wondering the ratio of archery shots taken at elk vs elk recovered

[blackveltbowhunter]

Imho more animals especially elk, are lost to poor follow up of decent but not immediately lethal shots, than are lost to bad shots themselves. Elk are tough. Bulls sustain so much damage from rutting that a clean cut from a broadhead to the shoulder, void, brisket, or other non blood rich area is likely causing us far more stress than the elk. As it should. But if you can confidently say where your arrow hit and blood sign points that way, learn from it and rest easy as I am sure the elk is.

This is not meant to dismiss poor behaviour or flinging arrows or bullets at low percentage shots. But EVERY shot taken is a percentage. A 20 yard clear broadside shot things can go wrong.

The flip side is that an arrow through hams, guts/liver, or the dreaded one lung regardless of why or how they are made require an incredible amount of patience, control, determination, along with a healthy dose of reality to get a favorable outcome. And if not recovered should be treated with a notched tag imo.

[JDHasty]

Imho more animals especially elk, are lost to poor follow up of decent but not immediately lethal shots, than are lost to bad shots themselves. Elk are tough. Bulls sustain so much damage from rutting that a clean cut from a broadhead to the shoulder, void, brisket, or other non blood rich area is likely causing us far more stress than the elk. As it should. But if you can confidently say where your arrow hit and blood sign points that way, learn from it and rest easy as I am sure the elk is.

This is not meant to dismiss poor behaviour or flinging arrows or bullets at low percentage shots. But EVERY shot taken is a percentage. A 20 yard clear broadside shot things can go wrong.

The flip side is that an arrow through hams, guts/liver, or the dreaded one lung regardless of why or how they are made require an incredible amount of patience, control, determination, along with a healthy dose of reality to get a favorable outcome. And if not recovered should be treated with a notched tag imo.

True story.

[BrianF]

Imho more animals especially elk, are lost to poor follow up of decent but not immediately lethal shots, than are lost to bad shots themselves. Elk are tough. Bulls sustain so much damage from rutting that a clean cut from a broadhead to the shoulder, void, brisket, or other non blood rich area is likely causing us far more stress than the elk. As it should. But if you can confidently say where your arrow hit and blood sign points that way, learn from it and rest easy as I am sure the elk is.

This is not meant to dismiss poor behaviour or flinging arrows or bullets at low percentage shots. But EVERY shot taken is a percentage. A 20 yard clear broadside shot things can go wrong.

The flip side is that an arrow through hams, guts/liver, or the dreaded one lung regardless of why or how they are made require an incredible amount of patience, control, determination, along with a healthy dose of reality to get a favorable outcome. And if not recovered should be treated with a notched tag imo.

agreed.  I hit a nice 6 point this year in the "void" but it didn't pass through saw that elk the next morning with the heard chasing cows.  Still sick over it... Lesson learned for me this year

[JDHasty]

Imho more animals especially elk, are lost to poor follow up of decent but not immediately lethal shots, than are lost to bad shots themselves. Elk are tough. Bulls sustain so much damage from rutting that a clean cut from a broadhead to the shoulder, void, brisket, or other non blood rich area is likely causing us far more stress than the elk. As it should. But if you can confidently say where your arrow hit and blood sign points that way, learn from it and rest easy as I am sure the elk is.

This is not meant to dismiss poor behaviour or flinging arrows or bullets at low percentage shots. But EVERY shot taken is a percentage. A 20 yard clear broadside shot things can go wrong.

The flip side is that an arrow through hams, guts/liver, or the dreaded one lung regardless of why or how they are made require an incredible amount of patience, control, determination, along with a healthy dose of reality to get a favorable outcome. And if not recovered should be treated with a notched tag imo.

agreed.  I hit a nice 6 point this year in the "void" but it didn't pass through saw that elk the next morning with the heard chasing cows.  Still sick over it... Lesson learned for me this year

I shot a cow elk w/a Wasp on a XX75 2413 out of a Spoiler that measured 96 lbs peak pull.  This was 30 years ago and I hit high in the chest at 35 yards.  This was in the days before range finders and I misjudged the range.

That shot knocked the elk off her feet and I was standing there waiting fr her to die when she got up and took off.  She was coughing up blood clots every few hundred yards and breathing out drops all along the way as I tracked her a half-mile or so.  It was getting dark when I lost the trail and hiked up to a road that lead back to camp.   

When I got to the road Joe, the best tracker I know was headed along the road and said he was headed back along the road a half hour earlier and saw a single blood drop on a leaf and tracked it out and heard coughing and came up on a cow with her head hanging down and put an arrow in her from the front that tipped her over. 

I got just the top of one lung and the reason she fell was probably that I centered a rib on the way in (lesson learned, conical tips are not good enough to penetrate an elk hide and an elk rib and keep going all the way through both lungs) and that tweaked her spine enough to knock her down for about 15 seconds.  Had I been smart I would have shot her again and again as she laid there until she moved no more.  I stood there waiting for her to die so as to not get the crap kicked out of me by running up to her as she flailed away.

Since I had given up the elk as lost, it was Joe's elk.  He offered to share, but I told him it was his and we helped him to quarter and pack it out the next morning.   

 

[krout81]

Hit a bull last year opening day low in the brisket.  Blood was good for 300yards, but saw him walk away at 90 yards 2 hours later.  Hunted the same area every morning, and had 3 more encounters with him.  They are tough for sure, and he was pretty spooky after that first shot.   I did loose a cow late season one year that walked into the cispus river and looked back at me while she fell over almost to say hah you can't get me now.  High water and many hours or searching she was gone probably under the logs at the dam.

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