Long track job, no blood . . . . dead elk!

[DawnPatrol]

Had an experience this week that’s worth sharing:

My buddy shoots at a bull at last light. It’s a quartering away shot. Off hand. At maybe 80 yards. She shoots a .30-06, uses factory Barnes Vortex ammo with 165 gr. bullets.

The bull runs off, without visibly reacting to the shot. After waiting 30 minutes, we start tracking. It’s full-on dark and there’s three of us with head lamps. There’s no blood at the site of the shot. The tracks show the bull (and another that was with it) headed down hill and then up another ridge.

The tracks are mostly in mud and ponderosa pine needles, but the bulls did cross a dry rocky wash and several bare logs—all of which would have been good to places to see blood. But after tracking for 2 hours over about 300 yards and never seeing a drop of blood, we decide to pack it in and return in the morning.

The lack of blood, along with no beds in the track and the bull keeping pace with his non-wounded companion, led us to think there had been a clean miss or at least a poor hit. Spirits were pretty low in camp that night.

Back on the track at first light the next day. My buddy spots about 3 more tracks, then looks up and spots her bull piled up just 50 yards ahead!! Even right where he went down, we found no blood.

After cutting up the bull, it looked as though the bullet had gone in the through the guts, destroyed the off-side lung, but not made an exit wound. The elk had bled out internally, but no blood made it out the entrance wound.

It seems likely the bull died quickly—if it had been alive the night before we almost certainly would have bumped it.

Anyway, I guess the takeaway for me is: even if I don’t see an elk react to the shot or see blood on the ground, keep tracking and looking hardbecause they can go a long ways without bleeding and still die.

 

[Rob5589]

Good on you guys for your diligence. And congrats on the bull.

 

[BigAntlerGetter]

Guts tend to plug a hole quick, if you would have had an exit you would have been fine, quartering away shots are difficult just due to the fact the amount of matter the bullet has to pass through. Bullet did its job though


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[One-shot]

Very good of you to post this reminder. Not sure I would have tracked it with no visible indication of a hit. But if it’s a close enough shot and one’s sure animal was hit then you guys were spot on. Definitely going to keep this in mind for all my/our hunts. Thanks for posting this important reminder.

 

[5MilesBack]

I had that happen once but he didn't go very far. I was on horseback heading up the bottom of this draw when I bumped a herd off to my right in the quakies. I knew they'd be heading for the timbered side on my left so took off to try and cut them off. I came over a small bench and caught the back end of the herd as they were running through a 20 yard opening into the timber about 150 yards out. I had a cow tag and an either sex tag and I jumped off the horse and scoped a cow and shot, she dropped. Then a couple more cows and then the bull. Shot at him as well and he didn't even flinch.

When we got to where they crossed, the cow was gone but could easily see where she dropped and the blood trail in the snow. There was no other blood trail so I followed the cow up. Eventually she turned to my left and side-hilled along the timbered slope. I looked down to my left as I followed it, and saw the back end of an elk laying in the snow about 50 yards below me, and figured she eventually headed down and doubled back. When I got down there I was surprised to see that it was the bull. Not a drop of blood there or anywhere along his path that he ran. The bullet lodged in his offside shoulder. Found the cow along her trail a couple hundred yards away, after gutting the bull.

Yep, you always have to trail them for a bit and look for signs of a hit. In every case that I've shot an elk that was with a herd, they've always spun off from the rest of the herd pretty quickly after the shot. So if you find a lone set of tracks that goes off from the herd, keep following them.

 

[Mike Islander]

Great you stayed with it. My last buck didn't bleed a drop. Hit both lungs and tore up the blood vessels at top of heart, but no exit wound. Why no blood? Hit a bit high and all the blood pooled inside as he ran. Not sure how he didn't blow tons out his nose, but didn't see a drop except where he lay. 40 yards into our swampy woods meant no tracks, so just semi circles until I found him in the dark.

 

[Firehawk]

Great job of sticking with it. Reminds me of situation I had several years ago. I shot a cow elk in deep fresh snow. She was quartering to me at 200 yards. I lined up on the crease between her sternum and her front shoulder which would have put the bullet, a 7mm 160 Accubond, traveling through about 24" of body to exit.

At the shot, she acted hit, turned and ran with the rest of the herd along the ridge and over. I hiked my way through the deep snow to the point where the herd had topped the ridgeline. A great trail of dozens of elk tracks through the 18" of snow was easy to follow, but I didn't see any blood at all. I was really confused. I kept following the trail for about 100 yards and still hadn't seen anything. No way I could have missed her. I was rock solid on that shot, heard it hit, and she reacted to the shot.

I decided to back track and see if she had taken off down into the scrub. About 50 yards away, I noticed one set of tracks that led off downhill. I followed for about 5 yards and there she was. Piled up and slid about 20 yards down the slope.

As I walked up to her, not a drop of blood anywhere. I got up to her and didn't see any blood anywhere. None around her mouth, none on her body. I could see the area I had aimed and couldn't see a bullet hole.

She was still warm, I knew it had to be the elk I had shot at, but I started wondering if I had "scared" her to death.

As I began the butchering process, I eventually got up to that area of brisket right in front of the shoulder. As I skinned back the hide, I found a small hole right where I had aimed. I pulled out a cartridge and it was the perfect size for an intact bullet. But still, no blood.

When I pulled the shoulder off, doing the gutless method, then I finally saw some hemorrhaging from the bullet. After cutting off all the quarters and neck meat, I decided I was going to get inside the front cavity and see what was going on. What I found was amazing. Blood had filled that entire area. The bullet had come through that spot, into the chest cavity and cut the arteries/veins and top of the heart off and kept going through the body. I never found the bullet, but the best I can figure is that due to the heart being done, there was no way to pump blood out of her nose or mouth. It just stopped. And the angle was such that the front shoulder muscles just kept any blood from making it out through the small hole. But it definitely did its job beautifully.

I vowed that day, that I will do all in my power to shoot a bigger frontal area bullet to give more chance for blood to appear. If I wasn't tracking the elk in the snow, and with no blood, there is a possibility I may have never found that cow. And she had only gone about 50 yards and slip down the hill. I want an exit, and I want a blood trail.

200 grain Accubonds in my .325 have been significantly better at providing that kind of information, but rarely have an animal go far after being hit with that one either.

 

[TSAMP]

I'll keep this going. I just shot a doe last night with archery gear. 4 blade fixed head that I'd used on bears in idaho with great performance. Shot a doe at 22 yards quartered to me. Arrow had virtually no blood (white wrap). Some hair and pink non bloody flesh. I aimed forward knowing she was quartered and saw the hit but started thinking I was forward of everything. She ran off with both legs functioning as well. Walked back to house and had a beer and got my dog. I really thought I wasn't going to find that deer but after 1 hour I went back in the dark thinking ok. If I see no bed or blood it's a wrap and I'll call it a night. My dog started tearing the trail and I knew it was on. After maybe 75 to 100 yards I thought I saw a little blood but the dog was kicking leaves everywhere, continued another 50 maybe and there it was. Shot was straight up near leg and exited just in front of guts on off side. It was a tad high. Top of both lungs clearly hit, but I suppose the high hit is the reason for the lack of blood trail. Reading sign is important but we have to remember dispite how experienced we may be, effort is still owed. Good thread and reminder!

 

[tbrady77]

I harvested an elk this year that didn't leave a drop of blood on the ground, even where he expired there was barely any, and this was a pass through with a .50cal muzzy. Fortunately he wasn't far from where I shot him but for a good 45mins I thought I had missed.

 

[DawnPatrol]

this was a pass through with a .50cal muzzy. Fortunately he wasn't far from where I shot him but for a good 45mins I thought I had missed.

No blood on a pass through from a .50 cal? That’s crazy. Hate that feeling of “knowing” I hit it, but then thinking I didn’t. I’ve shot a couple that didn’t bleed (no pass through), but they’ve always died close by. Still, that sinking feeling sucks, even when it’s short lived.

 

[ChrisAU]

I shudder when I think about how many whitetails rot in the woods in the SE because hunters don't look and assume they miss after not finding blood near the kill site. It happens on a mass scale.

 

[Inked001]

Most definitely worth taking the time to follow through and put in the honest effort to find the animal. To many tracks are given up on too soon.

 

[Still Hunter]

Great job following up, being diligent and spending the time to be respectful to the animal. Congrats on her success!

 

[KHNC]

I shudder when I think about how many whitetails rot in the woods in the SE because hunters don't look and assume they miss after not finding blood near the kill site. It happens on a mass scale.

"Spud" has tracked and recovered over 50 deer thus far in South Carolina this season. (Including Mine). Many of those with little to NO blood trail. Several assumed as a miss but call the dog owner anyway.

 

[tntrker]

Not elk related but I have seen 1st hand on whitetails how a no blood seen shooting leads to a dead deer, sometimes just 25-30 yrds away. I have a friend that has a tracking dog and will INSIST on bringing his dog, even when doubting if the shot hit its mark. MANY deer have been turned up with no blood at all except on their nose when found. Always do the animal the courtesy of looking for them...

 

[OXN939]

Anyway, I guess the takeaway for me is: even if I don’t see an elk react to the shot or see blood on the ground, keep tracking and looking hardbecause they can go a long ways without bleeding and still die.

Big time props for keeping with it and finding the animal! Vital cavity can contain gallons of blood, especially with a shot a little far back. Glad you found him.

 

[trophyhill]

A bull I killed a couple years ago dropped zero blood on a hard quartering too frontal with bow and arrow. All he left were tracks. How he made it 500 yards or more is a mystery to me. All his blood was inside him. Tough animals with a strong will to live

 

[tbrady77]

No blood on a pass through from a .50 cal? That’s crazy. Hate that feeling of “knowing” I hit it, but then thinking I didn’t. I’ve shot a couple that didn’t bleed (no pass through), but they’ve always died close by. Still, that sinking feeling sucks, even when it’s short lived.

Yeah, it was crazy. I've tracked a lot of animals over the years while bow hunting and I was 99% certain I had hit it. I knew exactly where the elk had been standing (had ranged it and projected a waypoint) but not a drop of blood except for a spot less than the size of my hand where it was laying on the ground.

 

[Hunterbug]

We had the same thing happen to a buddy's cow. We looked forever and I finally spotted her about 30 yards from where she was hit laying in the oak brush. Never found any blood. They're big, tough, animals. That's why I shoot a 338.

 

[Beendare]

Yep, good lesson. Thx for posting….