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Quartering shot with a bow

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Quartering shot with a bow

Postby Beendare » 06 01, 2021 •  [Post 1]

I think this is the bowhunting shot with the most disagreement among bowhunters. I’ve seen a few fails with guys taking this shot and aiming behind the shoulder and failing to get both lungs or worse.
I did it myself once- the only elk I’ve ever lost.

Have you ever thought about how quickly these shots change on an elk coming in to the call? Its crazy.

I think the Key factors to shot selection are:
1) first know the animals anatomy- especially the skeletal structure and where the soft spots are that you can sneak and arrow into the vitals.
2) Read the animals body language
3) visualize where the exit hole will be on the shot
4) know the penetration potential of your setup

Those aren’t in order as every scenario is different. A guy shooting a penetrating monster of and arrow can almost disregard #1 on something like a doe.

Heres the link ro the Youtube vid Unit 7 first archery elk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbRgetYBjU4
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Re: Quartering shot with a bow

Postby Beendare » 06 01, 2021 •  [Post 2]

I watched the elk vid above and Ive seen this exact first shot scenario twice in person resulting in a lost bull. The shot is a little after 17 min Luckily the bowhunter got a follow up shot that was pretty effective otherwise his initial gut shot was probably a low chance of recovery Unless he somehow got the femoral artery.

I have a couple good elk anatomy illustrations saved to my computer but the site won’t let me add them.
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Re: Quartering shot with a bow

Postby Beendare » 06 01, 2021 •  [Post 3]

FWIW, I’ve shot a couple elk and a few other animals in front of the shoulder in through that hoop on a quartering shot- all extremely deadly. In taking the animals apart what I see is the aero getting an exit at about the last rib or making it in through that cavity in front and the aero tends to ricochet backwards off the inside of the ribs Catching all kinds of internal organs.


Its worth noting, this front of the shoulder shot has the soft spot higher on the animal than broadside shots.

If The animal is positioned as above, a guy can sneak one in behind the shoulder but sometimes an elk with his leg back makes for decision time.

The challenge when they get close like that is always how long do you wait until they bust you?

The awesome part about elk hunting is these shot selections can change from split second to split second.
“It takes no more time to see the good side of life.... than to see the bad.”
― Jimmy Buffett

"Everybody has a plan....until they get punched in the mouth" Mike Tyson




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Re: Quartering shot with a bow

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 06 02, 2021 •  [Post 4]

An excellent thread topic mister.
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Re: Quartering shot with a bow

Postby saddlesore » 06 02, 2021 •  [Post 5]

Pretty simple to me.Don't take marginal shots.The same thing happens with center fire rifle hunters.They load up on a 300 mag and think they can take any shot offered and pull the trigger. Usually ending up with a wounded/lost animal and they blame it on bullet failure.

I shoot a muzzle loader, I get one shot and have to make sure that shot is a perfect angle to kill the elk before I pull the trigger.

If a person is a muzzle loader hunter,archer, or center fire rifle hunter,it makes no difference. If he/she loses an elk because of a poor decision to take marginal shot it's on them and I have no respect for such a hunter. A hunter may think they are an exceptional shot , but the elk can take a step, turn or ? and it walks away wounded to suffer painful, long death.
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Re: Quartering shot with a bow

Postby Swede » 06 02, 2021 •  [Post 6]

No doubt, pressure causes poor shots. After driving for three days and hunting for seven more, I finally get close enough to an elk for a shot. It is a marginal opportunity, but if I don't take it, I will probably not get an elk. This is a nice bull. If I get it, my freezer is full and I am an Elknut hero. Do I shoot or wait? You tell me.
I have waited like an idiot for two weeks perched in a tree stand, alternately freezing and cooking. Here comes an elk that does not plan to wait for me to make a good shot. Do I take a little risk and shoot or do I wait? You tell me.
As I take my Chuck Adams grinning selfies with my camera and clip-shot, will Saddlesore know that it was a risky shot? You tell me.
Pressure to preform is always going to cause risky shots. i. e. "My wife is tired of me wasting big money on these stupid hunts and wants something to show for the money." The guys at work will be asking me about the hunt. A hunter I know took a 100 yard shot with his bow and cut the throat on a large buck. He won the local big buck contest with it. Still the shot was more than just risky. It was foolish. etc. etc. etc.
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Re: Quartering shot with a bow

Postby Lefty » 06 02, 2021 •  [Post 7]

My dad taught us there was only one shot.
As a youngster we never took running shots at big game. Never took frontals either.

We were to wait for that only behind the shouder , in the crease, shot.
Squirrels head shots only.
.
Running trap lines and skinning fur you learn a lot. We used multiple methods to kill live animals.

We also waited for the appropriate opportunity to make death quick and efficient.

Same is true with our goose hunting.
My daughter killed 29 geese and a duck firing 32 shots for the year.
A great shooter. No!
She waited for the perfect shot.
Too many hunters panic, get buck fever .
Shots come and go. This season i drew 3 times on bulls under 25 yards. ,

I know some I f those shots could have been good.
percentage wise.
But I don't do that.
And I'm fine with others making their choice and wanting to play the odds, and often that is what it takes,
But I often chose I otherwise
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Re: Quartering shot with a bow

Postby saddlesore » 06 02, 2021 •  [Post 8]

Swede wrote: You tell me.
As I take my Chuck Adams grinning selfies with my camera and clip-shot, will Saddlesore know that it was a risky shot? You tell me.

My definition of Ethics is conducting yourself when alone like when others are watching.

No one will know if it was risky shot, but if things went sideways, would you tell anyone? If you do not retrieve the elk, you have to live with it ,no one else does. Maybe to some it doesn't matter.To me it it does.I have lost two elk and one deer in 56 years of hunting in the west , another 5-6 in the east.I remember each one of those losses and not fondly. The other 50+or so I have tagged, I only remember 25% of them maybe, unless I go back and look a told photographs.I can say I did it right without a tinge of regret
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Re: Quartering shot with a bow

Postby Swede » 06 02, 2021 •  [Post 9]

Vince, you are absolutely right. When I heard the bragging about the long shot kill, where the hunter cut the deer's throat, I just said to myself, "you will never hunt out of my camp." The problem as I see it, is that we have made heroes and goats out of hunters based solely on what they bring home, or have pictures of. If that is not enough, some wives do not consider the hunt to be a vacation, and expects her freezer filled when you return home. It is unfortunate there is a lot of pressure on hunters and some have resorted even to poaching. Some big names have been caught.

Think about this: A newer hunter has hunted for a week after paying $1,000 for the opportunity to hunt. A bull finally comes within shooting distance. The adrenalin is pumping like crazy and he is shaking. The shot angle is not very good and the animal may bolt any second. The young hunter comes to full draw just like he did at the range in the archery store. What could possibly go wrong?
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Re: Quartering shot with a bow

Postby Trumkin the Dwarf » 06 02, 2021 •  [Post 10]

I think a quartering too shot *can* be a good shot. But I will tell you the one taken in that video didn't satisfy my definition of a good opportunity. It was steep quartering, but not steep enough for a frontal opportunity, and the bull was moving. Dude got lucky.
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Re: Quartering shot with a bow

Postby Elkhunttoo » 06 03, 2021 •  [Post 11]

The shot in the video is a definite no shoot for me. Looked to me like the bull was going to give an opportunity somewhere along the line, that just wasn’t it. If the bull doesn’t stop for the second shot he probably never finds him.

I watched a ton of YouTube hunts and some of the shots that people take and kill elk on blow my mind. Not in a good way either. Makes me wonder what kind of shots people take that don’t post them. Then you have some shots that look good and they seems to hunt super hard for the hit bull and never recover them. I posted my missed shot on YouTube last year :cry: ...I worked super hard for an opportunity at that bull and then failed when the moment counted so I guess I’m not one that should talk about decision making on shots right now
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Re: Quartering shot with a bow

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 06 03, 2021 •  [Post 12]

The hunter/shooter in that VID shoulda waited for a better angle. Also, I didn't hear it on the VID, but I'm pretty sure neither one of them attempted to "stop" the bull with an elk noise for that first shot (but again, too hard of a quarter to the shooter angle and the bull was moving). Damn lucky how it turned out. Is a slightly quartering to the shooter a lethal shot? Damn right it is but 1. Bullwinkle needs to be stopped, 2. It’s a close quarters shot under 20 yards, and 3. There is no room for rattling knees here...if there is a doubt in your mind "exactly" where your arrow is going to hit, or, that you don't have your shakey Jake’s under control in these types of situations, don’t shoot.. it’s that simple. Again, is it a lethal shot? Yes it is. I coaxed this fine gentleman off his cows twice. The second time he was quartering slightly towards me and was stopped I his tracks around 15-16 yards with a nervous bark.. He went a bit over 30 yards and was dead on his feet as he hit the ground.

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