FIREARM AMMUNITION FOR TRACKING WOUNDED PREY

• US 20060278116A1
• Filed: 08/23/2006
• Published: 12/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hunt C. Timothy
• Original Assignee: T & P Game Recovery LLC
• Inventors: HUNT, C. Timothy
• Granted Patent: US 7,426,888 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 102/512
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/38 of tracer type
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/50 by dispersion
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 6/04 Archery arrows F42B6/08, F41B5/06, F42B12/362 take precedence

Abstract

A firearm ammunition device includes a cartridge with a projectile that is loaded with a tracer agent. When the projectile is fired and strikes a game animal, the impact causes the release and dispersal of the tracer agent from the projectile. The dispersed tracer agent identifies an enhanced-visibility trail of the fleeing animal. In example embodiments, the cartridge is provided by a centerfire cartridge, a shotgun cartridge, and a muzzleloading cartridge. The tracer agent preferably comprises one or more compounds that produce visible light to the naked eye and/or under a black light source. Example tracer agents include biological stains that produce visible light upon contact with blood, luminol or another chemiluminescent compound that releases light by a chemical reaction such as may occur when contacting blood, a basic salt such as sodium carbonate or another effervescence-inducing agent, a phosphorescent compound, or a fluorescent compound.

Claims

1. A firearm ammunition device for wounding and aiding in tracking an animal, the device comprising:

a firearm-propelled projectile defining a cavity, wherein the projectile is altered to a dispensing position when the projectile strikes and wounds the animal; and

a tracer agent loaded into the cavity and released when the projectile is altered to the dispensing position, wherein the released tracer agent disperses to identify an enhanced-visibility trail to aid in tracking the animal.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the tracer agent comprises a biological stain.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the biological stain comprises Bismarck brown, carmine, coomassie blue, crystal violet, DAPI, eosin, ethidium bromide, fuchsin, haematoxylin, Hoeschst stain, iodine, malchite green, methyl green, methylene blue, neutral red, Nile blue, rhodamine, safranin, or a mixture thereof.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the tracer agent comprises a chemiluminescent compound.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the chemiluminescent compound comprises bis-(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl) oxiate (TCPO), bis-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)oxalate (DNPO), fluorescein, luminol, or a mixture thereof.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the tracer agent comprises a phosphorescent compound.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the tracer agent comprises an effervescence-inducing agent.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the tracer agent comprises a fluorescent pigment or dye.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the fluorescent pigment or dye comprises an organic compound or a metal complex.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the fluorescent pigment or dye is incorporated into a resin.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the resin comprises a melamine formaldehyde sulphonamide resin.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the tracer agent is provided in a dry form.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the tracer agent interacts with the animal'"'"'s blood to produce the enhanced-visibility trail.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the tracer agent comprises one or more compounds that produce visible light to the naked eye or upon exposure to a light source upon contact with the animal.

15. The device of claim 1, further comprising a ballistic tip fitted over the cavity, wherein the ballistic tip is displaced from the projectile upon striking the animal.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the ballistic tip is at least partially hollow, contains the tracer agent, and is adapted to burst upon striking the animal.

17. The device of claim 1, further comprising a casing coupled to the projectile.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein the projectile is a centerfire slug, a shotgun slug, or a blackpowder muzzleloading slug.

19. A hunting method for wounding and tracking an animal, comprising:

providing an ammunition device according to claim 1;

shooting the animal with the ammunition device, wherein the projectile wounds the animal, is altered to the dispensing position, and releases the tracer agent, and wherein the released tracer agent disperses and identifies an enhanced-visibility trail marked by the wounded animal as it flees; and

following the enhanced-visibility trail.

20. The hunting method of claim 19, wherein the tracer agent interacts with the animal'"'"'s blood to produce enhanced-visibility properties, and the step of following the enhanced-visibility trail includes following the enhanced-visibility trail left by the animal'"'"'s enhanced-visibility blood.

21. The hunting method of claim 19, wherein the tracer agent produces enhanced-visibility properties regardless of interaction with the animal'"'"'s blood, and the step of following the enhanced-visibility trail includes following the enhanced-visibility trail of the tracer agent itself.

22. The hunting method of claim 21, wherein the step of following the enhanced-visibility trail further includes following a first portion of the enhanced-visibility trail identified by a first portion of the tracer agent that disperses onto surroundings after the projectile impacts the animal and until the animal starts bleeding out of the wound, and following a second portion of the enhanced-visibility trail identified by a second portion of the agent that combines with the animal'"'"'s flowing blood and disperses onto surroundings as the animal continues to flee.

23. A kit for use in hunting to wound and track an animal, comprising a plurality of the ammunition devices of claim 1 packaged together with an enhanced visibility enabling device.

24. The kit of claim 23, wherein the enhanced visibility enabling device comprises a black light source.

25. A kit, for use with hollow-point projectiles each defining a cavity, to aid in tracking an animal, comprising:

a tracer agent selected for loading into the cavity and being released when the projectile is altered to a dispensing position so that the released tracer agent disperses to identify an enhanced-visibility trail to aid in tracking the animal.

26. The kit of claim 25, further comprising an enhanced visibility enabling device packaged together with the tracer agent. 27. The kit of claim 25, further comprising a ballistic tip that fits over the cavity, wherein the ballistic tip is at least partially hollow, contains the tracer agent, and is adapted to burst upon striking the animal.