Frontal shot with a bow

[Coveyleader]

3 feet… that’ll get the adrenaline flowing.

Do you know how deep the arrow made it into the cavity?


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I don’t open him up, but could see the bruising back by it’s balls so it pretty much went lengthwise. I left the arrow inside.

 

[danarnold]

Mid day we sat down within shooting range of a wallow and started eating some lunch, within minutes saw two spikes on the other side of the wallow within range, I knocked and arrow and my friend reminded me they weren’t legal( I knew) within seconds could see antler tips coming around uphill towards us. I thought for sure the six point was going to go to the wallow, he went broadside at 20 yards and I drew when he went behind a tree but there was branches and saplings in the way, he turned toward us and kept walking on the trail we sat on ,we obviously had the wind and the sun was in his face, I was waiting for him to go broadside again but finally released at about 10 feet while my body was shaking like a leaf next to me. Was shooting a lightweight arrow (100g with no insert)with a rage back then, penetration was less than stellar, blood trail was outrageous with a short recovery

 

[Danny Hoey]

Our group killed a bull that was shot by someone else's failed frontal. Wasn't a pretty situation.

 

[11boo]

Pretty tight window.

 

[SEIdaho Hunter]

I'd take a frontal shot at 30 yards or under. Born and Rasied Outdoors and Elk 101 both have videos about how to execute the frontal shot. Can be lethal but can be a huge mistake as well.

 

[Jermh]

My bull last year was a 10 yard frontal shot. Absolutely devastating. He didn't go far and went down hard on the run

 

[sndmn11]

Pretty tight window.

View attachment 437227

This must be when all the "6 inch groups at 60 yards!" crowd remembers they were only counting 3 of 30 arrows flung during practice.

 

[11boo]

My bull last year was a 10 yard frontal shot. Absolutely devastating. He didn't go far and went down hard on the run

excellent. Was he looking right at you? Did he notice the release?

 

[Where's Bruce?]

You need to be close for that shot...like within 20 yards because any elk movement (reaction at the sound of the release) could make things go very bad. The longer the shot, the more time for the situation to go bad after release.

 

[Jermh]

excellent. Was he looking right at you? Did he notice the release?

He was answering back and forth with me for probably a half hour while I worked on closing distance. Finally got to the edge of a small meadow and sat for a minute and out he came at probably 70 yards but there was a small pine roughly 10 yards in front of me. With the angle of his approach he just happened to keep that tree between me and him the whole way in. When he stepped around the tree he stopped for a second and I waited for him to turn. I had been at full draw since the second he hit the meadow. I could see it in his eyes when it clicked that something was off so I just sent it right in the crease

 

[cnelk]

Yeah it's a deadly close in shot "IF" executed perfectly, off by a few inches and get ready to spend days following specks of blood with no elk.
I've been with friends that have taken that shot and have had Elk pile up and Elk never found, I personally have passed numerous times on that shot because of what I've seen happen.

I’ve seen people make a that ‘perfect’ broadside shot and never found the elk too.

 

[ridgefire]

I have killed a couple bulls with a frontal shot and my brother killed one with a frontal shot and they have been very short blood trails. My brothers only made it about 10 yards before it went down.

 

[RockyMnt Hunter]

It would not be my first choice, but I did kill my bull last year with a frontal shot at 30 yards. My dad missed him broadside and he just stood there looking straight at me. He went about a hundred yards, there wasn't much blood for the first 75 yds. Dad shot an elk two years ago at 5 yds straight on, he came running up the hill and stopped looking right at us. We watched him go about 75yds and tip over. I would only ever take the shot under "perfect conditions"- short yardage, facing straight at me, not quartering at all. etc.

 

[RickH]

For me, if it's 20 yards or less and straight on I'm sinking it in there. If there's a slight angle, I'll pass. I've only taken 1 bull with this shot at 8 yards walking toward me and it was over quick. I'll never forget watching that arrow disappear.

 

[deerhunt1988]

Have killed both my bulls with frontals. Both went about 70 yards before they piled up. I could see the blood pouring out of the second bull when he whirled after the shot.

 

[roosiebull]

What might seem like a frontal, heavy quartering to can be a pretty poor shot, so make sure you are aware.

i wanted to highlight this tidbit.... this is a big deal. i like a frontal up close, but any angle changes things, an almost frontal is a really poor shot like mentioned above... doesn't take much angle to turn a great shot into a horrible shot, i have seen that on video a lot, shooting right into the heaviest bone on an elk... don't be that guy, don't try to be fancy and take a poor shot.

i have passed frontals and taken them, personally wouldn't shoot one head on past 20yds, if they react, it doesn't take much movement for a very poor shot.... it's extremely efficient if you execute the shot

 

[martyparty]

2 years ago I was in the herd before first light and herd bull was firing with another bull. Cow calling didn’t change his position but one bugle and he came in bustin trees on a rope. 7 yards frontal shot he was coming slightly downhill and arrow through thoracic inlet and stuck in mid spine, about 10” arrow stick out when he spun on heels and ran < 100 yds, huge blood trail

 

[martyparty]

opening to ’boiler room’ is higher than you think, study the anatomy and stick with high percentage. 7 yds was close enough to hit 8” opening but it was also solo survival tactic, Sorry attachment was supposed to be a video but it won’t load

 

[cnelk]

You want to know where your arrow ends up when shooting a frontal.
That will give you the right entrance spot

 

[Gutshot007]

Folks above mentioned Cory Jacobson module. I also would highly recommend checking it out. Good info. Better be close imo.