Bright pink blood...

[hunt_the_ridge]

When you see bright pink blood for a blood trail what does that usually indicate to you? Pretty sure i hit front shoulder arrow snapped off right at the base of my insert and had blood about 6 inches back on the shaft of the arrow. Had a blood trail that was quite good for about a half a mile where he ran down the mountain and then back up. At the top of that next ridge that he went up found one last big circle of blood and then basically nothing. Found two spots of coagulated blood on a log then about 30 yards from that a spot of blood about the size of a dime on a leaf. Then about 75 yards from there can see where he smeared a super small amount on a stalk of dried grass. After that no blood at all. When i hit him it sounded like i had hit a tree so initially thought i had missed. We saw a group of about 8 cows and 2-3 bulls that my buddy thinks he saw a wound on the front shoulder of one of the bulls. Do you think you would still see blood on his fur basically 24 hours later? It was very wet on sunday because it had dumped rain all day saturday.

 

[beachbunny]

sounds like hi lung

 

[hunt_the_ridge]

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[Bearlodge10]

From description, it does sound like a shoulder hit. However, bright pink blood usually indicates a lung hit and that could be even given the lack of penetration. From description, if the lung was damaged, it wasn't enough to be fatal and even antelope can go a long ways with one lung hits. I do think it is possible for you to see evidence of a wound a day later even in the rain and wet. It has been my experience that the blood catches the dirt etc. and stays visible.
Good luck on recovery or a shot at another one.

I see the photos now. It looks to me like lung blood, so maybe High lung. However, from the blood stopping, it would indicate that wound sealed itself. I would still have hope of recovering or at least to get a visual on the bull again.

 

[hunt_the_ridge]

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[hunt_the_ridge]

The bottom pic of the big group was the last of good blood then the two drops were what i found on a log and after that was basically no blood. the pic with all the bubbles is the only one i found that was like that the rest was pretty pink.

 

[KHNC]

It will go for miles and likely not die from that wound. Just not enough penetration to kill , in my opinion.

 

[OFFHNTN]

That is a fair amount of blood, but 6" is not much penetration on an elk. I also think you will see blood on/in elk hide 24 hours after the shot, even with rain. It looks like there is oxygenated blood, but if you got enough of the lung(s) to kill it is the big question.

 

[hunt_the_ridge]

The blood trail was really good the pics i show was like that every 20 30 feet with smears and big drops in between. Didnt even have to try for the first half mile it was so good. The pics that i have above he was going up hill and that was the best blood. Looking at my measurement of my arrow again it was about 7.75 inches from tip of broadhead last blood on arrow. Am shooting 150 grain Kudu broadheads and vap arrows and it snapped off right at the base of the vap insert.

 

[KHNC]

I lost a bull with a one lung hit years ago. Got 2/3 penetration. Bled great for over a mile and bedded in a pool of blood. Once he got up, very little to no blood after the fact.

 

[Cliff Gray]

single lung hit. bulls can go a long way and once they quit bleeding, your chances of a timely recovery are pretty minimal but keep looking, particularly in the area your buddy thinks he saw them. Sometimes, if luck is with you, they will lay down in the wide open and croak.

very common for bulls to get back with other elk this time of year when wounded. I've seen fatally wounded bulls bugling and chasing cows.

he'll be dead within 48hrs or so. Look for birds at that point and you have a good chance of finding him. I find that birds find these elk quicker than the norm because they die in the open, as I mentioned before, or go right inside the edge of the trees to die.

 

[hunt_the_ridge]

The last blood that we found he was headed down in very open terrain that we walked all over hoping to find more blood or a bed ect...of which we found nothing. After he has gone downhill again do you think he would be able to go up more or would he still be headed down and stay headed down?

 

[Cliff Gray]

The sicker they are, the less likely they are to climb but its kinda a crap shoot. I've seen bulls with one lung hit that climb 2-3k right after the hit then slowly half moon drift down a ridge and drop 4k. Chances are he will slowly progress lower, but that's got a lot of variability around it.

Now that you don't have blood, and this might sound weird... but your best bet is actually glassing not walking around with your eyes at the ground. Sick bulls will sometimes just stand in one spot or bed for a minute, then get up and awkwardly stand etc... He may be a mile from the last spot just acting weird in a spot that is glassable. Trying to pick up blood again, find a dead bull laying in a mile wide thicket of timber, etc... could work but it isn't you best use of time.

 

[hunt_the_ridge]

Agree...we glassed the huge basin that he was last in which is BIG...its open alot but then has very thick pockets of timber we glassed what we could...without walking into every dark pocket I think assuming he is mortally hit it will be dumb luck to stumble upon him or hope to find ravens.

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