Absolutely Sickening EDIT: Bull Was Found

[M_ray]

Its funny that Phool offered to go get the Bee infested head???  He is also is allergic to bees  I personally would have carried a saw my tag and a epi pen ... I have carried Phools before since he usually leaves it in the truck! 

[ICEMAN]

Vicks Vapor Rub

[Simcoe hunter]

Vicks Vapor Rub

For before or after?  Then bald faced hornets are nasty.  They will hunt you down.  That has to be the meanest bug in the woods.

[ICEMAN]

Vicks Vapor Rub

For before or after?  Then bald faced hornets are nasty.  They will hunt you down.  That has to be the meanest bug in the woods.

Apply a dab under the nose and you will not smell the putrid slop as you cut the head loose....

[boneaddict]

Its funny that Phool offered to go get the Bee infested head???  He is also is allergic to bees  I personally would have carried a saw my tag and a epi pen ... I have carried Phools before since he usually leaves it in the truck! 

Good hunting partners are hard to find. 

[C-Money]

 

Looking forward to seeing the antler pics!! And like Bone said....Get those Ivories!

[JohnVH]

Glad ya got some closure on it, better than it running around slowly dieing

[steen]

Thank you for posting this thread.  I learned a lot and feel regardless of anti hunters it was positive for all.  Some people hate even if you do the right thing so hold your head high.  About the legality if you take the antlers you would need to tag it but if you chose to hunt again leave them.  Don't let no one tell you what you should do whether you leave it and hunt or tag it and not hunt. It is your personal preference and not everyone's is the same.  Some people need the meat more than the antlers and some will keep the antlers and not hunt again, and there are some who may take the risk of doing both (I don't condone this).  Finding one in the woods is one legally you can't take but to me that is unfortunate but necessary because of poaching.  I couldn't tell you what I'd do because so far I have not had to make that decision.  I enjoyed the learning curve it gave me.  All hunters need to support each other regardless of weapon choice.  Sooner of later it will happen if you hunt enough.  Looking forward to the pictures.  It will be a great story to tell your kids and grandkids for years to come.  Just tell it as a teaching tool.

[huntnphool]

Its funny that Phool offered to go get the Bee infested head???  He is also is allergic to bees  I personally would have carried a saw my tag and a epi pen ... I have carried Phools before since he usually leaves it in the truck! 

Good hunting partners are hard to find. 

Got that right!!

[smartazz171]

      I just want to thank everyone for the kind wishes, posts, PMs, and thoughts. We went down day before yesterday again and finally found my bull approximately 324 yards from where I shot him. He had run straight down the hill into a thick mess of small pines and huckbrush. It was 6 days later and I've never seen such a mess. One hind leg was completely missing and the other and been drug up between the antlers. Clearly a bear or two had been at work. There appeared to be a full on colony of bald faced hornets that had taken up residence in the body cavity which, in conjunction with the maggots and flies,  and also the smell prevented us from doing much research into what happened.
     While this is a horrible thing to have happened and I know there are some out there who say these thing shouldn't be posted, I do think it is important to recognize that not all hunting ends as ideally as we as hunters would hope and strive for. The fact of the matter is, I can now rest assured that there is no way we would have found that bull, but we definitely did everything possible based on the info available. The foliage was thick as it was, but that bull crawled into a little hole where we wouldn't have seen him without stepping on him. The bees and flies were so loud that I heard them from 25 yards away, otherwise I probably wouldn't have found him that day either. We went back again yesterday, but  it's going to be another couple weeks at least before I can start trying to make sense of what happened, where I hit, and to get the antlers. I plan on going back up at the end of the month or beginning of October.   
     Of course, this has certainly been a learning experience. Some have suggested in PMs that I practice more, others that I considered giving up archery hunting altogether. Many of you have offered encouraging words while others apparently have found the urge to kick a downed man before he has a chance to regain his footing as irresistable.  Here's my thoughts on the subject - I prepared so continuously and meticulously that I cannot imagine improving there. I was OCD about tuning my bow and practicing almost daily for months. I had a good shot, but a tough one, and I elected to take it. I still have no concrete idea on what went wrong. Regardless, I've come to accept that there are things that happen some times. I took the shot and did everything I possibly could to recover the animal before the meat went to waste and then we hiked for hours to locate the bull and gain closure after the fact, knowing the meat was bad.  Still, there has been a lot of learning that has taken place as well. Both from reading many of the PMs and also the replies to this thread I feel as though I acquired a great deal of tips and information which, in combination with the process of locating my bull, has definitely made me a better hunter when it comes to what happens after the shot. Hopefully, the knowledge gained throughout this experience will help prevent it from happening again.
     Once again, I'm thankful for this forum and the many of you who chose to provide valuable tips and input.

Any guys who suggested you practice more or quite are idiots.  Not to but (1) you explained how much practice you had done DURING THE OFF SEASON, and (2) these "hunters" must be perfect!  I have never been in your shoes but anyone who has been hunting for any length of time knows stuff can happen.  This wasn't like you lobbed an arrow at 75 yards because you didn't control yourself.  The only thing people could question was whether or not you SHOULD have launched an arrow with such a small window of opportunity.  You made an assessment and took the shot.  NO one else was there,  no one else can judge. IF you shouldn't have launched the arrow, you have paid for it with your own blood sweat and tears.  You didn't just say oh well and leave the animal.  and lets not forget that You did place a killing shot.  If the average elk runs at 7-10mph down hill, he died pretty quick after only running 300+ yards from arrow impact.  If he hadn't had fallen where he did (no ones control) this would have been a successful post and these critics would be sitting at there computers watching others success, while killing the "big one" in there cabelas big game hunter video game.   

I say good job ,  for the waste of the meat after your hard work, and on the haters.  I forgot how every shot flies true, and the animals stand like 3d targets at 10 yards for them.    Keep your head high!

[turkeyfeather]

Nice post smartazz. 

[bullcanyon]

My buddy shot a bull Sunday that covered over 300yds in less than 10 seconds with lungs deflated. I thought he missed until the bull stopped and fell down.  30yd shot that looked perfect.  This was on flat ground. Not the steep stuff that slinger was on. And even though I watched him fall I looked at the blood trail just because I like to know.  Didn't see any blood until the last 30yds. Shot wasn't high either.  They don't always go right down like the movies.  Those that think otherwise haven't shot much imho.

Glad you found him.  Way to be persistent.

[Jonathan_S]

My buddy shot a bull Sunday that covered over 300yds in less than 10 seconds with lungs deflated

   That's like 60 mph

Glad he got it back.

[Labs07]

I'm really glad you were able to put some closure to your hunt!  Just remamber that there are just soemthings that happen in the Elk and Deer woods that really can't be explained.  Stuff happens and it will continue to be that way because we choose to hunt on the animals terms and in their envirnment.  Kepp pushing forward knowing that, in reality, you did make a killing shot with your bow.  May the Elk gods shine on you for future hunts!

[bullcanyon]

Guess I'll take my stop watch next time so I can be more precise.  Just throwing it out that they cover some ground in a hurry.