Tracking

When many hunters go out looking for big game, they hope to drop the animal in its tracks after being shot. However, sometimes this does not happen and hunters are spending hours tracking their animals. Tracking is the science of observing animal tracks and trails. This is used when trying to find animals to hunt. It is also used to find a dead animal after it is shot. Following an animals track, trail, or signs is called spoor. Spoor is the feathers, scratching posts, kills, drag marks, sounds and many other things to identify where an animal is going. Blood is one of the main things hunters follow when tracking a shot animal in the woods. They also look for drag marks and foot prints. Trackers look for spoor in obvious places like thick brush and opened clearings. It is easy to track shot animals in the winter because the bright red blood is easy to identify in the white snow. Injured animals tend to bed down.

When tracking a wounded animal, it is crucial to wait at least 30 minutes and up to even 4 hours. If you start tracking too soon, animals could get an adrenline rush and chances of finding the animal are slim. Take it slow and mark spots of blood with flagging tape every 25-50 yards to trace the trail from far distances. Be sure to pick up the tape when you're done. You should walk on the side of the trail so you do not mess up the signs. If you lose the trail and can't find anymore blood, go back to the last place you saw blood and scout around that area. When tracking a wounded animal it is easy to get caught up in just looking at the ground, trying to find that next speck of blood. You should be aware of what is 100 yards out in front of you because if the animal is bedded down and you spook it, be ready to shoot.

Curtis, Rick. “Outdoor Action Guide to Tracking Animals.” Princeton. N.p., 2010. Web. 7 Jan. 2011. http://www.princeton.edu/‌~oa/‌nature/‌tracking.shtml.
“Tracking Animals.” Wikipedia. N.p., 30 Nov. 2011. Web. 7 Jan. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/‌wiki/‌Tracking_(hunting)>.

Texas Heart Shot



Texas heart shot of a coyote.



Texas heart shot is a hunting term that means shooting at the tail and butt region of an animal. The hunter usually aims for the femoral artery. This artery is in the leg that goes from the hip to the knee. After the bullet or arrow goes through this artery, it then usually goes through the heart or lung. Many hunters do not use this shot because it is hard to make it a successful one. The Texas heart shot usually harms the edible meat of the animal. The point of this kind of shot is to break the animals spinal cord and other large bones in it's body. This enables them to move if they are not yet killed.

 The Texas heart shot is a very controversial issue. Most people, even hunters, see it as unethical. Many hunters only use this as a last resort shot if a wounded animal is running away from them. On discussion forums of many outdoors web sites, hunters talk about the Texas heart shot. Some admitted to actually killing an animal this way, but really regret it. Trying to clean a deer after the bullet has gone through the whole body, is very difficult and a huge mess. Most of the meat is not even usable at this point. A few hunters do think this kind of shot is ethical. They say it's a very fast way to kill an animal and it gets the job done. They do believe it should not be one's primary shot while hunting. Hunters think it is ok to shoot coyotes this way because their meat has no use.

Jordan Outdoor Enterprises. “Texas Heart Shot?????” Realtree. N.p., May 2010. Web. 6 Jan. 2011. http://www.realtree.com/‌forums/‌showthread.php?t=1950.

Popik, Barry. “Texas Heart Shot.” The Big Apple. N.p., May 2010. Web. 6 Jan. 2011. http://www.barrypopik.com/‌index.php/‌new_york_city/‌entry/‌texas_heart_shot_hunting/.

“Texas Heart Shot.” Wikipedia. N.p., 21 June 2010. Web. 6 Jan. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/‌wiki/‌Texas_heart_shot>.



Treeing and Coursing

Treeing is a method of hunting where dogs chase animals until the point they are forced up a tree. Usually a hunter follws them on foots. They are then able to shoot the animal. It is mainly used for raccoon, black bear, and cougar hunting. Sometimes the prey is killed by the dogs or the dogs are killed by the prey. The dogs follow the scent of the animal and bark continuously. Dogs are trained to bark and not directly attack the animal.


Coursing is the persuit of animals by a dog. They catch their prey by constantly running and chasing until the animal is caught. They use sight to catch the animal rather than scent. It is the oldest practiced form in the western world. The most common coursed animals in America are:

• hares
• rabbits
• foxes
• jackrabbits
• coyotes

In the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Spain, they have competive coursing where 2 dogs are used. In America usually 3 dogs are used. In some countries is has recently become illegal to course animals except rabbits and rats. Only up to 2 dogs are allowed to be used to chase  the prey into the path of a hunter with a gun.

“Coursing.” Wikipedia. N.p., 13 Dec. 2010. Web. 5 Jan. 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/‌wiki/‌Coursing.

“Treeing.” Wikiepedia. N.p., 19 Dec. 2010. Web. 5 Jan. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/‌wiki/‌Treeing>.

Roadkill

Roadkill is an animal or animals that have been hit and killed by a motor vehicle. Many animals and pets are killed each year. When the animals lay on the side of the road, it is considered a form of road pollution. It is up to the state troopers and department of transportation to remove roadkill from streets. Roadkill can be eaten and it is said that there are many roadkill recipe books.

Schools from all around did a study on about 2,000 animals that were roadkill. 81% of deaths were mammals. The following shows how many mammals are killed each year:

• 4.1 million squirrels
• 26 million cats
• 22 million rats
• 19 million opossum

• 15 million raccoons
• 6 million dogs
• 350,000 deer

Accidents with animals can increase the chance of endangered species to become extinct, death of people, and pets. Most accidents happen at night because many animals are nocturnal. The glare of bright lights tend to make animals freeze rather than run away. The best way to reduce chances of hitting animals is to drive a little bit slower at night and scan both sides of the road while driving. Some places in the United States, Canada, and Europe have these things called wildlife crossings. They are tunnels under or over roads that animals can travel through to avoid going on roads.

You should be aware of animal crossing signs in wooded areas.

“Roadkill.” Wikipedia. N.p., 3 Jan. 2011. Web. 4 Jan. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/‌wiki/‌Roadkill>.