A shot during a hunt does not always end as the hunter expects. The animal may run out of sight, the reaction may be unclear, and the shooting site may appear empty. In such a situation, the most important thing is not to act quickly, but to act correctly.
Tracking wounded game is primarily a matter of animal welfare. It is also an area where the hunter's initial actions can make a significant difference to the certified schweisshund handler's ability to find the animal.
This guide focuses on deer and the Danish schweiss (tracking) system.
What does "schweiss" mean?
"Schweiss" is a hunting term for the blood of hoofed game. A "schweisshund" (tracking dog) is trained to follow the trail of a wounded animal, often even when there is almost no visible blood on the ground.
In Denmark, there is an official Schweiss-register with certified dog handlers. They are specially trained and, according to the rules, are permitted to track distressed game on other people's land without first obtaining the landowner's consent.
The system is therefore far more than a list of skilled hunting dogs. It is an organized system for professional tracking.
If the animal is not lying down – consider the situation serious
After a shot at deer, you should note the animal's reaction and exactly where it was standing. If the animal disappears and is not lying visibly dead, you should not immediately conclude that you have missed.
There can be very few visible signs after a hit. This is especially true at certain shooting angles and with larger deer.
A control search may therefore be relevant even when the shooting site looks clean.
The first thing to do after the shot
Stay in place for a moment. Watch where the animal runs and choose clear landmarks in the landscape.
Remember two points in particular:
1. Where were you standing when you shot?
2. Where was the animal standing at the moment of the shot?
Both spots should be marked precisely. This makes it easier to reconstruct the shooting direction and locate the shooting site.
Avoid walking directly in the animal's escape route immediately.
How long should you wait?
There is no single waiting time that fits all shots. The situation depends on the presumed hit.
With a clearly lethal hit, the animal may be lying a few meters or a short distance away. With a more dubious hit, premature pursuit can cause the animal to rise from its bed and move much further away.
If you are not sure about the hit, it is better to contact a certified schweisshund handler and agree on how to handle the situation than to experiment with waiting times yourself.
Go to the shooting site first
When it is safe to leave your position, you should go to the place where the animal was standing – not directly after it.
The shooting site may contain important information:
- hair
- blood
- bone fragments
- tissue
- stomach contents
- hair with specific colors or lengths
- tracks from the animal's first escape jump
Mark the spot, even if you do not find anything. A small branch, a marker, or a GPS position can be valuable for the dog handler.
Do not trample the shooting site
If several hunters gather around the shooting site and walk around in circles, the track becomes more complicated.
Therefore, keep the number of people at the site to a minimum. Once you have found and marked the most important things, the area should be left in peace.
This is especially important if a schweisshund is coming. The dog can certainly work on a disturbed track, but there is no reason to make the task more difficult.
Shot signs tell a story – but not everything
The animal's reaction to the shot can provide a clue about the hit. An animal can jump, arch its back, kick backward, or run away apparently unaffected.
However, shot signs are not certain enough to determine on their own whether the animal was hit and where.
Two animals with almost the same hit can react differently. Therefore, shot signs must be combined with findings at the shooting site and the subsequent search.
What does the appearance of the blood mean?
Blood can provide information, but color and quantity must not be over-interpreted.
Bright and airy blood may correspond to a hit in the lung area. Darker blood can come from other areas. Green or brownish material can indicate an impact on the gastrointestinal system.
However, the trail changes over time, and an animal can be seriously hit without leaving much visible blood.
If in doubt, the doubt itself is a good reason to let a specialist assess the situation.
When should you call for a schweisshund?
You should contact a certified schweisshund handler if there are signs of a hit, if the hit is unclear, or if the animal is not found quickly and safely after a presumed lethal hit.
The same applies to an apparent miss if you cannot exclude the possibility of a hit with certainty.
The precise legal duty depends on the situation and the applicable rules, but in terms of hunting ethics, the principle is simple: a potentially wounded animal must have a professional search.
Why not just use your own dog?
A regular hunting dog may be good at many tasks, but a difficult wounding is something else entirely compared to a training track.
A certified schweisshund handler has a specially trained dog, experience with shooting sites, and the authority to continue tracking across property boundaries.
An inexperienced dog can also push a wounded animal further or make the trail more difficult to follow.
Your own dog may have a role in simple situations, but in cases of doubt, the search should be left to the register.
Why is it harmful to go too far yourself?
A wounded deer will often seek peace and lie down in a bed. If the hunter follows shortly after the shot, the animal may be startled.
Once it has been startled, it can move significantly further and use energy that would otherwise have caused it to stay where it was.
This makes both the animal's suffering longer and the dog's work more difficult.
Therefore, restraint is often the most important action after an uncertain shot.
Mark the direction of escape
If you can see where the animal disappeared, choose a clear point: a specific tree, a hole in the fence, a stone, or a trail.
From the shooting site, that line can help the handler understand what happened.
It is surprisingly easy to be wrong about the direction once you walk down from a stand and see the landscape from a different height.
A quick photo from the post with your phone can therefore be useful if it can be done without delaying or disturbing the process.
Inform the handler honestly
When you call, tell them exactly what happened.
Describe:
- species and approximate size of the animal
- time of the shot
- distance
- shooting angle
- the animal's reaction
- what you found at the shooting site
- how far you may have followed the trail yourself
- whether a dog or people have already been on the trail
It does not help to "embellish" the shot. The handler needs the information to plan the work.
Tracking across boundaries
A certified schweisshund handler has special powers in connection with tracking distressed game. This means that a search does not necessarily stop at the property boundary.
As a regular hunter, on the other hand, you should not assume that hunting rights give you the right to continue freely on someone else's land.
Precisely this is an important reason to use the official system in cases of doubt.
Finishing shot and safety
A wounded animal may be found alive. The handler must therefore be able to end the search quickly and safely.
As the requester, you must follow the handler's instructions. Do not go in front of the dog, and do not take a shot without a clear and safe situation.
Searches can take place in dense vegetation, in the dark, and on unfamiliar terrain. Safety must therefore be at least as consistent as during the actual hunt.
If there are no signs at all
An empty shooting site is not proof of a miss.
Hair can be blown away. Blood can appear later. A projectile can pass through the animal without leaving visible material exactly where it was standing.
If the animal's reaction or the situation raises doubts, a control search may be the right solution.
The schweisshund works with scent, not just visible blood.
Tracking red deer
With larger deer, the shooting site can be particularly difficult to read. A large animal can run far despite a serious hit, and a projectile does not always exit.
This means that there may be very little blood at the shooting site.
Therefore, the threshold for requesting a professional search should be low if the red deer is not lying visibly dead.
Tracking roe deer
Roe deer are smaller, and a well-placed hit will often result in a short escape. However, even here, an animal can disappear into dense vegetation just a few meters from the shooting site.
It is tempting to just go after it because the distance seems small. If the hit is uncertain, however, it may be better to stop early than to push a wounded animal further.
What does a schweiss search cost?
The Danish certified schweisshund handlers perform the work as a volunteer service. The requester can usually be charged for travel expenses according to the applicable framework, while no standard commercial hourly rate is paid for the search itself.
Current practical information can be found on the Schweiss-register's official website.
Can you call at night?
The time of the search depends on the specific situation. Some trails should be taken quickly, while others may benefit from waiting if it gives the animal peace and provides better working conditions.
Therefore, call the dog handler and agree on the time instead of choosing a standard waiting time yourself.
The most important thing before the hunt
Save the contact information for the Schweiss-register before you need it. It is much easier to have the information ready than to look for it with a racing heart in the dark.
During a group hunt, the hunt leader should also have a clear procedure for woundings and coordinate who contacts the dog handler.
Frequently asked questions about schweiss and tracking
Do you always have to find blood to call for a schweisshund?
No. An animal can be hit without visible blood at the shooting site. Doubt about the hit can in itself justify a control search.
Are you allowed to track the animal yourself?
With a clearly lethal hit, a short trail can in some situations be simple. With an uncertain hit, one should stop early and contact a certified dog handler.
Why should the shooting site be marked?
It gives the dog a secure starting point and helps the handler understand the shooting direction and escape path.
Can a schweisshund handler cross onto the neighbor's land?
Certified dog handlers have special powers to track distressed game on other people's land according to the applicable rules.
What if I think I missed?
If you cannot rule out a hit with certainty, a control search is better than assuming the shot was a clean miss.
The best search begins with the hunter stopping in time
After an uncertain shot, the impulse is often to do something immediately. However, the best help for the game can be to mark, observe, and leave the trail in peace.
An undisturbed shooting site and an animal that has not been startled give the certified schweisshund handler the best working conditions.
This is one of the clearest areas where good hunting craft shows itself after the shot – not before it.
Cover photo: Antham1616, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (source)
