Shoot or No Shot 2026 – Episode #2

[WapitiTalk1]

Date/Time: Early September 2026/5:15 PM
Location: Somewhere in the elk woods
Hunt Pressure Status: Minimal
Hunt: Solo hunt; 25' up in a tree stand
Tag: Archery season; any branched bull

After game camming this active wallow since early August, you finally get to hunt it! You've worked your way in to your established fixed stand working the prevailing winds properly, and have climbed up and settled in around 4:30 for the evening sit. You've seen this guy on your trail cam images quite a few times when checking the card and have titled him "ninja bull". He always seems to hit the wallow from various directions, usually in the afternoon/evening, sometimes wallows, sometimes just sniffs the edges, and then is outa there pretty quick (never seems to stay long). OK, at 5:15 this guy walks onto the scene and stops where he is standing now. Of course, you're at full draw. It's 35 yards from your tree to the rotten log where the yellow dot is. I'll tell you that the ninja bull is not going to be any different this time than when you've seen him on your cam pics. He's gonna only be in the wallow for less than a minute and will give you three various angles to potentially shoot at. What you're seeing now is where he stopped after he walked in; this is angle #1. Are you shooting at this time? YES or NO. If you're touching off an arrow, show us where your POI is and which yardage you're using. I'll run image/angle #1 one for a bit then move on to #2, and then, #3.

#1.jpg (25.18 KiB) Viewed 528 times

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

The shot is there. Right up the front leg in the (V). But, I'm not taking it! I'm not particularly fond of 35 yard shots and I hate messing up a good shoulder roast. And besides, Swede is standing at the base of the tree claiming that is his stand
I'm sitting in!!!

[Lefty]

The shot is there. Right up the front leg in the (V). But, I'm not taking it! I'm not particularly fond of 35 yard shots and I hate messing up a good shoulder roast. And besides, Swede is standing at the base of the tree claiming that is his stand
I'm sitting in!!!

`Swede always knows when to mess up a great situation.

I could be sitting on a trail with that shot,,, Ive mulled it over and over again but I do not belong in a tree that high anymore
With a bow I wouldn't shoot: quartering away I might, maybe
Rifle or muzzleloader! I'm taking it, If I damage 10 15 lbs of shoulder,,, Ill clean it up for dog treats
straight up the right leg, slightly below 2/3 u, Some bone lots of blood vessels, a bit of lung and the hope that he goes 10 yards and gets out of the wallow

[RanchoSueno]

Shooting! I feel very confident at 30yds and would slip it in just before the armpit crease

[Swede]

If that darn WW would stay out of My stand I would have shot him too. Because of the downward angle I would aim a little above Rancho's dot and just a little to the left to miss the scapula. Her shot is good. I just like to aim a little high due to the angle. My max distance has long been 40 yards. Some hunters can comfortably shoot longer distances and some less. The important thing to know is that on this shot you do not have much room for error.

[Elkhunttoo]

IMG_0292.jpeg (46.73 KiB) Viewed 494 times

Not knowing what the other angles are at this point I don’t love this shot. But I am at full draw and my 30 yard pin would be as shaking as close to that dot as i could put it…….i would hope from my stand i could get a better angle so ultimately i think im holding my draw at this time


Hmmm looking at it a bit more if im holding steady on my spot i feel like it would be a quick kill

Great bull!!!

[WapitiTalk1]

Maybe I should have tried a shot at that first position, it wasn't an impossible angle for sure from my/our position in the tree stand. Crap monkeys, now he wheeled on a dime and stopped, dropped, and is rolling like the woods are on fire . Anybody shooting here?

#2.jpg (15.79 KiB) Viewed 484 times

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 file and add the marked-up pic with your post.

[RanchoSueno]

If he isn't thrashin' like a maniac, this shot could be money

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

No thanks! Maybe when he gets up he'll present a better shot. If not, OH WELL! Guess I get to hunt another day. And besides, who wants to skin a nasty muddy caked up bull. Done that before! Not fun.

[Elkhunttoo]

I’m with rancho…this bull is probably thrashing all over and so it’s a no go…..but if he is laying still that is an interesting angle, and one I can say I never practiced in my mind before

[Swede]

The bull is shootable. They don't flop around like a gymnast or something similar. They will get in the wallow and lay there, then roll around and still the mud but you should have a good shot opportunity. BTW: Cows sometimes wallow too. I did not realize that until a few years ago when I watched one as I sat in my tree stand in a bull only unit. A few minutes after she left with some other cows and calves a good bull walked up. I shot him before he had a chance to get muddy.
If all of you "No shot" hunters are being honest, it is no wonder to eat chicken all winter. Often you have a very narrow window of time to make the shot, and the spot of vulnerability looks small. You have to make your shot quickly and accurately. Don't shoot if you are a nervous Nellie.

[Lefty]

I not agreeing with Swede

That bul will give a shot any secound draw now ,, and be quick on the release

[Swede]

I not agreeing with Swede

Lefty. It would be helpful if you told us what exactly you are "not agreeing with Swede", why, and what you would do differently. Maybe I not agreeing with Swede either.

[Lefty]

Just trying to keep the pot stirred ,,

It just not right for me to agree with a fellow that climbs a tree to shoot an elk


When My wife nd I moved to Utah I built a tree stand to shoot a mulie I was chasing,, my wife had never heard of any one or any good reason to head into the woods at 2 AM, climb a tree 40 feet up and wait hours for legal shooting time for a mule deer
She thought I was daft-in -the-head for such hunting tacticts

[Swede]

I get it. Swede would pitch Pope Leo some trash if he posted here. I would just hope he had a sense of humor. Rancho also puts up with me and seems to be able to keep on smiling.

[RanchoSueno]

2AM?! I couldn't wait in a tree in the dark that long either lol I barely climbed up at 6:35 and poked my 8pt at 7:33 I'd be game to treestand hunt elk! Knowing where is worth hanging a stand is what holds me back

[Swede]

I usually get up about 45 minutes before first light. I grab an easy breakfast and then load my gear into the truck or on my ATV then leave. I do not walk to my stand before I can see without artificial light. If I put 12 hours in my stand in the early season that is enough. Over time it averages out to about ten hours per day. If the darn critters don't come by my stand when I am there, that is their problem.

[Lefty]

Swede I couldnt hunt with my dad when I was a kid , he could get in a stand and sit all day too.

Rancho I was pretty hardcore at one time. Nobody use to beat me to a blind on public lands waterfowling. I was real common for me to be set up super early ,,, then catch a few hours of sleep..
The law on our local refuge , had to be out of the field or off the water within an hour of sunset, But no regulation on setting up for the next Day.

I now hunt in grizzly country and take blood presure meds,, I sleep in,,, and seldom enter the woods before first light and only with others

[Swede]

I now hunt in grizzly country and take blood presure meds,, I sleep in,,, and seldom enter the woods before first light and only with others

Great plan. Smart. Very smart.

[Lefty]

I now hunt in grizzly country and take blood presure meds,, I sleep in,,, and seldom enter the woods before first light and only with others

Great plan. Smart. Very smart.

I kind of like this earthly life.

[Elkhunttoo]

I hunted your unit more than any other in my life so far Lefty…Grizzlies definitely change the game

[WapitiTalk1]

Up jumps Ninja bull from his muddy bath and he stops here for just a few seconds before heading in the woods. Shooting now? I don't think any of the other two shooting opportunities were un-doable, but, for those who just didn't want to touch off an arrow at either of the other two angles, now's your chance to show your arrow POI on this fine fellow.

#3.jpg (19.63 KiB) Viewed 362 times

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]

That would not be a fair chase shot. Just too easy. I think I would wait until I could pee on him.

[Swede]

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I would hold just a little high because of the downward angle of the shot.

[Lefty]

…Grizzlies definitely change the game

defiantly make it more interesting.
coming off of a call location, and having what was the largest grizzlies in the lower 48 changes ones perspective,,, a lot.

Or having a bull refusing to give my daughter a shot,,, because a grizzlies killed the monster black bear over a kill,, we couldnt hike fast enough out of there,

or walking up on a cow elk with no hide on her,,


And Andrew had a mistaken identity ( well I think so) late one evening we were in on 5 bulls until dark.. Andrew had spotted a number of piles of bear poo,,,
So the next morning I get a call from my daughter( and wife) "you guys are not gong back in there"

[Lefty]

Thats the shot,, no thinking about it

opps and maybe i might push it a bit an inch tighter and maybe lower than Swede is suggesting if I was closer

[Swede]

When I shoot the angle downward is steep, so the exit is lower than the entrance. That is why I need to shoot a little higher.

[Lefty]

I was assuming Bow.
Rifle I would put it at the edge of the hide fold.

[Elkhunttoo]

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I’m shooting at the spot Swede is….in fact I hit this bull 2 years ago in almost the same spot. He was standing a just a little different angle but it was pretty similar to the bull in this “shoot or don’t shoot”. My only problem was I got no penetration. This trail camera is close to 2 weeks after I shot this bull

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

Swede is smarter than I thought he was ! He is right on for a tree stand shot at that bull.

I don't understand why Elkhuntoo didn't get good penetration on his bull. Were you releasing before you got to full draw? Shooting expendable's? Or what the heck. Would you care to elaborate a little further to help us all understand what the problem was with your shot. That shot placement should have been punching the arrow out the other side.

[Elkhunttoo]

I was using a hybrid expandable broadhead. All of my research told me not to. I went against what i always said and bought them anyway. They flew great. I ran my own test and felt good about them. I knew I wouldn’t get as much penetration as my fixed but felt i would get plenty. “The hunting public” on YouTube have a video about why they don’t use expandables anymore on white-tail. I decided I know better and would be fine. When the arrow hit the bull it seemed like all of the energy of the arrow got turned and it almost seemed like the arrow slapped the bull. That might be way off because it all happened so fast as always. I feel like we can run all the tests we want but nothing compares to the real thing. I feel like there was to much going on during impact and it just did not penetrate. IMO any other set up I’ve ever used back into the mid 90’s that bull is on my wall…live and learn I guess. Shot was around 25 yards. Should have been a dead bull.

The picture i posted was from oct 12, 3 miles from where I shot him on September 27th. I was able to get several videos of this bull through out October and November. He was completely healed up in the videos in early November

[Elkhunttoo]

IMG_9105.jpeg (78.78 KiB) Viewed 309 times

Here is a different angle. Harder to see but you can see where the shot hit

[Elkhunttoo]

https://youtu.be/J0rYE8IAOsA?si=PNnbOM2RGr9GpCVh

The first 1:35 of this video is all of that bull. Some before I shot him and some after

[RanchoSueno]

Which hybrid head? Few mechanicals are actually designed to cut on contact like a fixed head and fewer use good steel for blades. I like valkyrie deathswitches and hyde by evolution outdoors

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

Thanks for explaining just what happened and the equipment you were using. Much appreciated! Elk are big tough critters and proper equipment is an important consideration all of us need to think about.