Shoot or No Shot - Episode #4 2017

[WapitiTalk1]

Location: Somewhere in the elk woods
Hunt Pressure Status: Marginal
Hunt: Partner Hunt
Tag: Archery; 3 PT or better bull.

On the heels of Old School's frontal shot thread and LarryBud's rookie mistake thread, I pose this scenario.......

Are you kidding me.....REALLY! You're on your very first elk hunt and have wisely, hung out on Wapiti Talk and learned a few tips/tricks from the locals, "and" have grabbed a few of the Elknut products. You and your partner heard an unsolicited bugle at zero dark thirty and again wisely, not made a peep on your own. You instead, work the prevailing morning thermals and decide to dump into the draw and work "up" on the bull you heard in a attempt to get close, really close, to where you think he and his gals may be heading before you made a decision on call or no call. This took you and your buddy a long time and NOW, the thermals are getting ready to change in the late morning....oh hell, they already are! Once in close, within what you think is 70ish yards or less of the beast (you've followed his vocalizations throughout the morning and stop at what you think just may be the bench he and his harem is/are bedding down) and decide now is the time....... You position yourself on the bench/same elevation as the vocal bull, move a bit more across the bench, check the wind and see that it is starting to switch to going up hill and set/drop your partner/shooter and retreat to your calling location...... Now, you quickly scour your memories of Elknut's playbook and decide you're close enough to post a "threat".... Several distressed whiny cow calls over your should and almost in the same breath you throw out your biggest, baddest, not ready for prime time, SCREAM/challenge/I've got your cow mister bugle, directly at the unseen bull and in the next 5 seconds the response comes quick and it is both verbal and physical......HE'S COMING AND COMING/ FAST! Your partner may or may not have a shot from his angle but you're already at full draw and the bull is less than 20 yards from where you kneel..........

Shoot or no shot for the caller at this point in time?

If you're shooting, save the picture to your desktop and open in MS Paint, then 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]

Bull%20in%20our%20face.png (1 MiB) Viewed 11872 times

Ok, I'm a shootin. As Elvis sang, "It's Now Or Never". I am not waiting for him to slowly turn. That is not likely to happen under the circumstances.

[Grousewit]

Drop the bow an pull the 270 wsm out of pack an take the shoulders out. Finish off with bow. Seriously would not take bow shot at that angle, would probably make for a long recovery or not at all.

[Old school]

Bull in our face3.jpg (181.82 KiB) Viewed 11848 times

I'm shootin' - I may be positioned as the caller, but I'm a shootin'. Aimed a little low since I'm kneeling and put it fairly close to the shoulder bone, but with a little room for wiggle. Near leg is back, 500 grain arrow should exit behind the far shoulder, yep, I'm shootin.

--Mitch

[BrentLaBere]

IF I am collected enough I am shooting where swede put the mark. But, this is my first elk hunt? I doubt I would have been collected enough to shoot at that spot. Get ready for the alarm bark and stop him in his tracks before he picks up movement (from me shaking) and bolts before I even realized what happened.

[Trumkin the Dwarf]

NO way I'm taking the shot. That bull is moving quickly, and there's not a good angle to freeze him with a popping grunt. I'd swing with him as he trots and stop him 5 yards down the road. Wind may bite you in this situation.

[Lonnie]

I would not shoot at that angle. Ya we all remember our first elk shaky as all get out and we wanted a good shot so that we got that elk. I would be patient. If the bull really is worked up and you are already at full draw have patience. Chances are the bull will turn for that half a second and give you a better shot. It is better to have confidence and make a good shot than to wound a animal. Even if he is the biggest bull you have ever seen in your life. It all part of the hunting game. lol

[Swede]

I guess Old School is my caller and just shot the bull I launched an arrow into. The next time O.S. is my caller, I want him farther back. RJ never said how far the caller was away, but it obviously was not far enough.

[Old school]

Ha - you better be careful with me as your caller Swede. RJ worded it carefully, but did say that you were the caller and the bull had come into you - thence the shot placement I chose since he did say I was the caller Blame it on RJ, he just set me up in the perfect spot

--Mitch

[stringunner]

No shot there for me as the caller.

[Swede]

O.S. you make a good point. I reread RJ's write up and we don't really know how far the shooter is away. I thought the shooter was within 20 yards, but now I don't know. I was thinking everything beginning with ".........HE'S COMING AND COMING/ FAST" was referring to the shooter at full draw. At the angle of the shooter, I would not take any long shot. Anyway I shot as the shooter, and you got him as the caller. Two arrows in the bull is better than one.
I was razzing O.S. because I posted my answer first, and so I said I got the first arrow in the elk. If this situation really happened that way, I would consider the bull was mine if I shot him first and the arrow was a lethal hit. If the arrow was not in a lethal place, then it would be Old School's bull. If we could not be sure when we found the bull, then we would have to flip a coin or something to decide who tagged it. Meat would be divided as previously agreed. What are some other thoughts on that?

[Old school]

If I was put in that situation, I'd be glad to work something out. For me it's about the experience, not necessarily making sure everything is "fair". Split up the meat and work something out with the head. Or if one is set on the head/horns, Id gladly just take the meat. That would be an awesome memory - "remember that time when we both shot that bull that came screaming in on us!" All the other details would kind of fade into the background.

--Mitch

[lamrith]

Calling in for a buddy is awesome, but that bull came in from an unanticipated direction and will blow out due to wind and it is crunch time. Sometimes they just come straight in, consider that a huge nod of approval from the elkgods that you did a good job calling and got the bull to fly straight in. If I could stop the bull and that was position he stopped in, I am shooting with Old School. Lung and windpipe leaking, that bull will not go far.

Caller or shooter in that position, I am at full draw with a tag still in pocket, everyone in Camp is eating backstrap for dinner. I would expect my caller to do the same if the positions were reversed. Part of teamwork is adjusting to the unexpected on the fly as a team and making sure the team brings home dinner imho.

Be sure to thank who taught you how to call too, they gave you this shot..

[ishy]

I'm with Trumkin and swinging with him. The vitals will open up with each step he takes, so I'm ready with the nervous grunt if anything happens before I let one fly.

[stealthycat]

he's still coming in - another second and his right leg comes forward giving a better shot I'm thinking however .... If I'm taking this shot ... this is the best IMO as was posted before

[Tigger]

Okay, I am really confused. The red dot that Swede put up...if the caller takes that shot he barely breaks the skin and doesn't penetrate into any thing. What am I missing? Is that the red dot for the shooter? In fact, I am not sure the arrow even breaks skin or just parts the fur.

[WapitiTalk1]

Okay, I am really confused. The red dot that Swede put up...if the caller takes that shot he barely breaks the skin and doesn't penetrate into any thing. What am I missing? Is that the red dot for the shooter? In fact, I am not sure the arrow even breaks skin or just parts the fur.

I told Swede not to drink all that cough syrup before he went on that hunt; now see what he's done . I'm pretty sure he was marking that spot as the shooter vs. the caller in his post Tigger, at least I hope he was (cough syrup )......

[Swede]

I don't get it. Too much "cough syrup" I guess. So the caller is the shooter. Then I suppose the shooter is the ??? packer. Back to the cough syrup.

[Da White Shoe]

These types of frontal or hard quartering shots aren't meant for moving animals, I would think.
Standing still, close and unaware... shooter calm.