Free: Contests & Raffles.
Arrow wound had it happen to me right through the back strap. Bullet shock more likely would break the spine there.
The triangular shape of the entrance and long vertical wound on exit looks like a down hill arrow shot to me. Going over the top of the spine. Quite common to shoot high when shooting down hill with any weapon but especially so with a bow. Luckily big game animals recover quite well to that type of mistake with a sharp broadhead. Sounds like some folks need a refresher elk anatomy lesson! Also, she was probably much fatter during archery season which might give you a little more evidence the shot was higher than most seem to think.I have never seen scars that open and large though. Could be something completely different and unrelated to a weapon.
No possible way that a bullet did that. Not from a legal hunting rifle anyway.The hydrostatic shock would put her down. Even the blast from a .30/30 would put the spinal cord into useless fits.Amazing how an arrow can be incredibly lethal but can also miss, so perfectly, anything vital.
Quote from: Jonathan_S on July 14, 2014, 02:03:00 PMNo possible way that a bullet did that. Not from a legal hunting rifle anyway.The hydrostatic shock would put her down. Even the blast from a .30/30 would put the spinal cord into useless fits.Amazing how an arrow can be incredibly lethal but can also miss, so perfectly, anything vital.There is actually quite a bit of room for error in that area regardless of what you are shooting.I shot a yearly elk with my muzzle loader and 250 gr bullet in the same spot. The elk went down, until I walked up to it. Then it took off. Luckily I realized I hit high, reloaded and snuck in at the ready and was able to put one through the boilermaker on the run.One year we found a broad head lodged in the vertebrae of a rifle killed bull. And another time we found a healed up bullet hole in an archery killed bull. The bullet shattered/removed the arch off of the vertebrae.