Blood trail...

[Sucobowhunter]

So here is my story, well the short version. I've been in the woods 5 day solo and am starting to lose my focus due to 2 solid days of non stop rain/snow. It snaps this morn and I hike to a ridge to listen/ blow a couple cow calls. 1/2hr later crash.. Crash.. 150 yards below I see 2 bulls and a couple cows crashing thru trees. I grab my bow with arrow already nocked and throw a cow call or 3.. Another nice bull and a cow 50 yards and coming quick..16 yards and he turns uphill right in front of me .. Slightly quartering to me and 15 yrds..breath.. Release.. Thwack!! Feels good.. I give it an hr and go the 15 yrds to were I hit him..there's my arrow.. Clean pass thru.. Yeah I thought.. Slam dunk.. Finally my first bull/elk.. Oh no.. I find blood drops looking good then a big smear on a tree.. Then nothing.. I searched in every direction at least 100 yrds and can't find anymore blood..unfortunately I searched for 5 hrs then I had to come out due to business meeting. I go back tomorrow night. Any tips?? As an ethical hunter I want to find this bull and will not shot another this season. Blood track tips or overall tips would help.. Thanks
Jason

[MT_Nate]

When the blood disappears I resort to tracking the dug up hoof prints in the dirt, etc....takes some serious time, but you're more likely to end up finding blood again than wandering aimlessly looking for drops. Once you find hard dug step, make your next search a full 360 from it because it might indicate a change in direction.

[POk3s]

Don't give up.

Like mentioned above you don't always need blood. Once you start following his tracks with the little blood you did find you start to be able to identify them. Hands and knees job.

[AZelk]

Not to add more questions in your mind (i hate being in this position too as im sure we all do), but here are some rhetorical questions from my experiences that may help:

Was there dark red/frothy blood on the arrow? Was it light red? Muscle tissue?

How much was he quartering towards you? If you got a piece of the liver/stomach/guts he should bed down close if not pushed but much of the blood collects in the body cavity, especially if he is traveling uphill.

Was the blood rubbed on the tree from his right or left side? Look for blood on the right/left trail depending

From the blood trail you do have, what seems to be the bulls general direction? If you make each spot of blood or sign with flagging you can determine a rough trajectory.

At the last spot of blood or track you are confident is from him, follow that trajectory looking for limbs, grass, shrubs and small branches that he may brush up against with blood. If nothing after 100 yards, go back to the last spot and take a different angle to the right/left out to 100 yards.

When all else fails, i fan out zig zagging out up to 300-500 yards from the last spot of the elk's sign. Oh, and listen for ravens. In fact, on my morning hunt today the ruckuss of some ravens led me to a fresh small 5x5 bull elk carcass that had been shot and killed.

Best of luck and dont beat yourself up!

[Lefty]

Az gave some great info
Try to figure out the hit. If it waas a passthru he could very likely be dead close by
those big carcasses can blend right in


if legal
bring a dog or two along and just watch the dogs

[Sucobowhunter]

Thanks for the info guys. Unfortunately the ground was so frozen that when he hit the timber the tracks dissapeared. Now that I have slept and regrouped more details are coming to me. About 45 minutes after I shot him while I was waiting I heard a very very weak bugle and 2 chuckles about 600 yrds away. The chuckles sounded like they were whimpers more than chuckles. Maybe he was headed to regroup with herd at bedding area and that was his last breaths?? Once again thanks for the tips and hopefully pics will be coming!!
Jason

[ferris bugler]

Follow your own nose. Those guys smell. I shot an elk a while back and new it was a good shot. The elk turned and ran back the way it had come in. There was a perfect gametrail and good blood and then nothing. I assumed the elk would have gone along the trail or downhill as it died, but there was nothing. I started looping and checking and couldn't find anything. Then I followed that in rut smell which went uphill from where I last saw blood and there he was. If you think you smell elk it may be your bull. Good luck.