Sunday early afternoon I shot a bull but made a poor judgement and the end result was a gutshot animal that I didn't recover. Posting this as an example to think in the heat of the moment and make sure the shot is going where it needs to.
After 8 days of no shots I was in a new spot and trying to get a bull to respond to a bugle. Came up on a swap on a steep hillside. Moss and vegetation everywhere in the middle of a kind of dry hillside full of blowdowns. Lots of bear scat. Walking and bugling i bumped a bull in the swap. I bugled as he ran away and assumed he was gone. Waited a few and kept going. Bumped him again 75 yards uphill. Bugled again and sat down. Threw put a few cow calls and a chuckle for the heck of it assuming he couldn't hear me anyways with the wind.
Well a few minutes later i see horns moving parallel to me at about 50 yards. He was on a hump is the shade with the sun right behind him and I was sitting in a bright spot downhill. He got to 40 yards and i drew back but after i drew I couldn't see him at all. Let down and tried to spot him. The sun was blinding me. Saw him move at 35 and drew back but couldn't find him in my sight again so let down. Finally i catch something off to my side and see him in a more open spot. Ranged him at 33 and drew back. The back half of his body was clear but front half was behind trees. I knee walked to my left to get a clear shot. Leaning hard to the left I thought i had the back half of the breadbasket but once that thought crossed my mind it took a millisecond for me to shoot. I could see the arrow fly exactly where i was aiming. But as the bull turned and ran i coule see the spot i was aiming was not the backhalf of the lungs. It was right in the guts.
Never found blood or my arrow. Followed the most likely paths he took for close to a mile each. Grid searched the swap. No sign anywhere. Looked the next day again with no luck. Notched my tag and headed home 5 days early. Still sick about it. I haven't lost an animal since I can't remeber because I don't take shots that aren't a sure thing.
Anyways, just a reminder that even when things happen fast and the adrenalin is flowing, make sure not to take a dumass shot and lose an animal. There will be other opportunities.
After 8 days of no shots I was in a new spot and trying to get a bull to respond to a bugle. Came up on a swap on a steep hillside. Moss and vegetation everywhere in the middle of a kind of dry hillside full of blowdowns. Lots of bear scat. Walking and bugling i bumped a bull in the swap. I bugled as he ran away and assumed he was gone. Waited a few and kept going. Bumped him again 75 yards uphill. Bugled again and sat down. Threw put a few cow calls and a chuckle for the heck of it assuming he couldn't hear me anyways with the wind.
Well a few minutes later i see horns moving parallel to me at about 50 yards. He was on a hump is the shade with the sun right behind him and I was sitting in a bright spot downhill. He got to 40 yards and i drew back but after i drew I couldn't see him at all. Let down and tried to spot him. The sun was blinding me. Saw him move at 35 and drew back but couldn't find him in my sight again so let down. Finally i catch something off to my side and see him in a more open spot. Ranged him at 33 and drew back. The back half of his body was clear but front half was behind trees. I knee walked to my left to get a clear shot. Leaning hard to the left I thought i had the back half of the breadbasket but once that thought crossed my mind it took a millisecond for me to shoot. I could see the arrow fly exactly where i was aiming. But as the bull turned and ran i coule see the spot i was aiming was not the backhalf of the lungs. It was right in the guts.
Never found blood or my arrow. Followed the most likely paths he took for close to a mile each. Grid searched the swap. No sign anywhere. Looked the next day again with no luck. Notched my tag and headed home 5 days early. Still sick about it. I haven't lost an animal since I can't remeber because I don't take shots that aren't a sure thing.
Anyways, just a reminder that even when things happen fast and the adrenalin is flowing, make sure not to take a dumass shot and lose an animal. There will be other opportunities.
