Shoot or No Shot 2016, Episode #1.

[WapitiTalk1]

It's 16 September, 2016 (what a great time to be in the elk woods). It's the 6th day of your 10 day southern Idaho archery elk hunt. Your buddy shot a bull three days earlier and is now the designated caller for you. After 15 minutes of your buddy doing a real nice breeding sequence, you sense/hear something to your right and within seconds this guy stops and is giving you the evil eye. Perhaps he saw you move a bit trying to locate him but now it comes to this. You've previously ranged the spot of that cover the bull is standing behind at 35 yards. Shoot or no shot?

If you say "shoot", save the picture to your desktop and open in MS Paint, you'll be able to place a spot, X, or whatever on the critter before you save it back to a jpg and add the marked up pic with your post.

[jackelope]

No shot for me.

[Netminder01]

No shot for me.

 

[pianoman9701]

Nope

[bhawley76]

Not today

[kentrek]

Maybe, he's quartered to me slightly as I've show with the horizontal arrow, but Im not sure if it's enough to make a huge difference if i hold tight to the onside shoulder...i marked the off side Legg with the vertical arrow

The biggest factor is how far away the brush is and if my 10,15,20,25 yard arrow path will clear that lil patch of brush that covers up where I'd want to hit

I passed up a bull in 2015 in a real similar situation because he only gave me a very short amount if time..if I was drawn back and he gave me the time to figure out if its possible I'd probably let it rip

[Timberstalker]

I think he is quartered just too much to catch the back of the lungs.  My two cents.
He gets to live another day.

[Rainier10]

No Shot.

[Big6bull]

I've seen the impack of a small branch deflecting. Tough shot I dunno if I'd shoot

[Labs07]

No shot for me

[Gringo31]

Would be interesting to see all the responses and then make it a 400" bull and see if they hold true to shot or no shot.

[Nice Racks]

I like to think I would wait; especially if your buddy is still calling.  The bull may have caught a glimpse of you moving, but he came in to the advertising that your friend was doing.  I would take a chance and see if his attention would go back on the calling, and perhaps give you a better shot in a few seconds, rather than take that shot.

[Firedogg]

No shot from me no matter how much crap my buddy will flip me. O want to spend the next four days of the hunt trying to locate his big brother instead of chasing this wounded guy around.

[westsidehntr]

I'd have to be there to make that decision. Where those bushes are at between me and the elk would make a big difference. If they are right next to me, I can thread an arrow through them maybe.

[DOUBLELUNG]

I like to think I would wait; especially if your buddy is still calling.  The bull may have caught a glimpse of you moving, but he came in to the advertising that your friend was doing.  I would take a chance and see if his attention would go back on the calling, and perhaps give you a better shot in a few seconds, rather than take that shot.

This is my thought process also.  When I was younger, less calculating and more optimistic, I learned the hard way with both elk and deer, that an archery shot needs to be a clear shot at the vitals, and preferably on an animal that is unaware of you.  I'd rather let them walk than risk wounding them.  I've had - and seen - lucky shots end up as punched tags, but too many don't get recovered in time on suboptimal shots. 

[WapitiTalk1]

You guys are rough to rattle    Looks to me like the bull is a handful of feet on the other side of the cover so he's maybe 37/38 yards from the shooter's position?  None of you sharpshooters are gonna touch off an arrow and take this little guy home for dinner?  No right or wrong answers, we're just doing these to spark some elky discussion during the long off season 

If you decide to touch one off, perhaps have a target impact point of here? 

[Karl Blanchard]

I think my arrow would float right over that brush I think but he is quartering too hard.  I've seen that same shot and we got the elk but it was a one lung deal and could have ended worse.

[Band]

No shot for me because of the brush.  If the brush weren't there I'd take a look at the angle he's standing before deciding whether to shoot.

[Rainier10]

The only way I would take Phantom's shot placement is if I had already hit the bull once, tracked him  this point and he was standing there for a follow up shot.  At that point yes that is where I would aim and try and put him down.

If he is not already hit I would still pass on that shot and hope for a better one.

Of course all of this is with experience, 20 years ago, totally different answer.

[2MANY]

Let that skinny headed dink walk.

[theleo]

He walks and I have 4 more days of hunting instead of spending a day and a half trying to track a likely wounded animal. Lots of elk still in southern Idaho, no reason to take the shot in my book.

[Jonathan_S]

If that bull gives me plenty time to settle and if there's no wind...I'm going to let one rip just where Phantom's mark is or slightly higher.  I shoot through branches all the time when practicing and feel like I'm a pretty good judge of how my arrows arc and fly. This shot is better taken with a slower bow like mine 

As far as angles go, maybe I'm looking at this wrong  I don't see how a properly placed arrow doesn't eat the lungs up  am I judging angle wrong in this photo?

[Dan-o]

I guess I'm the exception, but I'm dropping him.

[WapitiTalk1]

If the angle is concerning to some, I offer this for consideration.  The dead elk in the pic below was quartering more than slightly towards me on that fateful day in Idaho this year after I'd called him off his ladies... twice, and he dropped within 10 seconds of my shooting him. Yes, there are some leaves/twigs to consider in the thread scenario but I would not pass this shot up based on the angle alone. One must have their wits about them and make no mistake with their shot placement with stick and string or a good hunt turns into a bad one very quickly (particularly at this less than ideal angle with a few leafs and twigs in the mix). Would I take the scenario shot as pictured? Possibly but I don't get Shaky Jake syndrome as some do when drawing on an elk.. in fact, I think it's kind of calming after humping the hills all day

These threads are designed to facilitate discussion, not necessarily to obtain a cookie cutter answer for every scenario. It's all about the discussion .  Carry on.   

[Jonathan_S]

   thanks for the discussion and  it's always situational

[Moose Master]

Nope not prudent for shot, let him grow some more

[buglebrush]

Completely fine with the angle, but have seen the devastation of that type of branch in the way.  Pass.