The boom is still resounding through the forest, but quite likely you can still hear the thump of your heart as the recoil subsides and you briefly catch sight of your deer before it vanishes into the scrub.

A lot of talk goes on about where to hunt, how to hunt, and what to hunt with, but all of that is largely academic after the shot is fired. If you can’t find your deer, all the effort comes to nothing. You are left without that sense of achievement, no congratulatory shake of hands from your mates, no pictures of your fallen quarry to preserve the moment, no celebrations around the camp fire, no meat for the family and no trophy for the wall. Just the empty feeling of unfinished business and uncertainty. Is there a wounded suffering animal out there, or is the object of your hours of preparation and effort just lying there unfound?

Putting in the work to ensure the shot you fire will deliver a humane kill is an essential part of the successful hunt, but even the hardest-hit deer can show no sign of injury and will rarely drop on the spot. They may travel well over 100 metres and the hunt is not over until you’ve found it. Tracking marks and reading deer signs are skills hunters should take pride in, and these are never more useful than in following up after the shot (of course if you have hounds or a companion dog, they leave us humans for dead in this regard).

Every walk through the bush is a chance to observe the signs left by animals and learn from them. Paying attention to these will bring substantial benefits. I am no great expert but have had the benefit of great teachers like Mike Harrison, Allan Edebohls and Graham Bastin. You need to put the effort in to learn yourself, but a good mentor definitely helps.

In a state of excitement, the instinct is to run after the retreating animal to put it down before it gets away, and I can still recall my surprise as a young bloke sitting at camp when Alan explained that this is the worst thing you can do.

Deer are very good at keeping close to escape routes with good cover and are generally able to disappear very quickly. They are initially running on a surge of adrenaline and will keep running as long as that lasts, but will also soon realise they are not feeling so good and might be inclined to stop and rest. The crashing sound of a pursuing predator will put that thought straight out of their mind as a new burst of adrenaline spurs them on to put more distance between them and you. A shot to the vital organs should result in haemorrhage leading to death within about five minutes, so it is important to not spook the animal with noisiness until this time has elapsed to render it expired, or too weak to resume escape. Also, the slower they move, the more frequent the blood spots should be.

Your first action should be to stop still, listen hard and look to get the best idea you can of the direction the animal headed. If it goes to plan you will hear the crashing slow and stop. The cracking of breaking branches can indicate the fall of the deer. There might be coughing or groaning sounds and the thrashing of pawing hooves. Remaining silent is crucial. Before you move, mark your spot, preferably with something blaze tied up high where it can be seen. If you are able to quietly move to a better vantage spot where you can see the deer (generally in cross gully situations), you may be able to deliver a finishing shot if that is required as it should be a priority to minimise suffering.

If you can’t locate the deer by sound or sight and have waited five minutes, it is time to very quietly make a move.

You should have made a mental note of where the deer was when you took the shot, head for that spot (to get there you need to pick some clear land marks that you will not confuse with others as your perspective changes or you lose sight of it as you cross gullies and other obstacles). Even if you can see were the deer is, you will learn heaps from observing the trail between where it was standing and where it ended up. When you get there, mark it as a reference point you can see (not just with a GPS). The nature of hunting is this scene is often playing out at last light and it is crucial to mark these spots while you can. Unless you have a good blood trail, without a dog you are not likely to find your deer in the dark and will have to come back in the morning.

At the deer’s location when the shot was fired, if there is not much ground cover and you look closely you may be able to find blood, tissue and hair, especially if the bullet exited (an exit wound will also increase the blood trail). Running marks should not be hard to find at this spot but may quickly become less obvious as the initial bolt slows to a brisk trot. The trail can potentially mingle with the hoof marks of other deer so start from the start. Mark each print with a scrap of toilet paper and gauge the distance between each stride as that will remain fairly consistent and will help you find the next one. Deer can turn quite sharply so you need to check about 45° each side of straight ahead. Be methodical; you might need to scout ahead a little if it is not possible to identify a mark or two, and if you lose the trail, go back to the last one you marked.

Deer are thinkers. Even when panicked they know exactly where they want to go and usually keep to the best cover along a known trail not blocked by major obstacles. Try and think from the deer’s perspective. When they are almost ready to drop, this changes and they may wobble downhill off the path to collapse hidden in the thick stuff. Pay attention to freshly broken off branches or spars.

The best sign for the hunter is blood. It tells you the deer is hit and confirms the marks you are following are the right ones. Don’t expect it to be obvious or in large amounts. The skin moves over the body so most of the time the hole in the skin does not line up with the hole in the body. There is likely to be some blood on the hide around the wound and that will wipe on the leaves and ferns that brush the sides of the deer as it travels. Since the leaves are pushed forward by the movement, the blood hides on the undersides so you need to turn them over to find it. The good thing about this is it is less washed off by rain or dew. It might look similar to blemish spots on leaves but will smudge when wiped with a moist finger.

If there is a log or something the deer needs to jump over, it is likely a bolus of blood will be pumped out in the process. As the deer slows, blood sign should become more frequent which means you may be getting close, but if you have spooked it and it increases speed, the spots may thin out again. Remember to look ahead as well as down, and keep listening.

In thick stuff it may be impossible to see hoof marks and you can be just a few metres from your fallen prize and not see it. Sometimes a systematic back and forth search pattern is the only option. Be aware of your surroundings. Flies and European wasps can be your best friends (for once) and guide you in the right direction. Don’t ignore the power of your own nose, especially if it’s the next day. It can absolutely lead you upwind to a hidden animal (in cool climates the meat is most likely fine, especially the side away from the ground, which will cool quickest).

If the carry out warrants a second or third trip, it’s a good idea to put a clear marker at the deer and possibly along the way to guide you back.

What I would encourage is to have a real go — put in the effort to read sign and follow up deer; it will make you a better hunter.

If you just assume ‘Well, I must have missed’, you let yourself and the deer down and make all the work you put in beforehand pointless.

Contributed by Tim Koschade.