One of my best years to one of the worst feelings....

[MidMoElkNut]

This was my fourth year going archery elk diy otc hunting and the last 3 I have been hunting solo..... I have yet to kill an elk but love the sport so much, I got hooked my first year out.... I haven't had much luck at all with even seeing more than a handful of elk the previous years to none at all one year but this year was different..... I was able to locate elk in new areas and finally I was able to get a shot off.... I shot a nice bull who had around a half a dozen cows with him, I called him in right to me and made the shot and I seen what I thought I may have hit a little high, so I went to that spot, marked it and backed out. I went back to camp and told my girlfriend what had happened so we waited almost 4 hours before we went back to look for him. That day me and her looked for a good 4 hours and found nothing, no blood no arrow nothing.. so the next day I came back and look for a couple more hours and still nothing.... This is the first animal I have shot in a long time that I have not found. I am an avid bow hunter and hunt whitetails alot.... It really upsets me when I do injure an animal and I'm not able to find it, as I think is should.... I've felt bad about it ever since because I would have rather had a clean miss than something like that happen.

[Lefty]

I used the wrong pin on a bull that was taken by another hunter .
As soon as I releaced the arrow I knew I use the wrong pin and hit the bull low, the arrow going through ribs and was hanging out the far side. I almost puked. I had committed myself to never taking a bad shot.

The feeling was soon over after I watched that bull beat the daylights out of another bull , then go after another bull and doze him to a fence ad just trash the other bull, then push off the cows.

The rancher was wanting to talk to a couple of us. When that bull was killed in November they could tell something had happened , the wound was healed and looked good

[MidMoElkNut]

Yeah I just hate for that stuff to happen... I hope it either didn't affect the bull or he was down and we just couldn't find him.... I hate to even admit something like and and still trying to get over making a bad shot on an animal... I guess I'm just trying to make myself feel better somehow.....

[powderhogg01]

thats just one aspect of archery hunting. Unfortionately things happen and occasionally we miss or even the shot does not do a great job. Last year I was using 2 blade NAP killzones. I had a doe at 20 yards, shot her broadside and got 6 inches of penetration, a shot that in all rights should have slipped right through her. She was eventually recovered but no where near the shot, I felt bad she had to suffer. That is what makes us human, compassion. I do not like killing things but heck, I have to eat and deer and elk are tasty critters.

[ElkNut1]

Dave, yes it can be a tough situation to be in! If you bowhunt long enough it will generally happen at some time! You're right too, we really beat ourselves up over these type of losses, sorry it happened to you so early in elk hunting career! Keep your chin up, time is a great healer. Practice your calling & shooting even more this off season for next year & you will rebound just fine with even more enthusiasm & confidence in your abilities! Good luck bud!

ElkNut1

[Lefty]

I trapped for a living, and always made trap sets for either a quick kill or or a humane hold.
Yes I have compassion for animals, and feeling for the possible suffering of an animal is a good thing in my opinion
We all learn the cycle of life. A long time back a Conservation officer reminded me that the suffering from a wounding is often better than the typical death of an animal. While it doesn't make me feel much better about the suffering I may have caused.

Last year (2014) I pursued a big bull that had a bad injury. Sometime in mid September I believe a pair of wolves killed him. I found evidence of an elk kill and in about a week other than hair that elk was gone,... even the offal and bones. I looked for the head and rack never found them.
Like Paul mentioned we need to do our best.

[BRazz]

Dave thanks for sharing. I had a similar thing happen 2 seasons ago and it rocked me pretty good. The fact that you care enough, and try to only take ethical shots, is a good thing. I like having hunters like you around!

I'm sorry for the unfortunate turn of events. Hopefully you take comfort knowing that you did the right thing.

[MidMoElkNut]

Thanks guys for all of the help and positive responses, that is exactly what I needed!!! It helps hearing other people's stories that have had the same experience as I did!!!

Early this spring I didn't put in a preference point like I wanted to because I didn't really have the money and wasn't planning on going elk hunting at all this year.... it got closer to early and mid summer when I was thinking about not making the elk hunting trip and it really got me all depressed because that is the only trip/vacation I take a year.... soon after that I told myself I don't care I'm going either way and I would really regret it if I didn't go..... on the long drive to Colorado I was asking myself is this trip worth all of this and am I going to keep doing this if I don't have a successful trip.... Well once I got into the mountains and into elk I knew what the answer to that would be.... this addiction is something that I just love to do, even if I don't seen any elk!!!

Thanks again guys you all really helped!!!

[elkaholic]

It happens Dave. Happened to me this year. I snuck in on a bull and his cows only to have them detect my presence at about 30 yrds. They came out of their hide hole alert and I was in the wide open. I didn't feel I had time to use my rangefinder so I guesstimated 48. Well he was 40 and I made a high hit. Looked for two days and like you nothing. Not sure if only shooting if I have ranged my target is the issue or just work at getting better at judging distance in a moment.

[cocamper]

From your post it seems like you care about ethical shots and harvests. That is what counts. If you think back to the moment you let your arrow fly, do you remember feeling solid about the decision? If so, the. Realize that your harming an animal does not put you in that horrible category of hunters that post photos of trophies who landed horrible shots and then can't accept any comment regarding the poor shot.

Last Feb I shot a perfect white tail shot on a wild hog. Their lungs go up much higher than a deer or elk, so when I found the arrow and smelled it, it was obviously a liver shot. Three friends and I tracked the blood trail a few hours later in the dark. The trail lasted for 3/4 mile winding back and forth, and then it ended. I went to bed wrecked mentally because I shot an animal, left it in a lot of pain before it died and didn't harvest it. I told the guy that owned the ranch that I would be gone before sunrise to find it. He said to sleep later and not worry about it. "The coyotes will have eaten all but the skull, vertebrae and feet before you find it. If you hunt long enough, rifle or bow, this will happen. What counts is not being a dick when you let it fly."

[Swede]

Midmo, it has happened to almost everyone that has hunted long enough. the best we can do is:
Know our limits and take only ethical shots. Never go for a hail Mary.
Try to see and determine the location hit.
Note or mark the location the where the animal was when hit, and note the path the animal took when leaving.
Wait like you did to give an animal, with a marginal or poor hit, time to lay down and die. If it does not die soon enough, hopefully it can't get up when you come back.
Follow the animal until all evidence of its travel is gone, then search on from there. Stay with it as long as reasonable under the conditions.
Often wounds on an elk seal up and you have little or no blood trail. If you hit a little high, and don't get a clean pass through, it can be very difficult trailing the animal.
Sometimes we get a good blood trail and sometimes nothing, or almost nothing. Elk are not like deer in that way.

Just some thoughts to try and help and for future reference.

[MidMoElkNut]

Thanks guys for all of the support..... I try to only take ethical shots and don't do any of them where I just fling and arrow.... that's not right... bow hunting is my passion and I love the sport because you have to practice and also having to get so close to make a good shot makes for some of the best experiences even if you can't get a shot..... I shoot about 3 deer and and practice often so hopefully something like that doesn't happen..... I think what happened was
I used my 40 yard pin and he was about 34 yards (at least that's what I ranged after the shot) so that may have caused a high hit and also he was screaming at me and since I have not killed an elk before I'm sure I was shaking some too.... it was an awesome experience I just wish it hadn't ended like that but it does happen I guess....

[CurlyTail]

Same thing happened to my brother this season. Nice 6x6 came in on a trot to a late afternoon advertising sequence. Bull stopped at 30 yards broadside but he could not get drawn. Shot him at 38 yards thinking it was 45. Low light could not see the exact hit site clearly. Thought it was a good hit - celebrated, gave him an hour. No blood at all, tracked him about 300 yards, bumped him from his bed (not good), backed out and gave him the night. Next day - no blood, bull went straight uphill, lost his track in an abundance of fresh tracks - no recovery. Very upsetting experience but you cannot undo what has been done. I take some solice in believing that bull has recovered and is still roaming the mountains.

We analized the situation and felt perhaps he could have seen the need to draw more quickly and been ready to release when the bull presented an easier shot. We also wonder if a lighted nock could have helped us realize that the shot was high so that we did not bump him out of his bed. Despite this setback, we kept hunting, and finally on the last hour of the last day , he got another chance - and this story has a happy ending.

I just feel bad for you having to think on this for an entire year. I hope you dont give up. Try not to dwell on it.

[MidMoElkNut]

Thanks Curly Tail..... I know what you mean.... you mentioned lighted knocks and I actually had one on my arrow and I don't think it worked when I shot the bull but I was still able to see the hit.... that's the reason I bought the lighted knocks was for a better view of the shot too.... when shooting at an animal I really like to watch for shot placement and which way the animal goes and what it does when I do get the opportunity because you never know if you will have blood or not to track it.....

I'm doing better I'll never get over it but that will just make me try harder so hopefully it doesn't happen again!!