Tracking Tips — What You Need to Know

What is a Follow-Up Search?

A follow-up search (eftersök) means tracking and recovering an animal that has been hit by a shot but has not fallen immediately. It is both a legal obligation under Swedish hunting law and a fundamental ethical responsibility for every hunter.

A well-executed follow-up search requires knowledge, patience, and the right equipment. The person who fires the shot bears responsibility for doing everything possible to ensure a humane end.

Swedish Law on Follow-Up Searches

Under Swedish hunting law (SFS 1987:259), it is mandatory to track game that has been wounded during hunting. Anyone who shoots and hits an animal — without dropping it immediately — is obliged to track it, or to call in a certified tracking dog handler.

In practice this means:

• You cannot simply go home and hope for the best
• The search must begin within a reasonable time
• If you do not have a trained tracking dog, you must contact a certified handler
• The obligation to search applies around the clock

Many county administrative boards maintain registries of certified tracking dog handlers who can be contacted at any hour.

What Should You Do Immediately After the Shot?

Stay and observe

Keep your eyes on the animal for as long as it is visible. Note exactly where it was standing at the shot, which direction it ran, and where it disappeared from sight. These details are critical for the initial search.

Mark the shot location

Walk to the shot site and mark it — tie a piece of tape or a label on a branch. Drop a marker in your hunting map app if you have one. The shot site is the starting point for the entire search.

Read the scene

Search the shot site carefully:

• Hair — colour and type give clues about where the animal was hit
• Blood — colour, quantity, and spray pattern indicate the shot placement
• Bone fragments or gut content — serious hits but require patience
• Tracks — work out the direction of flight

Document everything you find with phone photographs and map markers.

Interpreting the Signs

Lung hit — bright, frothy blood, often in large splashes. The animal usually falls quickly, rarely more than 100–200 metres away.

Heart hit — abundant dark-red blood. The animal often falls very close, but may run a short distance in its death reflex.

Gut hit — little blood, often with greenish-brown stomach or intestine content. The animal can run far. Wait at least 2–4 hours before beginning the search — disturbing a gut-shot animal risks driving it even further away.

Bone hit — blood trail with bone tissue. The animal can move quickly despite serious injury. The search can be challenging.

Liver hit — the animal often falls relatively quickly but the trail can vary. Dark-red blood.

The Tracking Dog — an Invaluable Tool

A well-trained tracking dog can find wounded animals that a human would never locate on their own. Common breeds for tracking include the dachshund, the Hanover hound, and the Bavarian mountain hound.

If you hunt regularly it is well worth training your dog for tracking, or building contacts with certified tracking dog handlers in your region. In Trakka you can see which team members have registered tracking dogs.

Step by Step: A Basic Follow-Up Search

1. Make your firearm safe and put it in a secure place
2. Mark the shot site and document with photographs
3. Wait — do not immediately follow the trail if the hit is uncertain
4. Begin tracking from the shot site, working methodically and noting all signs
5. Keep the team informed — communicate continuously via the app or radio
6. Contact a tracking dog handler if the trail breaks off or if you are unsure
7. Document the find — position, time, observations

When You Find the Animal

If the animal is still alive — dispatch it immediately and humanely. Be prepared and have the necessary equipment at hand.

Note the exact position, time, and all relevant details. Take a photograph for documentation. Report the find in the hunting log and inform the team.

Prevent the Problem — Shoot Correctly

The best follow-up search is the one that never needs to happen. Always ensure:

• Adequate zeroing of your firearm
• A stable shooting position
• The right ammunition for the quarry
• Only shoot when you have a clear and safe point of impact

Ethical hunting means taking the final shot seriously — and if something does go wrong, doing everything right afterwards.

Summary

A follow-up search is an obligation — legal and moral. With the right knowledge, the right equipment, and the right attitude, every hunter can conduct a professional search. Always document, communicate with the team, and do not hesitate to ask for help when needed.

Trakka helps you coordinate follow-up searches directly from the hunt — mark the location, communicate with the team, and log the outcome, all in the same app.