High Hit Bull - Not Recovered (Yet)

TygerJ

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This weekend I shot a bull at ~25 yards and broadside. My arrow struck him higher than ideal. Believe it was behind the left shoulder, but perhaps top of lungs or below spine. Arrow didn’t get great penetration; I’d guess ~8-10 inches.

After being hit, the bull ran off into some scrub-oak, arrow sticking out his side with blood down

Waited an hour before moving in to find him. Once in the location of the last sighting, it took us hours to eventually find a blood trail - which was perhaps 100+ yards directly up a nearly vertical ridge face. The blood trail was weak; occasional drops and bloody brush were he walked by. Blood confirmed he was bleeding down his left side only and blood was often very low...only occasional blood higher on brush.

Spent a total of seven hours on the blood trail the day of shot. Trail led me to the spine of the ridge with no indications where he went from the last blood spot I found.

Next day I spent an additional 3.5 hours trying to extend the blood trail. Only minimal extension achieved.

No birds circling, no smells to follow, no further blood trail found. Searched and searched and have no indication where the bull went from the last blood spot I found. Additionally, I never found my arrow either. For all I know my arrow was still in him - clogging the entrance wound, limiting blood trail.

Thus far I have not recovered nor seen the bull since. Haunts me.

Anybody have any insight on similar situations? Think this type of shot was fatal?

Attached is a diagram showing where I believe I hit him - green dot area.

0317af813c9c5dbdf6a84a4226691654.png



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Almost looks like the void area, but if you hit lungs that would explain the loss of blood trail, as his body would have to fill
With blood before he started bleeding heavily out of the hole. But he should have been blowing blood out of his nose if his lungs were filling from a high lung shot.

Was he quartering at all that could be a factor as may have only hit one lung.


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I can very much relate. I shot an antelope in a similar manner and had him run off. Long story short is that he covered about 3/4 mile, with arrow still in him and leaving just specks of blood. We found him after about two hours of tracking, he had bedded with head still up and obviously on edge. We backed out to leave him overnight with a plan to spot him in the morning and make the best play possible. At daylight we had found that coyotes had got him. They had obviously bumped him and then hamstrung him and had made the kill late in the night. With a whole den of pups, there wasn't anything salvageable.
So, my thought with your elk would be to go to last blood and try to think like a animal that is not feeling well...I would just start in towards the location with easy access to really good cover. Water could also be a factor with you have some close. From my experience, I would say that the shot is not fatal. All animals are tough and have a stay alive at all cost demeanor, elk are even tougher. In the least he should be moving slower and hopefully if the arrow is still in him causing discomfort enough to keep him in one area.
Good Luck
 
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TygerJ

TygerJ

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Almost looks like the void area, but if you hit lungs that would explain the loss of blood trail, as his body would have to fill
With blood before he started bleeding heavily out of the hole. But he should have been blowing blood out of his nose if his lungs were filling from a high lung shot.

Was he quartering at all that could be a factor as may have only hit one lung.


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No bubbly lung blood. He was also virtually perfectly broadside. 95% certain his left front leg was straight down or forward.


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I have shot a couple animals in that high spot. Never recovered either of them. I hope you find him.
 

Ross

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Unfortunately does sound likely the arrow hit in the void or very minimal damage to any lung if in the void non lethal things happen and we can only do the best we can.
 
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TygerJ

TygerJ

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Thanks for the insights. Terrible situation. Great opportunity squandered. Live, learn, better shot placement going forward.

Will optimistically believe the bull is hurt but will live on.


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No offense to any of you guys, but there is no “void” in an animal. I’d say it was a little higher than you think and hit the back straps. You will get good blood at the start and then it will taper off and leave you empty handed. If it was a backstrap hit he will most likely survive.


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SBAHunts

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So what is the general thinking on sportsman etiquette in this situation.

Should a person continue hunting and get another "shot" at an elk or has one effectively "tagged out", I shot one, couldn't find it, done for the season??
 
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TygerJ

TygerJ

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Was the second to last day of season for me. Spent the last day of season just searching for him. Effectively my hunt was over whether I found him or not.

Perhaps maybe I hit him higher than my recollection. Any other high bone in that area? Spine, rib, shoulder, I don’t know.

All I know is it was high, penetration wasn’t great (maybe 8-12 inches), and it was behind his left front leg.


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Huntin wv

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Did pretty much the exact same thing on a really nice bull in Colorado this year. Had a 30 yd broadside shot that should’ve been a slam dunk. I believe I hit him high. Found very little blood, looked for 3 days and no bull. It’s definitely not a good feeling.


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Not saying this was the case but our perception of the hit doesn’t always match reality. But sounds like you hit it high in the back above the lungs. If there was lung blood, you should have been able to discern that in the blood trail.

In addition, I have heard of elk surviving single lung hits also. I don’t know the percentage that die vs. survive but a buddy of mine killed one during rifle and found a broken off broadhead in one of the lungs with a mass that had sort of grown around it. Who knows how long it had been in there.

Sorry you didn’t recover him. Nothing worse than that feeling of despair and wondering of its fate.
 

Morrid7

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I did that last year on a bull in CO. Blood trail was good at first and quickly diminished to infrequent drops before ceasing altogether. And the bull ran uphill, which is usually a bad sign for the hunter. Dry tracking after that was fruitless. We all agreed it was not a lethal hit, but I considered it a filled tag.

Fortunately I was able to overcome that experience last week in CO with a nice bull, but the thought of another high hit was on my mind as I drew on the bull.

Good luck next year.


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ckleeves

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No offense to any of you guys, but there is no “void” in an animal. I’d say it was a little higher than you think and hit the back straps. You will get good blood at the start and then it will taper off and leave you empty handed. If it was a backstrap hit he will most likely survive.


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I agree. In my experience most “hit him high” scenarios with no recovery are over the spine. It’s easier to do then people think. I hit a bull pretty much exactly where your green dot is a few years ago (right in the dreaded “void”!) when I was shooting a single pin slider and the bull came closer after I had ranged him and set my sight and I didn’t hold low enough. He only made it about 80 yards.
 

N Corey

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If you hit him in the lungs he’s dead. If you hit him in the dead zone he probably won’t die unless infection gets him.
 

Formidilosus

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As has been said- there is no “void”, “dead zone”, or anything else. The lungs are attached to the walls of the chest cavity 100% from top to bottom. When they aren’t it’s called a pneumothorax and it’s fatal.


What people think is the “dead zone” is really the spinous process above the spine, which is much deeper than people think- I guess people don’t cut up their own meat much....
 

geriggs

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Thats your call, you will get a varying of opinions. Everyone is different.


So what is the general thinking on sportsman etiquette in this situation.

Should a person continue hunting and get another "shot" at an elk or has one effectively "tagged out", I shot one, couldn't find it, done for the season??
 

TripleJ

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Like others have said above, it sounds like a back-strap hit to me. The spine is a lot lower than most people realize at the intersection with the shoulder blades. There is a whole lot of space up there where an arrow hit will do very little to slow up an elk. The arrow sticking out and not passing through when hitting up high is another sign of this kind of hit. The ridge of bone above the spinal cord and between the backstraps will often stop an arrow, where as a hit in the ribs will often bury farther or pass through. Don't ask me how I know...
 
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