HELP NO BLOOD

[CalvinMax]

This morning I went to shoot a bull head on at 15 yards, he whirled as I punched it and I caught him somewhere between broadside and quartering well away. It’s hard for me to say exactly the angle he was at as he was moving. The arrow broke off on the nearest tree he hit, about four inches of the shaft and the fixed blade broadhead must still be in him, and I have about a foot to fourteen inches of good blood up the arrow shaft. My partner got a video of him a hundred yards after the shot and he’s got a deep red blood stain down his side. I’ve included a screen shot below. To me it looks like it hit forward of where I would have placed it if I’d picked it…

There’s not a speck of blood on the ground. Nowhere. I’m at a loss for what to do, everything I’ve ever shot went down at the end of a red highway and here I have nothing.

As interested as I am in ideas about why this went awry, in the near term I’m working to recover the animal and could use any and all advice to that effect.

 

[Jbehredt]

Put your phone away and go look. Everywhere. Twice. For blood. There’s no magic answer. You effed up. Go grid it out. And don’t fling any more arrows at moving elk. Hope is a bad strategy.

 

[Gatorgrizz27]

4” of penetration and hitting ahead of where you’d want makes me think it hit the spine of the shoulder blade. Elk will likely be fine.

 

[PA farmboy]

If you read what he said it whirled as he shot, no where so I see he is shooting at moving game with a bow! Give him plenty of time and grid searching is about best you can do if you aren't able to follow his tracks.

 

[Indian Summer]

Frontal at close range, what could possibly go wrong?

 

[TaperPin]

This morning I went to shoot a bull head on at 15 yards, he whirled as I punched it and I caught him somewhere between broadside and quartering well away. It’s hard for me to say exactly the angle he was at as he was moving. The arrow broke off on the nearest tree he hit, about four inches of the shaft and the fixed blade broadhead must still be in him, and I have about a foot to fourteen inches of good blood up the arrow shaft. My partner got a video of him a hundred yards after the shot and he’s got a deep red blood stain down his side. I’ve included a screen shot below. To me it looks like it hit forward of where I would have placed it if I’d picked it…

There’s not a speck of blood on the ground. Nowhere. I’m at a loss for what to do, everything I’ve ever shot went down at the end of a red highway and here I have nothing.

As interested as I am in ideas about why this went awry, in the near term I’m working to recover the animal and could use any and all advice to that effect.

A 500 lb elk leaves tracks where ever he goes, with or without blood.

 

[CalvinMax]

Put your phone away and go look. Everywhere. Twice. For blood. There’s no magic answer. You effed up. Go grid it out. And don’t fling any more arrows at moving elk. Hope is a bad strategy.

Good reading skills dude.

 

[CalvinMax]

A 500 elk leaves tracks where ever he goes, with or without blood.

If you read what he said it whirled as he shot, no where so I see he is shooting at moving game with a bow! Give him plenty of time and grid searching is about best you can do if you aren't able to follow his tracks.

Running the grid now, hoping to turn him up but I am just so shook at the absolute lack of blood. And the whole notion of tracking one elk by hoof prints in here is simply not going to work, I have a dozen bulls and goodness knows how many cows in the same field… think 800 yard radius is enough?

 

[sndmn11]

Good reading skills dude.

His summary nailed it, so his reading and comprehension skills are outstanding.

His advice is also spot on; go track the animal you chose to shoot in real life. The Internet cannot do that for you.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

wait a bit. then a bit longer. it looks like that is going to be a dead elk you'll recover if you're patient and diligent.

 

[maxx075]

Bros first 3 posts...

 

[Bugger]

Sounds like you’re attempting to convince yourself it’s not lethal. There’s zero way of telling that even in person until there’s a dead elk on the ground or there isn’t.
There are two of you, split up and follow natural paths of travel heading towards thick cover looking for blood and/or magpies at this point.

 

[Gerbdog]

At this point .... follow the crows and ravens..... theyll fly over head, or youll hear them....... spend a couple days doing that.

 

[MikeDeltaFoxtrot]

Keep after it.

 

[Dakota Dude]

Birds will be your friend. You may hear bears as well.

Don't forget to use your nose either.

 

[HunterHawk]

What state are you in? Can you get a tracking dog? Agree with grid it out...easily done using apps on your phone tracking your movements, also agree with using your nose and listening and looking for birds..magpies, Jay's, crows, ravens....good luck.

 

[Maverick1]

Bros first 3 posts...

Off to a great start.

 

[IdahoBeav]

Running the grid now, hoping to turn him up but I am just so shook at the absolute lack of blood. And the whole notion of tracking one elk by hoof prints in here is simply not going to work, I have a dozen bulls and goodness knows how many cows in the same field… think 800 yard radius is enough?

Lack of blood is not something that assures a non-lethal hit. You can make a lethal high lung shot without a speck of blood hitting the ground until the bull lies down.

It sounds like you want to abandon the search and are looking for someone to write something that will ease your conscience.

If you're trying to tag that bull, you should be hunting him and looking to make another shot instead of tracking him and hoping to find him dead. Think miles instead of yards and spend some time behind glass.

 

[sndmn11]

Lack of blood is not something that assures a non-lethal hit. You can make a lethal high lung shot without a speck of blood hitting the ground until the bull lies down.

Precisely! When the pump shuts down, the flow stops.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

If he's quartering away facing left you may have barely clipped a lung judging by where the blood spot is on that pic. I wouldn't stop looking, but I also wouldn't be holding my breath on that one.