Elk Tactics 101 - Episode #12

[WapitiTalk1]

Date/Time: Late September 2016/1130 AM
Location: Somewhere in the elk woods
Hunt Pressure Status: Minimal
Hunt: Partner Hunt
Tag: Archery season; any branched bull

Some damn fine calling by your partner this morning resulted in a shot for you! Your shot was a hair over 30 yards at a slight downhill angle. You had a feeling that is now confirmed, that you'd hit a bit high on the bull's right side. There was a distinct "crack" at the arrow impact and you feel that you may have hit a rib going in... and you saw the back part of the arrow flagging up and down as the bull ran and you later found the broken piece of arrow (12" of the fletched end) after you began tracking, 150 yards away in some huckleberry brush. After setting down for close to an hour after the shot, you and your buddy began tracking the wounded bull. The blood trail was not good but there was enough blood and sign to follow the bull to the point where you see him now. You and your buddy have a visual on the bedded/wounded bull 40 yards away and 1. He's slowly lifting his head up and down 2. You think you see the arrow/BH sticking out about 10 inches on the left side and quite a bit of blood on his side 3. You have the thermals in your face 4. It's been close to two hours since you had shot the bull 5. The temps are really heating up and it's supposed to be in the 80s this afternoon 6. You are very accurate with your bow at 40 yards but there are wispy spruce and fir branches protruding from the small trees between you and the bull that would require your arrow to be perfectly placed through.

Your move. What do you feel you may do in this situation to take this bull home for dinner?

Reminder that if you save the picture to your desktop and open in MS Paint, you'll be able to place a spot, X, or whatever on the critter before you save it back to a jpg or png and add the marked up pic with your post.

[Swede]

I had a situation very similar to this back in the year 2000. The bull was down and his head was going up and down slowly. That was because he was dying and would lift his head. He did not want to die so this happened several times. It was spooky and over an hour after I had shot him. Based on that experience, I would watch for him to drop his head and not lift it again. Be patient he is down if you let him expire I doubt he ever gets up. I would have an arrow nocked and be ready just in case, but he is extremely unlikely to just bust out of there unless you push him. There will be no blood trail if he is pushed out of his bed now.

[Lefty]

Im backing out a bit further to watch, waiting for him to pass. Depending on the head bob, is there any more bleeding? If necessary until about 4:00 Then Ill move in . If cover is good Ill try to move a bit more behind him. aiming 8 inches above the ground I want my aiming point to be from behind the ribs, angling into the vitals. If I have partners Ill spread them out 30 yards apart Staying "behind 15 yards to the side.

[Swede]

I don't like the arrow position. In this scenario I have keyed on the bull's head dropping down and he is raising it back. That is the action of a sick animal. The "crack" is a good sign a rib was hit. I am also encouraged that the arrow was "flagging" up and down as the bull ran off. That broad-head on the inside, moving around, is hard on a critter. If the bull was not bedded or was alert, I would wait for an opportunity to put another arrow in him. The wound alone is too high for any comfort. I think RJ clipped a lung and there is some additional damage on the inside from the elk's running off. He is bleeding mostly on the inside. I don't know if this is a tactic. but I would get on my knees and spend some time in prayer here.

[stringunner]

I would be sick at this scenario as a clean fast kill is always my goal but we know the cards don't always play that way. I too would be praying for devine providence and wait it out but in a position that would give me another shot opportunity if the bull stands up. Hoping I could get a well placed follow up shot if needed through the many limbs.

[Old school]

Be still and watch him expire. In the meanwhile, be praying that something doesn't come through and spook him and he gets up and takes off again.

--Mitch

[twinkieman]

I would wait him out, and if there was anyway possible to stalk in, for a closer shot, I would. I'm not shooting through the limbs, and risking spooking him back onto his feet. Chances are he will expire, although it may take quite a bit of time. In my experience, he is bleeding internally, and the outside temps are of no concern to me where he is, if he does expire, I will be able to start cooling out the meat as soon as I know he has passed.