Kirsch BLOODHOUND XTN User manual

Kirsch, LLC 800.970.8041
33130 73rd St. [email protected]
Burlington, WI 53105 www.KirschHunting.com
Tracking Nock System
Operating Manual
Rev F
Copyright © 2020 Kirsch, LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Bloodhound XTN Operating Instructions
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Introduction
Thank you, and congratulations, you now have the original Tracking Nock for your pursuits in the great
outdoors! This product will help you recover more game with less grid searches, bring back your meat in
less time, with less spoilage, and less risk from predators finding your trophy before you do.
The Bloodhound XTN tracking system consists of 2 parts, the handheld Tracker and one or more XTN
tracking nocks. The Tracker can be used with up to 6 different tracking nocks which are identified on the
nock and on the Tracker’s display as numbers 1 through 6.
The XTN tracking nocks are installed in the rear end of the arrow / bolt shaft to replace your existing
nock and remain dormant until launched. Once launched from a bow or crossbow the XTN tracking
nocks lights up and begins transmitting a digital identification code to the tracker every 1.5 seconds.
During a well-placed shot on a game animal, wings integrated into the tracking nock collide with the
target and pull it out of the back of the arrow / bolt shaft as the arrow / bolt passes through the target.
The XTN tracking nock’s retention mechanism opens inside the animal’s body cavity as it is pulled from
the arrow shaft. Even if the arrow does not pass through the animal, the nock will still transmit and light
up.
Once activated, the handheld Tracker can lock onto the XTN tracking nock transmissions, giving you a
directional indication pointing to the tracking nock’s location and a signal strength indication that allows
you to know the relative distance from your location to the tracking nock or game being tracked.
Getting Started with your XTN Tracking Nock installation.
1) Charging.
IMPORTANT: Charge your XTN tracking nocks before first use.
CAUTION! Always insert the XTN tracking nock into the USB Adapter with the nubs (bumps) on the
wings to slide along the openings in the adapter made to fit these nubs. Inserting incorrectly or
backwards will damage the tracking nock electronics permanently.
The XTN tracking nock may be inserted into the USB Adapter with or without a pin nock inserted on pin
at time of charging.

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Inserting the XTN into the charger will show the status flash as described below in Battery Status
section. If the battery needs charging, then the XTN will emit the charging flash which is a quick double
flash once per second. When done charging the flashing will stop. Taking the XTN off the charger and
then putting it back on a few hours later will likely result in it charging for a few minutes, maybe 10- 15
minutes before it says that the charging is complete again. It will register 4 bars for weeks, even as long
as a couple of months after being charged. Once fully charged or removed from the charger at any time
the XTN returns to standby mode.
2) Bushings.
There are multiple bushings in your kit to properly fit the XTN tracking nock into an arrow / bolt shaft
with inside diameters of .244” (S) or .246” (GT) for compound bows, or .285”, .297”, and .300” for
crossbow bolts. There are 2 times the quantity of bushings included in your kit in case you would lose a
bushing during insertion or removal of XTNs from arrow shafts.
Compound bow arrows with .244” ID or .246” ID: one bushing should be installed onto the front ring
cutout of the XTN tracking nock. There is no need for a rear bushing.
Component part number XTN-00027 is the bushing for arrows of .244” ID
Component part number XTN-00028 is the bushing for arrows of .246” ID

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Crossbow bolts with 285”, .297”, and .300” inside diameters, in addition to a front bushing as in the
above, require a second bushing on the rear of the battery holder shaft for snug fit with the bolt.
Component part number XTN-00029 is the front bushing for bolts of .285” ID
Component part number XTN-00030 is the front bushing for bolts of .297” ID
Component part number XTN-00031 is the front bushing for bolts of .300” ID
Component part number XTN-00032 is the rear bushing for bolts of .285” ID
Component part number XTN-00033 is the rear bushing for bolts of .297” ID
Component part number XTN-00034 is the rear bushing for bolts of .300” ID
Install the same size and number of bushings onto the practice XTNs as you did the live XTN tracking
nock. The fit to the shaft should be snug, where the XTN can be inserted into shaft without a tool, but
stay completely in the shaft when hanging from rear of pin nock end and slightly shaking the arrow /
bolt. Install completely so the rear of the arrow / bolt lands onto the aluminum ring in the front of the
XTN wings. Not following this could result in personal injury and/or damage to your equipment.
3) Pin Nocks.
Next, install the proper nock to fit the weapon being used. In case of compound bow, use the pin nock
included. In case of crossbow bolt use the included flat, half moon, or capture nock style as described
by the crossbow manufacturer.
Compound bow:
Component part number XTN-05001 pin nock
1. While rotating, press the pin nock onto the pin bushing until it is fully seated against
the base of the pin bushing.
2. Rotate the XTN wings according to preference and arrow rest design.
3. Rotate the pin nock to index it according to preference and arrow rest design. Be
sure not to rotate the wing from the prior arranged position.

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Crossbow:
Component part number XTN-00007 flat pin nock
Component part number XTN-00008 half-moon pin nock
Component part number XTN-00009 capture pin nock
1. While rotating, press the pin nock onto the pin bushing until it is fully seated against
the base of the pin bushing.
2. Rotate the XTN wings so they are perpendicular to the index vane (odd colored
vane) of the bolt so the XTN wings float across (horizontal) the rail of the crossbow.
3. Rotate the pin nock to index it to the crossbow string and XTN wings. Be sure not to
rotate the wings from the prior arranged position.
CAUTION!
- Please note: pin nocks included in your kit are designed for use with their corresponding
weapon as described above. Do NOT use the designated compound bow pin nock in crossbows.
Crossbows increased acceleration requires the more robust designated crossbow pin nocks. Use
of the compound bow pin nock in a crossbow may result in personal injury and/or equipment
damage.
- Do NOT use this product if the XTN wing rear outside corners come in contact to the crossbow
string when the crossbow is cocked. If the nock wings touch the string this may result in
personal injury and/or equipment damage during firing of the crossbow.
- Do NOT glue pin nocks onto the pin bushing. Doing so may weaken the pin nock and result in
personal injury and/or equipment damage.
- Inspect pin nocks before EACH shot. Cracked, chipped, or loose-fitting pin nocks should be
discarded and replaced immediately. Failure to inspect and replace may result in personal injury
and/or equipment damage.
- Make sure usage of this product DOES NOT inactivate your crossbows anti dry fire feature (if
equipped with an anti-dry fire feature).
4) Activation.
WARNING! Seek expert advice for proper setup before using. Bow cables, cable rollers, bow riser,
arrow rest, and bow site clearance by the XTN tracking nock wings is required! If the XNT tracking
nock wings do not clear their entire travel path before exiting the front of the bow it may result in
personal injury and / or equipment damage.
The XTN Tracking Nock will automatically activate upon arrow / bolt launch because of the force that
activates a proprietary inertial switch built into the XTN. Upon string release two LED lights will light up
in the rear of the wings for 3 seconds letting you know the XTN is on and aiding you in seeing the flight

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Note:
As with any sporting equipment, i
t is very important that you read and
follow all of the instructions provided with your Bloodhound XTN system.
Particularly those pertaining to the mounting and use of the tracking nocks with
your particular equipment and setup. Failure to do so may result in personal injury.
of the arrow / bolt. After 3 seconds the XTN will go into a blinking mode where it will stay on and
transmit for as long as 18 hours. The tracking nock does not need to be turned off to be shot again and
reactivated (initial 3 seconds of lighted LEDs), as it will reactivate each time it is shot.
5) Turning the XTN tracking nock from activated to standby mode.
Hold the Magnet Tools magnet end within a half inch of the XTN tracking nock shaft where the arrow /
bolt shaft and front of wings cross. Either side of XTN, top or bottom when arrow lays horizontal will
work, as long as you are near the front of the wings. Do this for two seconds. The LED lights will
immediately stop flashing when changed to standby mode. XTN tracking nock can now be shot again,
recharged, or stored.

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Functions of the XTN Tracking Nocks
Battery status. To see the state of charge, plug the XTN tracking nock into the charger. The LED’s will
flash from 1 to 4 times to indicate the charge level. The chart below shows the levels for each of the 4
zones. 4 flashes is 74% capacity or more, 3 is 49-74%, 2 is 19 to 49%, 1 flash is below 19%. Note that 1
flash is anything below 19%, and could be as low as 1%. Our recommendation is to ensure that you have
4 flashes before going on a hunt. The XTN can be left in the charger to view the state of charge
indication or pushed in and pulled out quickly. Once the state of charge is shown the XTN returns to
standby mode.
Test mode. With the XTN inserted into an arrow / bolt shaft, hold the magnet near the end of the arrow
/ bolt shaft or just in front of the XTN wings, and plug the charger onto the XTN (or push the XTN into
the charger). The LED’s will light immediately and stay on for as long as the magnet is held in place.
Upon removing the magnet, the battery status flashes will be shown followed by the 3 second flash as if
the XTN was just launched. Once the 3-seond interval is over the transmit operation will be started and
the LED’s will give a short flash once every 1.4 seconds. Test mode can be stopped by applying the
magnet for two seconds as described above. The XTN will then return to standby mode.
Storage mode. Storage mode is entered into the same way as test mode except the magnet is left in
place for 20 seconds. At the end of the 20 second interval the XTN will flash the LED’s very rapidly for
about 2 seconds and will enter storage mode. When in storage mode, the XTN cannot be activated by
launching or handling the unit. To exit storage mode the XTN must be inserted into the charger at least
for a moment. If the state of charge flashes are seen then you know that the XTN has returned to
standby mode.
Standby mode. XTN is in low power standby waiting for the inertial switch to be activated or for the
charging voltage to be applied. If the switch is activated, the LED’s will immediately come on for 3
seconds and then the transmission sequence will start. Transmit is retriggerable; if transmit mode is

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already active, launching the XTN again will repeat the 3-second LED flash and resume transmissions
again. Note that it is not transmitting during the 3-second interval. The Tracker will probably lose sync
with the XTN if it is tracking the XTN during a second launch. If scanning, the tracker will pick up the XTN
in the scan as soon as it starts transmitting again, and if tracking it will automatically reacquire the XTN
4-5 seconds after transmissions resume. When stopping transmit with the magnet, the XTN will go back
to standby mode.
Your Tracker has two different operating modes:
Scan
The scan operation sweeps the surrounding area for any (up to 6) tracking nocks that are currently
transmitting and shows them on the Tracker’s display. If more than one tracking nock is found to be
active then the display will show which tracking nock has the highest signal level, indicating that it is
likely to be the closest one to you.
Scan is used when you are uncertain which tracking nock(s) have been shot or, if several shots have
been taken, which tracking nock is closest to you for recovery. Once you have found and deactivated the
tracking nocks from missed shots and determined which tracking nock is on the arrowed game, the
tracking mode can be used for recovery.
Track
The tracking operation searches for the radio signal from the selected tracking nock and, once found,
displays a directional arrow and signal strength indication. The signal strength indication is always
available when the tracking nock is within range and can be used to search in a “hotter/colder” fashion
to get closer to the game. The directional arrow will help guide you to the exact location of the game, or
missed shot, when you get closer to the tracking nock.

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System Operation
Controls
The Bloodhound XTN Tracker has a power button and 6 control buttons as shown above.
Control Functions:
 Power: The power button is pressed for 3 seconds to toggle the Tracker on and off
 Track: Enters track mode
 Scan: Enters scan mode
 Stop: Stops either tracking or scanning
 Sounds: Toggles the internal beeper on and off (sound is helpful during tracking)
 Select: Used to select the highlighted item on the display
 Backlight: Toggles the display backlights on and off (this is helpful during low light tracking)
Charging the Tracker
Charging is accomplished by connecting the supplied AC adapter and Micro USB cable to the Power jack
on the front panel of the Tracker as shown below.
The Tracker will charge whether it is turned on or off. Charging a fully discharged battery takes 2 ½ to 3
hours. If you turn the Tracker on while charging, the gage (shown under “Powering on the Tracker”
below) will count up repetitively to show that the Tracker is charging, when done charging, the gage
stops counting up and shows full. If the charger is kept plugged in with the Tracker on, eventually the
battery will need to be “topped-off” and the gage will show charging status again until the battery is
back to 100% charge capacity.
The Tracker can be charged with the supplied AC adapter and also any USB power source that can
supply 1 amp or more of current. This can include other USB AC adapters, a charging outlet in a vehicle,
a USB port on a computer, a rechargeable USB battery or any other USB source with the required
current capacity.
Charging Connector

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Powering on the Tracker
To power on the Tracker, hold the round power button down for 2-3 seconds until the display comes on.
Initially the display will show all available icons and then will present the idle display as shown below.
The Tracker’s battery gage is always shown and indicates the state of charge of the battery. There are 5
levels that can be shown; 4 bars is the highest charge level and no bars showing is the lowest level.
Scan Mode
If you are uncertain which tracking nock numbers you have shot and wish to track, Scan mode allows
you to determine which tracking nocks are currently transmitting within the range of the Tracker. This
may be used for gathering missed shots or for tracking an animal if the nock number is unknown.
To start Scanning for active tracking nocks, press and release the Scan button. The display will appear as
shown below.
The scanning process starts with tracking nock type 1, after 3 seconds the Tracker will display the results
for number 1 and begin searching for number 2. This process will continue through all 6 types and then
begin with 1 again until either the Stop button or Track button is pressed.
Tracker Battery
Gage
Currently Searching
for Nock 1
Starting Scan Mode
Idle Screen