Use your dog to find signs and follow a blood trail

Update 1.3 fixes some animals surviving multiple shots, fleeing Nile crocodiles circling the player, spooked hippos getting stuck underwater and killed hippos ending beneath the map. It also fixes several New Laurentia stuck spots and bridge collisions. This does not identify every affected spot, provide new need-zone times or establish a guaranteed encounter route.

The September 22 Default patch includes ammo switching, the multiplayer Track Blood command fix and the Headquarters nighttime performance fix. Older Experimental references below identify when fixes were first reported; they do not mean those fixes are Experimental-only now. Back up saves before any branch change.

Kingy’s success check is reaching the intended animal and opening its claim screen. A search animation, barking or a discovered footprint alone does not establish recovery. Cache Raptors’ September 28 tutorial, clipped on steps 2–4, shows a Search command in the dog’s radial menu and a Track Blood hold prompt at a blood sign; the keys depend on your bindings, so read the prompt on your own screen.

1. Return to the place where the animal was hit. Kingy recommends recording that position and the direction it ran before leaving your firing position.
2. If you need nearby signs, open the dog’s radial commands and use Search. Game*Spark’s PR-labelled March report describes this search; inspect what the dog actually finds rather than assuming it belongs to your target.

   Checked on screen · Nov 2, 2026

   2:27–2:32 · 5 sThe dog radial menu with Search selected

   2:27–2:32The dog radial menu with Search selected
3. Inspect the initial blood sign and select Track Blood using the current dog-command prompt. DBond’s April field report describes starting at the first blood spot and following the dog.

   Checked on screen · Oct 14, 2026

   kingy.wiki1:15–1:32 · 17 sA blood sign with the Track Blood prompt, then the dog on the trail

   1:15–1:32A blood sign with the Track Blood prompt, then the dog on the trail
4. Follow the resulting trail and inspect the stopping point. If there is a carcass, approach it and check that the game offers the claim interaction. If there is only another sign or no continuing blood, read the limits below before repeating commands.

   Checked on screen · Oct 14, 2026

   kingy.wiki1:32–2:02 · 30 sFollowing the dog to the mule deer and opening the claim screen

   1:32–2:02Following the dog to the mule deer and opening the claim screen

Keep the blood-sign text, command, shot location, dog state and elapsed in-game time if recovery fails. Do not convert an ended trail into a promised chase of a living animal or an unlimited search radius.

Looking for signs, locating an active life zone and tracking a wounded animal are different jobs. Record which command or cue you used when writing a report. The FAQ does not give an exact skill-growth rate, guaranteed tracking distance or universal training schedule.

Update 0.1.0.190882 changes the dog’s behaviour after it finds a dead animal: barking stops when you come within 10 metres of the animal. Silence at close range can therefore be expected behaviour. The distance is measured from the animal in the patch description; it is not a maximum search range.

Audio Settings gained separate Dog and Animals volume sliders in 0.4.0.206314. Use the Dog slider to change barking volume while keeping animal sounds at the level you want.

For an older Sit and Stay problem, 0.2.0.195528 reports that Track Blood correctly cancels that command when the player is more than 100 metres from the dog. This describes the repaired command interaction, not a required distance for using Track Blood.

The client-side Track Blood fix first appeared in Experimental 0.5.0.209722 and was listed in Default 0.5.0, version 211250. If it persists, include whether you were host or client and the installed build.

The earlier Experimental 0.5.0.209213 notes added dead animals to dog search priorities. No priority weights or guaranteed detection radius are established here.

Suggested fields: reserve, species if identified, sign type, shot location if relevant, dog command and outcome. Describe an uncertain species as uncertain. These notes support later verification without turning one encounter into an unsupported general rule.