what to do when trails end abruptly?

[hazl0]

This is probably the 5th or 6th time it's happened to me, I shoot an animal, "vital organ hit", I follow maybe 2-3 sets of footprints and it's gone. No more tracks in my radius. So how do I go about looking for it, just run around hoping I bump into it? I can't find any more tracks, let alone the animal if I even killed it.

[Thbran]

look around the area the tarcks stop the animal might have died before it made another track

[Lenny Rat]

Tracking can be tough sometimes. If you haven't invested in the perks and skills that improve tracking, do so when you can.

Tracks can be spotty, just like IRL, due to changes in terrain or ground hardness. It is also very common for an animal to leave a pretty large gap between the last track and its carcass when it finally dies (game issue). Animals also commonly move along the same path to and fro, or reverse course a few times, meaning that older tracks can get confused with newer tracks.

Blood spots are the best indicator of direction; if you hit a vital, you should never lose sight of blood because that animal WILL bleed out. If you stop seeing blood, go back and find the last spot, then re-start.

When you lose a track, circle the area again and try a different set or direction.

[Kaned Dragon]

Sometimes the next track can be a bit further ahead than the last. like a minor gap in the track, so check ahead, keep going forward a bit, if the last track is leaving the hunter mate screen, you gone to far. Sometimes the animal actually changed direction, and the tracks don't reflect this. Sometimes doing a sprial check can help. Looking getting the perks that increase the track range siting.