Question about tracking a hit ELK

[Knocker of rocks]

He had already started to bloat but they tried to save the meat. But it had been too long. He tagged it anyway. No meat but a nice mount.

As he should have

[hunterrcc]

Band...   Yes a stream light, a mag light, three clip on lights green & Red, a hand held spot light, and two other head lamps.... We know better then to not have enough lights... Still ran out of good light but was able to use the clip on lights to walk our way out of there.     

[Goldeneye]

Don't think he got enough into him to hit a long. Probably just hit a vein and that's the blood you were seeing. If it does not get infection he should live.

Along the lines of infection.  About 10 years ago I harvested a Rosey bull that was moving along fine when I shot him.  I shot him during modern season.  Once I started quartering him up I found a problem with one ham.  There was no entry hole apparent in the ham.  Nearly all the meat in that ham was grey in color and had a smell.  I knew this ham meat was bad at that point so I kept cutting away at the worst of it out of curiosity and found a broahead in mid ham.  This bull in my opinion would have not survived the winter due to this infection.  The entry wound through the skin had healed up.  All I'm saying is yes these animals are tough.  Just because it appears they are moving along fine does not mean infection cannot set-in in any wound and kill the animal some time later.  I fully support your efforts in doing everything you can to recover your buddy's bull.

[jeepasaurusrex]

I talked with Shane today (guy who arrowed the 5x5) and he had already made up his mind, either if or if they did not find the bull, he was going to notch his tag.

[blacktail luv]

That bull is alive and well. Elk won't go that far if they are really hurting, they will bed down if they aren't pushed.  A kid I know killed an old bull last year that had a piece of arrow and the broadhead, plus two healed up muzzy slugs in him.  A guy I know killed a big bull back when I was in high school who had been shot by another friend of mine two years before.  It was a steep shot and only caught one lung.  That bull lived with one lung for two more years, the bad lung was shriveled up like a piece of leather when the other guy shot it. They are tough period!

[Johnb317]

First Elk I got  dumped buckets of blood... When I shot him at 35 yards I could see the blood pouring out.  It was a "good shot" maybe a hair low and full pass through.   Two areas looked like he dumped quarts of blood and then it was a spot every 3-10 yards.  Tracked him across a sagebrush field, then got pulled off the trail (luckily) at 10:30 pm (we were two hours from base)  Found him early the next morning in the woods bedded down and barely alive.   Hate to think what would have happened if I'd gotten too close.   Tough animals.... would have notched my tag if we hadn't found him.

[coachcw]

It's amazing what they can take , the bull i shot two years ago had huge horn gashes in his neck and shoulder. If that bull was hit hard even one lung he would have bedded up . Acouple of things i use in determining to go after a elk right away is , solid blood on both sides of the trail and is he heading down hill . most of the bulls That ive hit hard have headed down hill pretty quick . one other thing is if they  peel away from the group this ussaully tells you there gonna tank. the shoulder hit will often bleed more when he is heading down hill while your lung and rear honch shot bleed worse going up hill. One bull I hit in the liver stood with blood pouring off the arrow for 45 minutes . any elk that goe'd more than 500 yards isnt a good sign . I heard of a gal shooting a bull right near there camp while her husband and friends where off hunting she just went back to camp and waited for them they got back and went to tracking the bull it was hit in the nose . he went about three hundred yards and bedded up and died of a nose bleed !

[throttlejocky20]

I have hit an elk in the shoulder and that sound is un mistakable. a wound llike that will bleed a fair amount but the bull is prabably still alive.

[Trailstrider]

You don't say if he was traveling up or down hill. The shoulder shot sound like the likely placement. If he traveled up hill it was defenitly not a vital shot, the added stress of hills and movement of mussel mass make it difficult at best for them to endure it for very far. 5 + miles is a long way if hi Hard.... Sorry about the loss, never like seeing it happen but sooner or later it happens to everyone....