Distance Travelled Archery

[Coveyleader]

I've been a close range elk guy (anything for that matter) and I have noticed my shooting skills aren't like most here i.e 30 yds for me is a long shot. I've only killed two elk of the 2 dozen or more over 20 yds and my recoveries have mostly all been down in sight. I mean less than 50yds on 98 percent of the elk I've arrowed. I keep seeing "he went 100" or he went "200" which to me is far.

The question? Does close range elk = shorter recoveries? Or have I just had good luck? Think of all your past elk kills, average distance after the shot? Did your shorter shots = shorter recoveries for you on average?

How about down in sight? Is there a relation to your shot distance vs down in sight?

 

[Dos Perros]

I've killed 3 bulls and a buck, all with Sevrs, and here are my stats:

8 yard shot, bull ran 90 yards downhill (steep) and crashed
63 yard shot, bull walked 71 yards and laid down and died
55 yard shot, bull ran 93 yards and crashed
40 yard shot, buck ran 99 yards and crashed

It would make sense to me shorter shots are more likely to be well placed and also carry more energy leading to more pass throughs, so the recoveries are shorter. My small data shows a small negative correlation but I'm sure it needs to be larger. The shortest recovery was on the longest shot, but I think that's because he didn't know I was there, and wasn't spooked when I shot him, just felt like he got stung or something, and calmly walked off and laid down and died.

 

[ndfb35]

I'm one for one on in-sight recoveries. I killed my bull while he was standing in a stock pond and that's where he died. The shot was 40 yards.

 

[Speck1]

The bull I killed in NM last Thursday went 40 yards after the shot. It was a 38 yard shot with a Sevr 1.5. The one I missed at 72 is still running.
The previous two bulls both died inside 75 yards. I’m sure they can go a long way on one lung or a liver shot. Hope I never find out.

 

[bradyhunt]

I'm one for one on in-sight recoveries. I killed my bull while he was standing in a stock pond and that's where he died. The shot was 40 yards.

How many arrows did you have to put in him?

 

[Ross]

All my bulls were shot under 25 yds and all died within 75 yds and the last one was shot at 4 yds and watched it run and fall in 15 yds.

 

[ndfb35]

How many arrows did you have to put in him?

First one went through his scap and both lungs. Dropped him and he couldn't get out of the water. Wanted to put him out of his misery so I sent three more before he finally quit.

 

[5MilesBack]

I don't think shot distance is the correlation, but shot placement definitely has some merit to that. I don't get many broadside shots. Most seem to be quartering away. If I'm aiming for the offside shoulder on those shots, a passthrough is not a given regardless of the distance. I shot one at 59 yards quartering away and he went down in 60-80 yards. The least distance traveled after the shot was 37 yards for a slight quartering to me shot from 30 yards that went through the shoulder blade and both lungs.

Most of the ones I've had go over 100 yards are bulls that bedded and then I bumped them. That's where patience comes in.......something I still lack in so many instances. Sometimes 30 minutes isn't enough patience.

 

[Grant K]

Sample size of around 20 for me, I find that in general, the close range shots go farther after the hit than the ones at 40+ yards, I have a handful at 50 that have walked less than 5' after the hit, and a handful shot under 10 yards have gone 200+ yards, I think in general the elk at really close range are much more spooked by the encounter and tend to go farther, while most 40 yard plus shots are at relaxed elk that don't know I'm there and are more confused than spooked by the shot.

 

[sndmn11]

2001 cow elk = 10 yard shot 5 yard recovery with a thunderhead broadside
2005 buck mule deer = 49 yard shot 2-3 yard recovery with a thunderhead frontal
2023 spike elk = 40 yard shot, 20 yard recovery with 3 blade cutthroat broadside

 

[Ucsdryder]

2016 - 25 yards - 100 yards
2017 - 20 yards - 40 yards
2018 - 72 yards - 125 yards
2019 - 54 yards - 75 yards
2020 - 3 yards - 3 yards
2020 - wife - 25 yards - 100 yards
2021 - rifle - 625 yards - 80 yards
2022 - 28 yards - still running
2022 - 35 yards - 30 yards
2023 - wife - 33 yards - 30 yards

All bulls if that matters. I don’t think there’s a correlation.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

I’ve had great 70 yard shots and terrible 20 yard shots, it’s all about placement.