After the shot - your experience

[Tap]

Luminol is used for locating blood that cannot be seen with the naked eye. It can be used for identifying those red specks on leaves, but peroxide is good for that so why waste luminol on visible blood?. Also, wiping the spot with a white cloth is good for distinguishing blood from leaf color...pink showing on the cloth indicates blood, while no pink means leaf color is what you see.

Luminol detects hemoglobin in blood and it glows blue when it comes in contact with hemoglobin.
Luminol is not a substitute for solid blood trailing skills, but it is a fantastic tool for last resorts, such as when the trail is completely rained out.

From the OP #1 post...
I probably should have left the woods until the storm passed but I kept going. By this time I knew it was raining too hard to find any blood since it was so sparse anyway.
This is where luminol is most amazing. Hemoglobin cannot be washed away with rain or even soap and water. It blood is (or was) present, luminol will show it.
There is a bit of a learning curve to using the stuff because there can be false positives, but false positives glow differently than actual blood so it's highly advised to put down a test trail to practice using it. We did that.
As per advice from Jerry Allen, we purchased a small amount of dried blood from him and laid down a practice trail. We mixed the dried blood with a little water, then dipped a rag in it and dragged it thru the woods. Let me stress...after we did that, the blood trail was so light that it was not visible with the naked eye. We knew exactly where the test trail was, yet it was not visible at all. We came back several hours later (after dark) and misted the area of the invisible blood trail with luminol. The blood glowed and the trail that was otherwise undetectable was now evident.
But what was even more amazing was the next night. The day following the 1st test, we received nearly an inch of rain. Even if there was originally any visible blood (which there wasn't) it was surely rained away to the naked eye. We returned to the test trail and sprayed the luminol. It glowed! In fact, luminol actually works better after a rain because the hemoglobin gets spread out a bit and multiplies in surface area.

A few things to keep in mind about luminol...

It can't find blood that isn't there. If it's a wound bleeding internally (or not at all) luminol won't detect something that isn't there.

Blood can be tracked to create false locations because the hunter or other critter walked thru the blood and essentially relocated the hemoglobin. That type of glow will have a different appearance than a true blood trail. On our original test trail, we must have had a squirrel walk across the test trail and he left a secondary trail that showed a glow actually going up a tree. It's important to not walk all over the blood trail before applying the luminol. Not walking on the trail is basic to blood trailing, regardless of the trailing method.

Also, it's the iron in hemoglobin that makes luminol glow. Certain soils and even plants contain iron so you need to learn the difference in how luminol glows when on actual blood. It's not hard to learn the difference, which is why a hunter should run a test trail while learning how to use it.

Another thing, the water you mix luminol with is important. Minerals in the water can mess up the mix. The best mix is windshield washer fluid. pH is controlled in washer fluid, plus it won't freeze in spray nozzles.

I'd still rather have a skilled tracking dog, but luminol is a tool every hunter should have in their bag of tricks.

A typical 16 ounce mix should locate ~100 yards of blood trail. It does not need to be sprayed the entire distance of the trail. It can often point us in the right direction when we can no longer actually see the blood.
The stuff is not a magic bullet. But there are times when the unforeseen happens...sudden rain storms are one example. Even a very adequate blood trail can be washed away from being seen with the eye. Luminol locates trails like that.

Great explanation of how it can and can't help as well as good application information! Thanks!

One more point I left out about shelf life of the tablets...
Bloodglow is 2 tablets that are mixed in water or washer fluid. One tablet is the actual luminol tablet and the other is an "activator" (if I understand correctly). The activator does have a shelf life (~3 years depending on how it was stored). The luminol tablet lasts forever.
When the activator goes bad, peroxide can be substituted for that tablet. I recently asked Jerry about shelf life and he told me how to determine if the activator tablet is expired. It will crumble while still in the foil packet. Just squeeze it and you can feel if it went bad. I decided to see if mine that Ive had for many years was expired and it is. I will have to mix a half bottle of peroxide in the mix and, according to Jerry, it will work as advertised.
When I bought the stuff, I got a larger quantity for the discount. I've had some of it for over 10 years now. Im glad I asked about shelf life.

Luminol has change the way I hunt. I used to call it a day if rain was imminent. Many days were cut short because I never wanted to lose a blood trail due to rain. I no longer fear incoming rain.

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[yoderjac]

One more point I left out about shelf life of the tablets...
Bloodglow is 2 tablets that are mixed in water or washer fluid. One tablet is the actual luminol tablet and the other is an "activator" (if I understand correctly). The activator does have a shelf life (~3 years depending on how it was stored). The luminol tablet lasts forever.
When the activator goes bad, peroxide can be substituted for that tablet. I recently asked Jerry about shelf life and he told me how to determine if the activator tablet is expired. It will crumble while still in the foil packet. Just squeeze it and you can feel if it went bad. I decided to see if mine that Ive had for many years was expired and it is. I will have to mix a half bottle of peroxide in the mix and, according to Jerry, it will work as advertised.
When I bought the stuff, I got a larger quantity for the discount. I've had some of it for over 10 years now. Im glad I asked about shelf life.

Luminol has change the way I hunt. I used to call it a day if rain was imminent. Many days were cut short because I never wanted to lose a blood trail due to rain. I no longer fear incoming rain.

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That makes sense. I just started looking into it. You can buy luminol and luminol reagent. I believe the luminol reagent has the activator mixed in with the actual luminol powder. Lots of the class room experiments use hydrogen peroxide as the activator for straight luminol. From what I can tell, it is a bit pricy for regular use, but it is probably worth having for those really tough trails. Beyond the rain issue that it addresses, I presume one could trample the trail fairly hard trying to find the deer with normal trailing, and the luminol would still work as a last resort. Looks like Jerry has packaged the elements for fairly convenient use for hunters without too bad of a premium.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[yoderjac]

Ya talked me into it Tap! Just ordered some from Jerry. For others interested I used the coupon code "trackem" and got a 15% discount on the order. I ordered the hunting kit with two refill kits. Hope I never need it!

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Tap]

Ya talked me into it Tap! Just ordered some from Jerry. For others interested I used the coupon code "trackem" and got a 15% discount on the order. I ordered the hunting kit with two refill kits. Hope I never need it!

Thanks,

Jack

Exactly...hope you never need it! Thats what has happened to me and the main reason my activator expired. Ive been blessed with good hits and havent needed it...hence, my supply laid around for years. But even though I haven't actually used it as it is intended, I was still "using" it for comfort of mind that rain won't wash out a blood trail anymore.
Id highly advise reading Jerry Allens book " Blood in Motion". Its a small book and an easy read. It covers blood, trailing and luminol use that Ive never read anywhere else.
John Jeanenneys book "Dead On" is also excellent.
These 2 guys have been on more blood trails than most of us will see in 4 lifetimes.



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[ksgobbler]

I have a buddy that blood trails with a roll of tp. Can wipe a leaf or blade of grass to determine if its blood. Also basically disappears after a rain.

 

[Buckly]

I could never get the luminol to work. I tried on several hit deer but could never get it to glow so I tried it on some dried blood on the back of the ATV so I tried it and it wouldn’t work. So I called and he said that would make sense it was burning off so quick that you miss the glow. so after shooting deer I would follow the known trail. But just could never get it to glow. Tried windshield washer, distilled water and even tap water. Just never got it to work. Any suggestions?

 

[yoderjac]

I have a buddy that blood trails with a roll of tp. Can wipe a leaf or blade of grass to determine if its blood. Also basically disappears after a rain.

Toilet paper works great for marking most blood trails. It is a great time saver as it will decompose easily. For tougher trails I like reflective flagging tape. Hanging it on branches roughly above the trail with the toilet paper makes it easier to look back with a light and see the previous trail direction. I'm past the point where I confuse red specs on leaves for blood on a fresh trail, but the toilet paper swipe is a great tool for those learning to differentiate. I still mistake it on occasion when a trail is old and the blood had dried, but toilet paper isn't really effective when it is dry.

I do think the luminol would certainly help when the blood is dried. It would also likely help identifying paunch material. It would likely have trace amounts of dried blood in it.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[yoderjac]

I could never get the luminol to work. I tried on several hit deer but could never get it to glow so I tried it on some dried blood on the back of the ATV so I tried it and it wouldn’t work. So I called and he said that would make sense it was burning off so quick that you miss the glow. so after shooting deer I would follow the known trail. But just could never get it to glow. Tried windshield washer, distilled water and even tap water. Just never got it to work. Any suggestions?

Were you using the packaged bloodglow or did you buy luminol and mix it with water? Was it dark? Are you sure there was blood where you sprayed? Perhaps Tap has some suggestions. I did notice in the BloodGlow FAQ that he mixes it about 1/2 the rate that police do. The explanation was that they want the glow to show up in pictures well and less is actually needed for quick ID for trailing deer.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Buckly]

I Was using the tablets. In my troubleshooting trials I tried pretty much everything. Total darkness , known blood trails etc. I haven’t got any left now but, I would still look into using it if I could get it to work. I got some just to have that extra tool in the kit and to help others track so haven’t had to rely on it , yet anyways.

 

[yoderjac]

I Was using the tablets. In my troubleshooting trials I tried pretty much everything. Total darkness , known blood trails etc. I haven’t got any left now but, I would still look into using it if I could get it to work. I got some just to have that extra tool in the kit and to help others track so haven’t had to rely on it , yet anyways.

Interesting. Let's see what Tap has to say since he has some experience with it...

 

[Tap]

I Was using the tablets. In my troubleshooting trials I tried pretty much everything. Total darkness , known blood trails etc. I haven’t got any left now but, I would still look into using it if I could get it to work. I got some just to have that extra tool in the kit and to help others track so haven’t had to rely on it , yet anyways.

Is it possible that the activator was old? Maybe the activator losses effectiveness before it actually begins to crumble in the packet? IDK, just offering a possibility.
If luminol wasn't something that was used by law enforcement then I would suspect its a gimmick, but the stuff is a tool used by professionals.
I would advise calling Jerry about it. He has always been extremely helpful with info when I've talked to him.
I can say that its worked well for me when we have blood. But not all wounds bleed so it can't detect what isn't present.

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[Buckly]

I had called him in the past. He advised on the luminol burning off too quickly if it hits blood. What has been your experience. how long will it glow? Maybe I’m just missing it. and what is your preferred spray method. I might get some again and keep trying it (nothing better to do lol). I’m just thinking I’m missing some knowledge on using it.

 

[Tap]

I had called him in the past. He advised on the luminol burning off too quickly if it hits blood. What has been your experience. how long will it glow? Maybe I’m just missing it. and what is your preferred spray method. I might get some again and keep trying it (nothing better to do lol). I’m just thinking I’m missing some knowledge on using it.

I apologize... you did mention earlier that you called Jerry. Sorry I glossed over it.
It doesn't glow long...30-45 seconds maybe? I never timed it, but it was long enough to see it and locate the blood.
Did you try it with a test trail that you laid down?

My spray method was just a 24 oz squirt bottle with the nozzle set slightly toward the mist side of medium.
I have had it not seem to work, but it was on a trail where no blood was visible so I assumed that there was no external bleeding.
As I said earlier, I've been blessed to not need it for many years. My hits have been good with adequate blood trails. But our test trails are what was so impressive. Blood was not visible in the very least. No human could have possibly seen any trace of blood, but the luminol found it wonderfully. And it was even better a night later after nearly an inch of rain.


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[Buckly]

Thanks. I have used it on known blood and all along known blood trails. No glow for me. That’s why I’m thinking he said it will burn off too quickly on blood but, it will glow on the hemoglobin that you can’t see. I have also sprayed entire trails right to the deer. Just can’t make it work. It is possible I guess I got a bad batch. It’s not that expensive I might get some more and do some more testing

 

[Tap]

Thanks. I have used it on known blood and all along known blood trails. No glow for me. That’s why I’m thinking he said it will burn off too quickly on blood but, it will glow on the hemoglobin that you can’t see. I have also sprayed entire trails right to the deer. Just can’t make it work. It is possible I guess I got a bad batch. It’s not that expensive I might get some more and do some more testing

Too bad you don't have any more of your batch. It would be good to test it with peroxide as the activator.
Which, BTW, although Jerry said the activator tablet has a ~3 year shelf life, he did say life is dependent on how it was stored. Heat is not good for it he said. Leaving it in a hot vehicle could shorten shelf life.

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[Tap]

I did remember that I had more detailed instructions from Jerry so I looked around my stuff and found them.
It does say it should glow for almost 2 minutes.
It also says that its for trace amounts of blood and won't work on large amounts. I'm not sure why that is, but if you have visible blood then why would a person use it?
I've decided that I need to get some dried blood from Jerry and lay down a new test trail using peroxide as the activator.
Expired activator might be the trouble Buckly was having.

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[Buckly]

Just as you, fortunately haven’t had to rely on it but, every year somebody calls needing help and I would like to have this tool I’ll play around more with it. It’s been a couple years. I think originally I got the book with the starter pack. I do know it doesn’t work on globs of blood and I think that’s what he was describing as burning off too quickly. And as was said , good tracking skills and waiting are most important. Against my advice, on a marginal hit they went after the deer to quickly. The next day I picked up the trail and the deer bedded a mere 100 yards from the shot. Im sure they bumped the deer there and that deer died 800 yards from the initial hit.

 

[yoderjac]

Keep in mind that Luminol is not recommended for use on wet or visible blood. When you shoot a deer and trail it within an hour or two, you will have wet, visible blood or no blood. When you watch those CSI type things on TV, they are typically trying to detect trace blood after it has been cleaned up. They don't use it when blood is fresh.

So, I think the proper application of Luminol would be on difficult blood trails. Let's take my recent trail for example: (Description of blood trail)

Let's say that I did not hear that deer crash and that I was not confident in my shot placement. When I got to the place where she entered the pines, I would have marked it as I did and I still would have headed back to the barn. If I got 20 to 30 yards into the woods and did not find any blood (which is what happened), I would have backed out, gone back to camp, and waited 4 to 6 hours thinking it may have been a paunch shot deer.

At this point, I think tiny blood spots would have had plenty of time to dry. Perhaps larger, higher volume, drops of blood may not but if I had those, I would not need luminol as I could see them. So, had I sprayed along that trail, I may have found tiny spec of blood glowing. When I had gotten to the place where I did first find a few spots of visible blood I definitely should have had glow.

My thinking here comes from looking at the science of luminol and how it is used in forensics, not from experience using it. Tap, does this seem consistent with your conversations with Jerry describing use?

Thanks,

Jack

 

[CoshoctonOH]

I bought some last year. Tried it out on November 9th (remember this date). Great hit on the buck, went home to give it sometime. I thought to myself I might as well try the bluestar out. Right before I went to track the deer I mixed it up, I used the small spray bottle that came with it, windshield washer fluid and the tabs. Shook it up, and walked out to where I arrowed the deer. Total time from mix to blood trail 10 minutes. Total time from hit to arrow/blood trail was probably a bit over an hour. My arrow was covered in good blood (heart). I sprayed the arrow to test this stuff, and nothing, no hint of a glow. I thought “yup they got me”. Owell found the buck, easy track. I left the blood glow bottle right where I sprayed the arrow. Fast forward to the next night, I remember I forgot the bottle in the woods so I go get it. For shits a giggles I spray the trail-it was like I was at a 60s hippy party - blue glow everywhere. I walked back to the house, grabbed the arrow sprayed it again and it glowed blue too. As I was walking back my thought was the tablets had not fully dissolved in the mix. So do you remember that date? Here is a picture taken right before I started typing, same arrow, same mix (the bottle has just been sitting in the garage). It works.

 

[yoderjac]

I bought some last year. Tried it out on November 9th (remember this date). Great hit on the buck, went home to give it sometime. I thought to myself I might as well try the bluestar out. Right before I went to track the deer I mixed it up, I used the small spray bottle that came with it, windshield washer fluid and the tabs. Shook it up, and walked out to where I arrowed the deer. Total time from mix to blood trail 10 minutes. Total time from hit to arrow/blood trail was probably a bit over an hour. My arrow was covered in good blood (heart). I sprayed the arrow to test this stuff, and nothing, no hint of a glow. I thought “yup they got me”. Owell found the buck, easy track. I left the blood glow bottle right where I sprayed the arrow. Fast forward to the next night, I remember I forgot the bottle in the woods so I go get it. For shits a giggles I spray the trail-it was like I was at a 60s hippy party - blue glow everywhere. I walked back to the house, grabbed the arrow sprayed it again and it glowed blue too. As I was walking back my thought was the tablets had not fully dissolved in the mix. So do you remember that date? Here is a picture taken right before I started typing, same arrow, same mix (the bottle has just been sitting in the garage). It works. View attachment 26714

That exactly demonstrates the point I was trying to make. It is a forensic tool for after the fact identification. I don't think I would even try it unless it was hours after the shot. It would be interesting to spray a trail after the fact to see what to expect.

Thanks,

Jack