ID unit 43 archery lost 5x5 Bull recovery

[Wassid82]

I hope this post can help ease someone's mind. I have been the person in the past that made an ethical shot on an elk and thought I had tagged out......only to find that when I approached the spot where the elk should be..... I found nothing. It was a gut punch in the worst way.

This past weekend my son and I were hunting in ID unit 39. He tagged out on a 5x5 young bull. when caring for the meat on the mountain we found an arrowhead logged in the left front quarter pushing through the bone. I thought of the archer who probably was sick to their stomach earlier this fall thinking they made a perfect shot and tracked a bull for hours only to come up empty handed. Sorry. I hope you know your efforts weren't in vain and the bull wasn't a waste

Instead it made for an amazing experience for my teenage son. It was his first bull elk. He is on cloud nine.

 

[Short Track]

Was the area of the old broad head infected ? Not so sure I would eat the meat in that area... They are tough animals...

 

[Wrench]

I wish you'd had said it's a vpa and unit 6.....

That's mine.

 

[Beendare]

Mine went down in 25y with a Thunderhead.

What BH was it? Photos?

 

[Wassid82]

Was the area of the old broad head infected ? Not so sure I would eat the meat in that area... They are tough animals...

there was extra fluid around the area and we cut out the tissue around the board head. I agree that it might not be worth the risk.

 

[Wassid82]

I wish you'd had said it's a vpa and unit 6.....

That's mine.

sorry...I have been there too. But maybe a similar thing happened with your bull

 

[Wassid82]

Mine went down in 25y with a Thunderhead.

What BH was it? Photos?

that is a good question but I didnt take time to figure it out on the mountain. we were in a snowstorm while processing everything.

 

[Wassid82]

here was the bull and the lucky hunter

 

[gentleman4561]

here was the bull and the lucky hunter

Congrats to your son! Great bull!

 

[Steelruger22]

What a great first elk. Congrats to the both of you!

 

[Wrench]

there was extra fluid around the area and we cut out the tissue around the board head. I agree that it might not be worth the risk.

You'll 100% know when it's infected. My pard killed a bull that had taken a horn through the back into the tenderloin. The tenderloin was very swollen and when he touched it with a knife, a 32oz pile of puss....the smelliest stuff I've ever been around squirted out.

It was sub awful.

 

[Short Track]

You'll 100% know when it's infected. My pard killed a bull that had taken a horn through the back into the tenderloin. The tenderloin was very swollen and when he touched it with a knife, a 32oz pile of puss....the smelliest stuff I've ever been around squirted out.

It was sub awful.

Not sure I would eat anything from an infected animal. Infections in meat must travel in their bloodstream to organs, etc.

 

[magtech]

Not sure I would eat anything from an infected animal. Infections in meat must travel in their bloodstream to organs, etc.

Cut out the green/bloodshot/stinky stuff and pursue it as usualy. This is a non issue.

 

[Wassid82]

You'll 100% know when it's infected. My pard killed a bull that had taken a horn through the back into the tenderloin. The tenderloin was very swollen and when he touched it with a knife, a 32oz pile of puss....the smelliest stuff I've ever been around squirted out.

It was sub awful.

thanks for confirmation

 

[LoH]

Not sure I would eat anything from an infected animal. Infections in meat must travel in their bloodstream to organs, etc.

Feel the need to interject that this is not a “must” at all from infections in meat (muscle). What you’re describing is full on sepsis, and that always takes care of itself — ie the septic individual is dead within a matter of hours. And is bedded down beforehand feeling absolutely wretched, not out and about, acting normal, and getting stalked.

To put it another way, if somehow you were stalking an animal that had an infection in their blood stream that had traveled to organs, I believe you would almost certainly know there was something seriously wrong with that animal before you shot it.

 

[Wrench]

Cut out the green/bloodshot/stinky stuff and pursue it as usualy. This is a non issue.

This is what we did. It was very obviously localized and isolated. The bull showed no signs that it even bothered him....but it was GROSS.

 

[farmermail]

I have killed a couple elk with busted fronts that were pretty gnarly and infected. Rest of the animal was fine, didn't notice any odd flavor. We did keep meat from that injured shoulder seperate though, just in case. Sounds like you will be good to go. And congrats on a neat experience.

 

[Wassid82]

Feel the need to interject that this is not a “must” at all from infections in meat (muscle). What you’re describing is full on sepsis, and that always takes care of itself — ie the septic individual is dead within a matter of hours. And is bedded down beforehand feeling absolutely wretched, not out and about, acting normal, and getting stalked.

To put it another way, if somehow you were stalking an animal that had an infection in their blood stream that had traveled to organs, I believe you would almost certainly know there was something seriously wrong with that animal before you shot it.

good info and great points

 

[Wassid82]

I have killed a couple elk with busted fronts that were pretty gnarly and infected. Rest of the animal was fine, didn't notice any odd flavor. We did keep meat from that injured shoulder seperate though, just in case. Sounds like you will be good to go. And congrats on a neat experience.

thank you

 

[rclouse79]

Someone else took a crack at my deer this year. Luckily the area was above the spine between the backstrap and neck. Almost all the meat was still good.