There are some ways to identify the deer; the position of this tuft of hair in relation to the deer's footprints gives the hunter a good idea of the location of the wound, length-wise, on the deer. The length and color of the hair will give him a clue to the vertical location of the wound. Experts can carry this hair identification a good deal further, but it is not necessary because there are other means of checking the location of the wound.



When a bullet enters a deer's body, it cuts off a tuft of hair. If the deer is standing, this tuft of hair will drop to the ground directly under the wound. If the deer is running, this hair will be thrown forward and outward from the animal and will be harder to find. Assuming that the animal was standing, the position of this tuft of hair in relation to the deer's footprints gives the hunter a good idea of the location of the wound, length-wise, on the deer. If the hair is near the print of the front foot, he can assume that the wound is in the front leg or shoulder. If it is halfway between the front and rear footprints, he can assume that he has made a paunch shot, while if it is near the print of the rear leg, he has hit it in that leg or in the hip.

The length and color of the hair will give him a clue to the vertical location of the wound. Grey mixed with brown, fairly short hair indicates a solid body shot. Grey mixed with black and white indicates a wound in the brisket. Long white hairs indicate a flank, tail or back of the rear leg shot. Experts can carry this hair identification a good deal further, but it is not necessary because there are other means of checking the location of the wound.

When the bullet emerges from the deer's body, there will be more or less blood; bone and tissue carried along with it and this debris will fall to the ground at varying distances from the deer. An examination of this matter will often clear any doubts about the conclusions drawn from the examination of the hair. Lung and liver tissue will seldom be mistaken for anything else, even when found in small particles. Sometimes kidney tissue will be mistaken for liver tissue, but such a mistake is not important.

Coarse particles of undigested food indicate a paunch shot while the intestinal wound will produce a finer, more liquid matter that can be identified by its odor. There is seldom very much blood drawn out with the bullet, but the color of the droplets is an indication of the severity of the wound. Bright red arterial blood, under direct, intermittent pressure from the heart, will not cease flowing as quickly as the darker venous blood. Splinters of bone may be tentatively identified if other evidence gives the approximate location of the wound.

A hunter must know that there will be more or less blood, bone and tissue carried along with the bullet and this debris will fall to the ground at varying distances from the deer. There is seldom very much blood drawn out with the bullet, but the color of the droplets is an indication of the severity of the wound.