Think I might hang up my bow for the season...

[Bucks2Ducks]

It's a bad feeling loosing one, cant imagine loosing 2 bulls. As far as Montecs, I love them, and have seen some crazy amount of damage done to elk with them. They are also one of the sharpest broad heads out of the package that I have seen. Keep at it, and good luck!

[LoganOregon]

Yeah I thought they looked likegood broadheads also and they are pretty damn sharp out of the package. But m definitely not impressed and am not gonna use them again. Think I'll go back to shuttle t's or try the slick tricks.

And idahohuntr to answer your question, he went a long ways, from where I shot him he went like 350 or so yards up through the clearcut. We lost blood and his trail about 100 yards before the timber so we weren't sure where exactly he went in. But then my buddy luckily randomly found my arrow broke off right at the edge of the timber where he went in. But no other blood around the arrow or anywhere after that. Weird.. but it must be still plugged with the rest of the arrow.

[RadSav]

I've never been a fan of the microscopic edge obtained with powder metal.  So to me Montec and Shuttle T have never been options.  That said, I know a number of hunters who have had good luck with the carbon Montec and have experienced impressive penetration.  Put them in the right spots and kills are usually quick.  That bow, arrow, broadhead combination should be above average in penetration.   Having not been there I hate to assume, but sounds to me like major bone was hit in both circumstances. Rib bones should have been no match for that setup at all! Definitely do not think Shuttle-T would have made any difference at all.

Elk are tough animals!  They can take quite a bit and still survive.  The number of broadheads, round balls and rifle bullets we have found in elk shoulders over the years are numerous.  Make a bad shot with nearly any weapon and results can be disappointing on these tough critters.  Yet take one in the right spot with an extremely sharp broadhead and the quickness at which they go down always amazes me!  And the penetration my wife gets from her 50# bow, 350 grain arrows and three blade broadheads when shot in those same spots always leaves me impressed as well.  She has been an elk killing machine without a single elk loss over the years.  So I wouldn't put as much blame on the broadhead design as I would shot placement in this case.

Guy in our group hit one high third days of season in 2007 with a Muzzy 3 blade. We thought for sure it had found a hole somewhere and died.  Similar shot placement and penetration.  I rarely ever assume an animal has died as we have some impressive trackers in our group.  But this one I feared the worst!  Last day of the season I am on the far side of the canyon glassing the wife's stalk on another bull when the big bull we thought had died came pushing a large harem across the cut below her.  Definitely him as I could still see the dark spot from the earlier arrow.  Didn't slow him down a bit!

If it were me I'd get back on the horse and get out there.  Nothing raises the spirit more than watching the result of a properly executed shot and a short blood trail.  Just remember this - High is dry, low is wet and just below center is your best bet

[PA BEN]

It happens to all of us. As a kid I shot a buck at 75 yds w/a 308 180gr bullet. Shot him 3 times in the chest and one in the neck, knocked him down on the first shot bent over to pick up my brass and he started kicking and jumped up, shot him in the chest again down he went, kicking and screaming really freaked me out. I shot him in the neck on the ground, spun him 180 on the ground and he jumped up again, shot him in the chest down he went kicking and not screaming as I reloaded he jumped up and ran off. I had my 3 uncles hunting w/me. I went over to where he went down and there was bone, lungs and lots of blood over a 10 ft area. I walked to the edge of the ridge and he jumped up and ran off. I hook up w/my uncles and they though WW3 was going on w all the shots. We found blood 500 yds from where I shot him but never found him. Sometimes no matter how hard they are hit, the will to survive will keep them on their feet a long time. This will make a better hunter out of you, the next time you draw on an animal, you "WILL" question the angle or placement of the shot before you pull the pin. If it's not right you will back off. Not that you didn't do this before but now it will run through your head like a freight train now that this has happened to you. I won't go into the ones I've lost over the 20 years of bowhunting I've done, but I've learned from each and everyone of them. Best thing you can do is get back in the saddle and kill one.     

[4fletch]

PM sent

[LoganOregon]

Thanks everyone for the positive replies and encouragement. I certainly don't want to give up but I just feel awful for having that happen even once, but twice in 3 days just makes me sick. I am going to switch broadheads before I go back out. I'm most likely gonna try the QAD exodus as I have been hearing great reviews about them. I'm going to hunt the same area where I shot the 2nd bull and set up a couple trail cameras back in the timber where he went. Good luck to the rest of you as well!

[10thmountainarcher]

Thunder head 125s have always been amazing for me..

[seansfire]

Thunderhead 125's for me as well.

[Taco280AI]

I'd hunt that area and try to find them again 

[Johnb317]

I'd love to know what area 

I read through all and can't find your total arrow weight
We all assume at 70lbs you are shooting a 420 gr min?

Like my slick tricks  they leave a nasty hole. 
Go back and get another arrow in him!

[BOWHUNTER45]

In all seriousness it is all about shot placement ..we all have killed animals with certain broadheads so that being said they are the best  Hit one threw both lungs with any broadhead and its lights out ...just remember the Indians were killing elk - buffalo and deer with a piece of flint ..   whats the problem 

[wonder]

You said you wanted opinions.  I will be real straight with mine. If you put an arrow into an Elk you need to exhaust yourself until you find it or the season runs out.  Your bull is out there wounded and I don't think you should be trying to kill another one.  Ran into a few guys out on opening day a few years back that wounded a cow and looked for a couple hours then went on to new hunting grounds and I said the same thing to them.

Gives us all a bad reputation and it's plain unethical.  Good luck finding him.

[sakoshooter]

A few years back I found a nice mule deer buck I'd shot on opening morning, the 5th morning of the hunt. I searched for him every day. The ravens helped me find him on the 5th day and I tagged him. I killed him so he was my deer, good bad or indifferent. I managed to save the back straps since it'd been frozen every night and most of each day.
Ethics. Choices need to be made by each of us in these circumstances.
Get back out there and keep looking.

[Vulcan]

You said you wanted opinions.  I will be real straight with mine. If you put an arrow into an Elk you need to exhaust yourself until you find it or the season runs out.  Your bull is out there wounded and I don't think you should be trying to kill another one.  Ran into a few guys out on opening day a few years back that wounded a cow and looked for a couple hours then went on to new hunting grounds and I said the same thing to them.

Gives us all a bad reputation and it's plain unethical.  Good luck finding him.

  

[GrampasGuns]

You said you wanted opinions.  I will be real straight with mine. If you put an arrow into an Elk you need to exhaust yourself until you find it or the season runs out.  Your bull is out there wounded and I don't think you should be trying to kill another one.  Ran into a few guys out on opening day a few years back that wounded a cow and looked for a couple hours then went on to new hunting grounds and I said the same thing to them.

Gives us all a bad reputation and it's plain unethical.  Good luck finding him.

Dude your season SHOULD be over. Looking for new elk to shoot at is absolutely unethical.