Have you wounded, missed or lost an elk out past your max range?

[5MilesBack]

The first year I started archery I got my bow the end of May and shot a bull at 71 yards that September. The longest shot at an elk I've taken since was 59 yards. Recovered both bulls. The closest shot I've taken (17 yards) I lost that bull. He was the biggest bull I've shot. Gorgeous bull! He survived. I saw him a week later with his cows. It was pouring rain and I hugged his shoulder too tight on a slight quartering to me shot, and shot him right in the knuckle. 2" left or higher and he most likely would have dropped in under 50 yards just like the bull in my avatar. That arrow hit about 2" above the knuckle and blew through his lower scapula.

 

[KenLee]

My max range is evidently somewhere around 12 yards; missed last year at 22 yards broadside, and the year before at 32 broadside.

Our buddy here needs a long barrel pistol to lay between their eyes. I suspect we've all felt similar at some point.

 

[Marble]

It's a process, we have all been there...... at least you admit it and realize what you need to do to improve.

BTW, it's the reason for this thread....maybe someone can learn from my mistakes and others.

In the case I started the thread with, 2 small bulls standing together in the trees. They had already spotted my buddy and myself but were trying to decide what to do. It really was a prayer shot I shouldn't have taken. It wasn't like I could have done anything better....except NOT to shoot. My buddy thought the bull moved slightly on the shot, I dunno if it was that or wind drift...but it was long...and at a fidgety animal. Bad choice.

The other part of this....if you have hunted long enough....stuff happens. Sometimes there is nothing we can do to avoid it.

Maybe create a thread discussing the bulls we missed and why we think we did. Distance is one thing, but there are other circumstances that cause the misses too. There could be some lessons to be learned.

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[Beendare]

Maybe create a thread discussing the bulls we missed and why we think we did. Distance is one thing, but there are other circumstances that cause the misses too. There could be some lessons to be learned.

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Good idea, if you do, I'm in

 

[Pafarm]

Like others said my affect range is 65 yards, but i've missed at 8.

 

[midwestcowboy]

Haven't (yet)

However, I refuse to shoot a rifle at game beyond my established max range. If I miss out on an opportunity to take an Elk because it's at 500yds instead of 400yds, then I should've practiced more to be comfortable at 500yds.
Something I'll live with and work towards in the offseason. Last thing I wanna do is wound an animal and never recover it. That's much worse than eating tag soup from not shooting imo.

 

[Pafarm]

Haven't (yet)

However, I refuse to shoot a rifle at game beyond my established max range. If I miss out on an opportunity to take an Elk because it's at 500yds instead of 400yds, then I should've practiced more to be comfortable at 500yds.
Something I'll live with and work towards in the offseason. Last thing I wanna do is wound an animal and never recover it. That's much worse than eating tag soup from not shooting imo.

Well said, tag soup taste better than a wounded animal.

 

[House21]

I lost a cow that I shot well within my effective rifle range. She was across a cut which is about 125 yards across. There were 8 of them standing on the edge when we peeked around the corner.

I had time to get prone on my pack, pick out the largest cow that was broadside and shoot. She buckled and took off with the herd.

I had my 12 year old with me so getting him to wait the half hour was hard, every 2-3 minutes I’d get “can we go now”. We walked up and I was expecting her to have maybe went 50-100 yards but we tracked for 2-300 yards before the snow started getting to deep and hard for him.

Backed out and gave her another couple hours and went back with a buddy, we tracked for another 7-8kms until they got on a snowmobile trail and we never could find where they crossed or went back in.

That’s the only elk I’ve lost and I still don’t know what happened or what I could have done differently. That whole time we were tracking she never once bedded, or stopped. At the end before we lost them we were just following dried blood with hairs that would be stuck on tree trunks or branches.

 

[ColoradoCarp]

Yeah last year, first year archery elk hunting, ill advised shot all things considered...ranged him (cows in front of him) at 60 (the distance I had told myself is my max)...full draw...he walked away from me before turning broadside....I guessed and overestimated the distance and shot over his back. I probably pulled my shot high as well, in addition to the range error. The lesson I learned....in hindsight, the odds of me letting him walk and getting back on him were higher than me taking a guess (at that distance anyways). In that particular situation, he was going to crest a small hill which would have given me the cover to scamper up behind him again, plus there was a couple other factors affecting my shot; the sun was shining in such a way that I couldn't see my pins so I had to slightly shift backwards to get my pins in the shadow of a tree, which is why I assume I shot high. The situation got the better of me. Can't wait to try again this year.