Hit Bull High

[LandLakes]

I'm feeling like you probably hit high and put it in the spine.



What did the shot sound like?

Just sounded like a normal shot honestly. Everything happened really fast lol

 

[Ross]

Arrow still in, high, bright red blood, limited penetration, and limited blood found speaks to some type of bone/shoulder hit. Something stopped the penetration and at that distance there should be a lot more without something solid being impacted. As you stated things happen so fast after the shot. Grid and take it slow.

 

[cnelk]

I also think you probably stuck the spine. The spine is lower than most think from the top of the back.

At that distance anything lower and that arrow woulda went through like butter.

 

[Billy Goat]

Just sounded like a normal shot honestly. Everything happened really fast lol

It can be hard in the moment to observe everything correctly, things are happening quickly, your adrenaline is through the roof.


If you hit in the lungs, I believe your arrow would have blown right through, assuming you didn't hit anything on the way there that caused a deflection.

Heavy bone, not scapula, would have stopped the arrow. If you are 7-8" down, you are likely in the spine. It's just not likely that your arrow would have stopped otherwise.


Now, if the arrow impacted something on the way there, struck partially sideways, that could have killed penetration. Might still give you a dead elk too, assuming it's around 12" down off the backline.

But the picture you posted with the dot is getting very close to vertebrae, just depends on exactly where it hit.

 

[Formidilosus]

Not saying he is alive or dead because I didn’t see the actual shot but it seems you didn’t get much penetration. Was it an uphill shot, level, downhill? What was the distance, arrow setup etc. What did the impact sound like?

That picture is not correct anatomically. As stated the scapula is incorrectly sized and located, and the spine is not remotely that high in the chest. The spinous processes are 7-10” long on an adult elk, then about 3’ish inches of spine below that.