What Should You Do? Scenario 3.

[WapitiTalk1]

As you touched off the arrow, it felt right.. The bull was less than 25 yards away and was completely broadside. It all happened so quickly but you know for sure you followed the front leg up when you drew back and as you pulled the trigger, your pin was resting right in the sweet spot tucked into that reverse "V" nicely. But the unexpected happened. As you touched your release and the arrow bolted from your string, you saw and heard the arrow hit the smallest of alder twigs, the only one between you and the Rocky Mountain bull. You saw the arrow penetrate almost completely to the fletches high and back behind the lungs and you know it. You thew out a high pitched bugle to try to slow the bull's departure, potentially stopping him for another shot to no avail. It's right at dark on the hillside you called the 5X5 in. A million things are racing through your head....... Do you:

A. Observe in the fading light where the bull crashed off to, mark where you shot from, mark where the bull was standing and back out for the night, knowing a hit like that may take up to 10 or 12 hours to do the job and return at first light in the morning to begin tracking?

B. Wait 30 minutes and start tracking the blood sign with yours and our buddies headlamps?

C. Figure a bad shot like that will not result in a kill and head back to camp to plan the next day's hunt?

D. Wonder why RJ is even starting these threads

It happens. It's a part of hunting.. What would you do?

[Broken arrow]

Easy one! A. I'd spend a restless night back at camp and spend the entire next day searching maybe longer if I had a blood trail or other sign to follow.

[easeup]

wait it out is the right answer.
deep penetration, cut at least one lung and got the liver good. this bull is bleeding out bad. get your tag ready as you will find him in the morning.
it would be my luck that the rains start during the night.

keep 'em coming mr phantom.

[otcWill]

Definitely A! I have had almost this exact thing happen only at first light and we waited until 2 hours before last light and found the bull in his bed. Shot him again and recovered him 50 yards later. If you make a less than perfect shot expect to find a live bull i.e.: be VERY sneaky on the blood trail! Good question!

[foxvalley]

http://www.dundeesportsmansclub.com/dun ... cement.pdf

This one may seem like a no brainer,when in doubt,back out. But..... One thing to consider,is you may have done more damage by hitting an artery or vein.A high hit even with an artery cut might not leave much of a blood trail,but I might consider waiting a couple hours right there,then very quietly going to where the elk was last seen.There is a slim possibilty that you indeed hit an artery,and if there is a heavy blood trail,I MIGHT, consider going a little farther.The only reason that I am even considering doing this,is that if he dies fast,and lays there all night,there is a good chance the meat will be spoiled.
This exact scenario happened to me,exept the hit was way back, and low in the body. It was evening when I shot,saw where the arrow hit,and watched my arrow pass thru and up into the trees. The bull never knew what happened,as he went about 15 yds.,stopped, and bugled.After the bugle,he didn't feel right,and walked off. We came back the next morning,found some blood where he bugled from,and that was it.We searched the general area for about 4 hours,then started to expand our search to where we thought he would bed.We ended up jumping the bull on a hogback at about 1:00 pm,he got up right in front of us and crashed off.Because he got up so close to us,I knew he was hurtin for certain,but we didn't take any chances, and backed out till the next morning,where we found him less than a hundred yds. away.

[Swede]

Foxvalley makes some very good points. How quickly an elk dies after a shot like that is never certain. If you move in too quickly, you will push him away with little or no blood trail to follow. If you wait too long, then you could have spoiled meat when he is found. In a situation like the one we have here, I watch the bull for as log as possible, then listen. Several times I have heard the bull fall over with a crash up to 250 yards aay. If I had no indicator to guide me, I would leave the area then return well before daylight so I could be back an hour before sun up. My hope would be that I have given him time to die, but he is not yet spoiled. For me this is another time of prayer. Again I am reminded that I am not in control.

[>>>---WW---->]

You said the shot was high and behind the lung area so chances are most of the bleeding will be a internal and the blood trail may be very thin if there's any at all. However, I think I would wait at least a half-hour and go check where the hit was made and try to see if there is any blood trail at all. If there is a good trail which I doubt, I'll get after it. If the trail is sparse, I'll most likely back off and wait at least two hours. In that two hour period or longer I'll go back to camp and look for my Coleman lantern and a spray bottle of hydrogen peroxide. These things are great for following blood trails and they actually make the blood shine.

By the time I get back to the scene of the shot most likely several hours will of the past. This should give the bull plenty of time to lay up and get stiff. There's nothing I hate worse than leaving a dead animal laying on the ground overnight. I have seen them spoiled even when laying on snow.

I would follow the trail as best as I can with the Coleman lantern. And anything suspicious looking I would spray with the peroxide. If the suspicious spot is blood, it will bubble up no matter how old it is. I guess to sum everything up I'm going to try my darndest to recover that animal before it spoils. I'll do my best to follow the blood trail. I'll give it all I have. But, if it comes to a sudden hand I'll be forced to wait until daylight to do a grid search.

[flystrait]

I would wait until morning. I've seen too many pushed over the years with a marginal shot and only to be lost. I have seen several left over night as well and no meat has been lost. If the shot is back it normally takes the animal several hours to die, if thats the case then the meat will be fine until you find him..

[Broken arrow]

I've only hunted deer but if an elk lays dead all night would only one side spoil or would all the meat go south?
IMO I would rather recovery half an elk than keep on hunting.
And I agree with flystrait I've lost one myself and helped lose a deer by following the blood trail to soon on a marginal hit both time the blood trail ended where the deer had bedded down. I honestly believe both could have been recovered had we have waited several hours.

[planebow]

I would go with 1 unless there was a good blood trail

[WapitiTalk1]

Some pretty darn good replies. I've experienced this situation several times in my elk career. If you know that you hit the elk back and either high or low (really doesn't matter), the best recourse is to back out and wait (IMO from experience). A good initial blood trail does not always signify a lethal hit. Elk are extremely strong and full of the red stuff. I've got bad hits on a few elk at dusk and returned at daylight to find them bedded down but quite alive. I think Swede is the one that posted "wait a bit and listen to hear if they go down".. Sound wisdom. If you dont' hear anything of this nature in the coarse of 30 minutes or so, back out. Mark where you shot from, mark where the bull was standing, and back out. I've lived this scenario a few times and know, if you push the wounded, bad hit elk.... you'll more than likely lose it.. He'll try to follow the herd for a bit and then lay down. You'll track him to his bed at daylight and either find him expired, or, finish him off.

[T/H]

Scenario A.......great job and story octWill