I posted this on the thread about elk seeing blue, which morphed into a discussion about human color-blindness. How many of you use hydrogen peroxide for blood trailing?
I always carry a small spray bottle of it in my pack, or at least in camp. Costs about $.89 at Wal Mart. It has helped us unravel a few \"iffy\" blood trails in a hurry. The blood foams up on contact, but anything suspicious that isn\'t blood, like dried mud, red residue on plants and dried grass, red spots on leaves, etc.. doesn\'t foam-up. It\'s especially helpful after dark, or for color-blind hunters. If trailing an elk through tall grass where you\'re dealing with blood wipes, you can literally fan the spray out and look for foam to get a travel direction.
I wrote an article a few years ago for Bowhunter reviewing the commercial blood trailing sprays, and during the research I accidentally cut myself on a broadhead (pretty much an annual event..). I noticed that the peroxide foamed up exactly like the commercial stuff, except at 1/10th the price, and quickly figured out the commercial sprays were just peroxide with a little dye added. ( I never received a thank you\" or a love note from any of the companies that provided their sprays to review..
)
Only once did we get thrown off, and that was when a hawk coincidentally killed a chippy or a squirrel along the blood trail and dripped blood in a different direction when he flew off.
I always carry a small spray bottle of it in my pack, or at least in camp. Costs about $.89 at Wal Mart. It has helped us unravel a few \"iffy\" blood trails in a hurry. The blood foams up on contact, but anything suspicious that isn\'t blood, like dried mud, red residue on plants and dried grass, red spots on leaves, etc.. doesn\'t foam-up. It\'s especially helpful after dark, or for color-blind hunters. If trailing an elk through tall grass where you\'re dealing with blood wipes, you can literally fan the spray out and look for foam to get a travel direction.
I wrote an article a few years ago for Bowhunter reviewing the commercial blood trailing sprays, and during the research I accidentally cut myself on a broadhead (pretty much an annual event..). I noticed that the peroxide foamed up exactly like the commercial stuff, except at 1/10th the price, and quickly figured out the commercial sprays were just peroxide with a little dye added. ( I never received a thank you\" or a love note from any of the companies that provided their sprays to review..
)Only once did we get thrown off, and that was when a hawk coincidentally killed a chippy or a squirrel along the blood trail and dripped blood in a different direction when he flew off.
