Hi all, Do any of you use hydrogen peroxide in a mist squeeze bottle for tracking blood trails? It foams instantly when it contacts animal blood and greatly helps to identify even the smallest drops.

Hmmm...that's a new one on me.

Interesting idea but you would need a 55 gallon drum of it in parts of Texas in the fall of the year. Many regions have a little low growing plant, I believe the common name is "Stork's Bill." In the winter the leaves develop red splotches all over them that look just the color of fresh blood.

I encountered this several years ago hunting whitetail deer. Shot at a nice 6 point buck trying to race around me. He was going flat out and crossed a good clearing at about 75 yds. When I fired I heard to smack of a solid hit and the deer almost went down but managed to keep his feet under him. He made it into some cedar thickets not far away before I could get a follow-up, so there was nothing to do but track him. I felt sure he didn't get far.

I spent my last two hours of daylight in bitter cold and wind trying to find this devil but everywhere I looked there was this "bloody plant." I dubbed the weed "Trackers Delight" and can't think of a more perfect name for it. You won't follow a blood train across it, I can promise you, unless it is 6 inches wide and a 1/4 inch deep.

I never did find that poor deer. Not one of my proudest moments. (Rifle was Ruger 250/3000 and that was our last hunt together.)

[ 11-21-2003, 08:20: Message edited by: Pecos45 ]

There is a product called starlight bloodhound for tracking after sundown. It's in a spray bottle, and it makes blood glow in the dark. I haven't used it, but I hear that it works well.

Just a thought, Gib

Pecos, I'm extremely familiar with the little weed that you're talking about, it can certainly be decieving but after a while you get used to it and it quits fooling you. Just takes a little practice. However, for an out-of-towner, it might be a little overwhelming.

Hey Ted S., I've encountered the same tiny red spots that Pecos mentioned all over the Southeastern, USA. Where I primarily hunt, it is due to small red spots on the hardwood leaves when they hit the ground. They do make tracking quite a challenge and I sure understand how he managed to loose one. I can think of a lot of times we had to get a Deer Hound to help track.

Anyway, we tried the Peroxide trick in a Spray bottle a very long time ago. We used the Peroxide you buy "On Sale" for 33c-50cents and didn't have much luck with it. If we could have gotten a more concentrated version, maybe it would have worked better.

So, here is what I'd recommend to you. If you can get to someone cleaning a deer, get a small bottle of the blood and try a few drops on some leaves and see how long it takes for the Peroxide to begin bubbling. Short of that, buy yourself a Steak and use the blood inside the package.

Put a drop or two in the dirt or on a leaf and give it a spray. And do it after dark too so you can see how it looks in the beam of a flashlight.

You need to use small drops, because the larger ones are generally obvious. The thing to focus on is "how long it takes" for the Peroxide to begin foaming. It wasn't immediate for us. The problem was you could end up spraying real blood, not waiting long enough and then it foam after you have moved on.

For absolutely positively sure, mark the spot where you do find a drop. We found that making a "Cross" on the ground with two fallen limbs with the top pointed in the direction of movement to work really well. If you loose the track, you can go back, get the general direction from a couple of markers and begin looking again. Needless to say, you want to AVOID MOVING ANYTHING ON THE GROUND that may be along the path the Deer took, because you may have to go over that area again.

For darn sure DO NOT turn any leaves over as you walk. If you are turning them over, you are moving too fast. And walk to the side of the trail you think the Deer walked.

Best of luck to you.

Used to be that hairdressers were the best source of the stronger concentrations of peroxide.A few years back I got the local hairdresser to order me in a gallon of the stuff to bleach some european mount skulls that I had.

[ 11-21-2003, 19:45: Message edited by: turnerhunter ]

I believe that there is someone that makes a peroxide solution spray that is marketed to the Archers that foams up bright orange when it hits blood, but I can't remember the trade name. And if I remember correctly, it ain't cheap either.

Ted,
Years ago (14???) I used this technique with a spray bottle. Helped me find a nice whitetail I'd shot the previous evening. Worked VERY well with me. I can verify that it DOES foam. Impressed my dad and a buddy I had along. Did not impress my mother too much that I took her hydrogen peroxide.
Hank

I have done this many times on archery elk hunts with great success. It foams instantly and really helps distinguish between blood and leaf coloration. The time I notice the greatest benefit is when we are tracking in low light, you dont have to bend over constantly, just spray and go.

Drummond

How about the stuff that the forensic people use ? Though that requires UV light .

Why don't you guys speed some time at the range?

What does going to a range have to do with tracking a deer? Do you think that all properly hit deer just fall over dead?

I shot a deer some years ago, and shot his heart completely out of his body. There was no trace of a heart left in the carcass. Yet this deer ran some 300 meters in an incredibly thick undergrowth, before expiring. He bled like a waterhose for 100 meters, and then almost nothing. I truely believe that he bled himself empty. It took a couple hours of serious tracking to find this deer. You could not see over 3 to 5 meters in the brush, and you literally had to climb your way through the stuff. Had it of been a rainy wet day, I may never have found the animal. This peroxide idea might have just saved me alot of time.

I like the idea and will try it someday when the deer doesn't just fall over dead like they do on television. Thanks for the idea.

mete,....you are refering to Luminol. You don't need ultraviolet light for it (despite what that silly CSI show says! )....it just has to be REAL dark. The big drawback of Luminol, besides the extremely high cost, is that it is some VERY bad shit and you would need a respirator to filter it out of the air you breath......too much trouble and cost for tracking a deer

This isn't as up to date as peroxide but I always carry a sizable wad of toilet paper. First for the obvious reason but also it is great for tracking a deer. Put a sheet of tp on each spot of blood. This gives you a reference point to go back to if you lose the trail and, after a bit, you will have a directional trail thru the woods. If you're in doubt about whether its blood or a stained leaf, blot it with a small wad of the tp. If its blood, it'll come away on the paper.

Beemanbeme.....that's a good idea! Thanks.

Use a fluorescent light after dark. It makes blood fluoresce so that it appears to glow in the dark.