shooting location.
- How the animal reacted to the shot.
- Where the animal came from, in which direction it disappeared, and how it moved.
- Whether there were other animals present.
- Any other observations.
Stay Put
Contact the hunt leader, but stay where you are and absolutely do not leave your spot (unless you are instructed otherwise). Wait for the tracking dog or help to arrive. One of the most important things for the tracking team is to get accurate information from the start and an undisturbed shooting site.
Few things are as valuable as a calm, composed, and accurate report from the shooter — this can be the difference between a successful or failed tracking effort.
Take your time. The shooter (who is, after all, “the only witness”) must be given a chance to tell their story in peace and calm.
Obligations and Rights in the Event of Wounding
When an animal is wounded, paragraph 28 of the Hunting Act governs hunting practice:
“If game has been wounded during hunting, the hunter shall immediately take the necessary actions to ensure that the animal can be tracked and killed.”
This means the hunter is always responsible for tracking all wounded game – from a small dove to moose and bear. The shooter is always responsible. In organized hunts for certain game species, the hunt leader also carries a degree of responsibility.
Negligence may result in fines and firearm confiscation.
Extraordinary Measures
What is allowed varies from case to case, and you must always be able to justify any extraordinary actions that under regular hunting would be considered illegal. Such actions may include:
- Using artificial lighting
- Using a motor vehicle to intercept the animal
- Using prohibited weapon types
- Tracking and killing game even after nightfall
- Tracking and killing game on another person’s land (when tracking deer, you are obliged to notify the landowner, unless doing so would delay or hinder the search)
- If you are even slightly unsure what to do: Call the police.
Responsibility Also on Neighboring Land
When tracking on someone else’s land, you must notify the landowner or – if not possible – the police.
The landowner may not stop the tracking and does not have the right to take it over. However, good communication is always preferable.
If the hunting team that wounded the animal hands over the tracking to a neighboring team, the original hunting team’s hunt leader remains responsible for the tracking.
Note also: This only applies to animals wounded during hunting. Game injured in traffic accidents (road or rail) falls entirely under police responsibility. The police will set the conditions for tracking and contact specially designated tracking hunters.
New Laws Take Effect
The moment it is determined that an animal has been wounded, the conditions for the hunt change drastically. During tracking (eftersök) of game wounded during hunting (not traffic-injured animals — see the box on the previous page), one may sometimes take actions that would otherwise be prohibited during regular hunting.
However, it is important to remember that one must always be able to justify such actions afterward. For example, if you use a vehicle to intercept the animal and it turns out the animal is uninjured, you could be convicted of a hunting offense.
The same applies if you go onto neighboring land and shoot an uninjured animal. You must be quite certain of your situation and be able to give a good explanation for any actions that fall outside the bounds of regular legal hunting. Otherwise, call the police.
Regardless of what the law says about tracking wounded animals, it is also a hunter’s moral obligation to do everything possible to recover a wounded animal.
Signs of a Hit
- Blood with bubbles and froth indicates a lung hit. Hopefully, the moose is not far away and has already died.
- Very dark blood may indicate a liver or heart hit. Here too, the chance of a short tracking job is good.
- Bone fragments indicate the animal has sustained a strong — but not immediately fatal — injury. This usually means a difficult tracking effort ahead. Round bone shards (long bones) suggest a hit in the leg. Other bone shapes may indicate a hit to the antler base (especially if the animal stumbled or collapsed at impact).
- If the animal showed no reaction and the tracks look completely normal, there’s a high risk of a jaw hit.
- A lot of hair and skin fragments, but little blood, could suggest a grazing shot. Tracking may be difficult.
- A small amount of hair and blood (often diminishing along the escape route) may indicate a muscle shot. Tracking may be difficult.
- A small amount of blood along with stomach or intestinal content indicates a gut shot. Tracking may be difficult.
- Very long hair strands suggest a hit in the neck region — common in moose and wild boar. White moose hair usually points to a low hit in the belly or leg region.
- Tracks in the ground or snow that appear unnatural are clear signs of a hit.
Tracking with a Dog
How the tracking is carried out is decided by the hunt leader and partly by the dog handler. There is no fixed formula for exactly how tracking with a scent-tracking dog should be done, as it depends on the terrain, the way the dog works, and other factors. There are also different opinions about how to work with dogs. In summary, all methods are good – as long as they work and both the dog and handler know what they’re doing.
However, it is a good idea to begin by tracking with the dog on a leash. This way you get a clear direction, and there is a better chance of discovering more signs after the hit. It sometimes happens that a shot animal leaves no blood at the point of impact, but after 500 meters leaves large and abundant blood trails. This applies to wild boar and bears as well as deer species.
Two Trackers
When tracking with a dog, if possible, two people should track together – one handling the dog and the other following as the shooter.
Two pairs of eyes spot signs better than one. Hopefully, the animal can be dispatched either by the tracking team or by one of the stationed hunters.
Be prepared for the tracking to take a long time. Dress for a long walk. A wounded moose may travel a kilometer before lying down. Wild boar often go even farther. Tracking can take several hours, even days.
If there are no results, it may become necessary to release the dog and let it work independently. This depends somewhat on the type of dog available and naturally on the physical conditions – for example, if there are busy roads nearby. Releasing the dog may put pressure on the injured animal, potentially driving it within shooting range of a waiting hunter (injured animals are wary and difficult to push from dense woodland). The dog may also bay (or take down) the animal, allowing the handler to move in and dispatch it. Keep in mind that as soon as the dog is released, a large part of the control is lost. There is a risk that both the dog and the game disappear. In the worst-case scenario, you’re left with nothing to track.
Wounded Game Seeks a Wound Bed
An animal that is wounded but not fatally shot typically reacts by running straight away from the shot site, then gradually slows down, begins to circle (zigzag or change direction), and eventually lies down in a wound bed. At this stage, the animal is under the influence of adrenaline and its natural flight response.
If you follow the animal too soon, its next dash can be much longer and more forceful.
However, if the animal is left undisturbed for a while, two things happen: The adrenaline level drops, and bleeding increases. Movement becomes more painful, and the chances increase that the entire tracking team (and the shooter) will get a second chance. The animal is also more likely to lie down again quickly.
Blood Spatter Gives Clues
While tracking, you can gather clues about where the animal was hit:
• Blood in the middle of the track may indicate a low hit or a leg shot.
• Blood on branches the animal brushed against suggests a higher hit.
• Sprayed blood beside the track may indicate a high wound where blood is flung outward from the coat as the animal moves.
It can be difficult to see blood in an autumn-colored forest with many natural red tones. Use plain white toilet paper to wipe suspected blood spots.
Make a habit of feeling with your fingers. Taste it.
Difficult Shots
If you know the animal is wounded, you may need to take shots from longer distances and in more difficult situations than would be appropriate during regular hunting. However, if there are no indications the animal is wounded, you should not take the risk.
That said, you must never – not even during tracking – compromise safety. As always, you must know what you are shooting at and have a secure backstop. In difficult situations, such as when the animal enters populated areas, call the police.
Be Careful with the Finishing Shot
The finishing shot is the shot that ends the animal’s suffering. If the animal is lying in a wounded position, the shot should be aimed at the cervical spine or head. In other situations, a shot to the heart or lungs may be used. A few things are especially important to keep in mind:
- The dog, which may be very close to the animal.
- Hearing. At close range, the gunshot can echo back strongly.
- Ricochet risk, if the bullet strikes rocks nearby.
Tracking Small Game
The legal requirements for tracking do not distinguish between, for example, a moose and a hare. The same rules for tracking and dispatching apply to all game species.
Generally speaking, a dog and snow are the hunter’s best friends during tracking. In bird hunting, having a searching and retrieving dog is absolutely essential. Wounded birds that fall in reeds or tall grass can be impossible to find without a dog.
Some naturally camouflaged birds can be extremely hard to find even when lying in plain sight. That is why the law requires a dog during all forms of bird hunting, except on snow, from boats over open water, or coastal sea duck hunting using decoys.
Wounded Birds Flee Quickly
It’s easy to underestimate the ability of a wounded bird to run or swim. Woodland birds are partly adapted to live on the ground and can vanish quickly into dense cover. Ducks and geese can swim and dive.
In these cases, a dog is not only able to smell and locate the bird but also has the speed and capability to catch it before it escapes.
At the moment of the shot, you might get a clue. The best sign is when the bird folds up and drops straight down to the ground with a thump. That usually indicates a good hit and that the bird likely died before hitting the ground.
Keep an Eye on the Bird
If the bird veers off but continues gliding, even if slightly wobbly, that may be a bad sign. Such a bird can run (or swim) off after landing and be hundreds of meters away by the time you get to the landing spot.
Over open water, try to keep your eyes on the bird to see where it lands. Sometimes it simply rests for a few minutes and you can retrieve it. Other times, it may disappear for days.
The Shot Bird
You can usually tell how seriously injured a waterfowl is by observing its head posture.
- If the head is upright, as usual, the bird is generally not dying.
- If the head sways and bobs backward or forward, the bird is likely dying.
- If the bird lies with its neck extended and its head in the water, it is generally dead — though not always, so be prepared to take a finishing shot.
If you’re hunting geese with a rifle, it’s a good idea to carry a shotgun for follow-up situations.
Be Prepared
If a wing breaks but the bird is still alive, you’ll notice it trying to flap while falling nearly straight down. It often looks like tumbling. Be ready in such situations, because as soon as it hits the ground, the bird may try to run or swim away.
When hunting waterfowl, for example, you should keep your eyes on the birds even after a shot that appears to miss. It’s not unusual for a bird to veer off and suddenly dive after 5–10 seconds of seemingly unaffected flight. Ducks sometimes shoot straight up after being hit. Keep watching the birds – suddenly, one may fold its wings and drop.
Water Offers Protection
Birds swimming on water are difficult to shoot because the water provides protection. If a bird is hit but not killed, try to get closer before firing again. Sometimes you can get close enough to catch it by hand. Dispatching a bird in such a case is often done using a short stick or cane to the back of the head.
Use Dogs for Small Game Too
Tracking foxes, badgers, hares, and other small game is best done with a dog. See the section on den hunting, which is also a tracking method for injured foxes and badgers that often seek shelter underground when wounded.
Snow hunting is one of the safest hunting methods and it makes all types of tracking significantly easier. You can spot even a few hairs or the tiniest blood drops easily in snow.
Choose the Most Effective Method
The requirement to use a tracking dog within two hours still applies for ungulates and large predators. However, for foxes and lynx, it may be just as effective to track “by hand” – and you should always use the method that is most effective and safest. Still, dogs can be useful when there’s a need to pressure or corner the wounded animal.
When You Find Injured Game
As a hunter, you spend a lot of time in the forest, so it’s useful to know about paragraph 40 b of the Swedish hunting regulations, which states:
“If wild animals are found alive and either injured or in such condition that, for animal welfare reasons, they should be euthanized immediately, they may be killed even if protected or located on another person’s property.”
In such a situation, you may use any weapon or implement to kill the animal — as long as it is done effectively and without unnecessary suffering.
Note that this only applies to found animals. It may, for example, involve a bird injured by a power line, an abandoned moose calf with an eye injury, or an animal wounded for some other reason.
The same applies if you are already engaged in a follow-up (tracking) and the animal rises and disappears onto another person’s land. In that case, the hunting rights holder or landowner of the neighboring property must always be contacted first, followed by the police.