Now I have to wait...

[Fatcamp]

Good luck! You got a crew onboard now.

 

[OHDeerHunter]

Good luck on finding him!

 

[5MilesBack]

I've had them run 75 yards before any blood hit the ground. That's a long ways, and a whole lot of terrain to cover just to find the trail.

 

[Jskaanland]

So where I'm at, I looked last night my arrow after watching the biggest opening I have access too from FS. I briefly looked this morning for my arrow again on my way back to that. Replaying it for the millionth time, I think I hit him forward of the vitals in his front shoulder since I cant find my arrow and I didnt hear the "thump" of a vital hit.

This morning I saw a few elk over on the private but it was too dark to tell if any of them had blood or an arrow, none of them seemed injured. Since I can't find any blood, I'm grasping at directional straws. There was some fresh super runny elk crap along the trail where I caught up to them, think constancy of a cow but the size of an elk. When I've been circling out I found some more on a trail heading toward that private. It was 80 yesterday and close to it today. I'm gonna keep looking but I'm starting to loose hope.

 

[Gerbdog]

Tough stuff if you think you hit him, really tough stuff without knowing where you hit him, even tougher stuff if you cant lay eyes on him to make sure he's good on his feet.

 

[Gila]

I only shoot lighted nocks. I also buld my arrows with high contast neon vanes and wraps. Been there with deer before and it sucks! Good luck..

 

[tmitty]

I feel your pain. This happened to me 2 weeks ago. The difference is, I knew I hit him, but unsure whether it was fatal. I came back to the spot a week later and couldn't find birds or smell a carcass. I hoped to find the same bull walking around with an arrow in his back and finish the job, but that didn't happen. Found a different one though. Best of luck!

 

[huntngolf]

Never shot an elk, but have shoulder hit a deer before and it sounded like hitting concrete. Not sure if the same would be true for elk, but it made a substantially louder noise than when you hit the vitals. If you didn't hear any noise from the shot I would not think it was a shoulder hit

 

[180splitg3]

So where I'm at, I looked last night my arrow after watching the biggest opening I have access too from FS. I briefly looked this morning for my arrow again on my way back to that. Replaying it for the millionth time, I think I hit him forward of the vitals in his front shoulder since I cant find my arrow and I didnt hear the "thump" of a vital hit.

This morning I saw a few elk over on the private but it was too dark to tell if any of them had blood or an arrow, none of them seemed injured. Since I can't find any blood, I'm grasping at directional straws. There was some fresh super runny elk crap along the trail where I caught up to them, think constancy of a cow but the size of an elk. When I've been circling out I found some more on a trail heading toward that private. It was 80 yesterday and close to it today. I'm gonna keep looking but I'm starting to loose hope.

Not trying to be an ass or anything but why did you only look "briefly" for your arrow this morning? I think the arrow search should be extensive until you are nearly certain the arrow is not there...

 

[Jskaanland]

Not trying to be an ass or anything but why did you only look "briefly" for your arrow this morning? I think the arrow search should be extensive until you are nearly certain the arrow is not there...

I already spent quite a while right after I shot, before I started looking for blood and then last night. This morning was just one more time.

 

[tdhanses]

I already spent quite a while right after I shot, before I started looking for blood and then last night. This morning was just one more time.

My guess is a clean miss and your arrow is lost in the under growth, hard to believe we can miss at 35 but it happens.

 

[coues craze]

If you hit that shoulder you would have heard it for sure and gut shot animals usually bed up fairly quick due to the “sick” feeling. Since you didn’t hear a distinct whack (shoulder) and haven’t jumped him I’m leaning towards clean miss as well.

 

[Nomadx2]

If hit in the shoulder would think his movement would have broken off the arrow or moving through brush. Even a shoulder hit should leave small droplets of blood. Without any sign or hair at his spot you shot, good chance you may have a clean miss. Not sure if you have tried, but if you were shooting up hill and had a clean miss, ID the arrow flight line and walk as far as the arrow may have traveled.

Sounds like you are putting the work in, good luck!