Lost big bull, possible broadhead/equipment issue?

[307_timberstalker]

Watch “4 yards from screaming bull! Bowhunters dream” on Vimeo:

 

[KyleR1985]

Ugh, feel for your buddy. I'm sure it's a combination of all of the factors above leading to poor penetration. It takes an arrow some distance to stop oscillating. And a poorly tuned, or improperly spined one will take even longer if it ever gets there.

Another thing I've learned not to take for granted with other hunters I don't know well is broadhead sharpness. There are folks who will shoot them at critters multiple times and be under the impression they are sharp enough to do the job.

It appears at least half or more of that arrow is sticking out - my guess is a single lung, and a bull that's alive. That is definitely not performance I would settle for, and hope he makes some adjustments to equipment and/or shot choices going forward.

 

[307_timberstalker]

I’ve played this back close to 200 times since Thursday and I can’t help but be mind blown at how this bull wasn’t dead 100-200 yards from last visual. I’m at a complete loss for not only myself but my friend. Every time I see it, I say, dead bull all day. I know these animals are pros at survival, their whole life is surviving. But damn this hurts to watch. HOW?!!?

 

[92xj]

I think he's .3" low of the lung and behind the heart and it's a liver hit dead elk.

 

[Brendan]

Multiple things that can happen.

I think a heavier draw weight and heavier arrow for a 3 blade mechanical is better.

Also, if you torque the bow, or your bow isn't tuned, and your arrow doesn't hit square (Vanes don't have time to correct the arrow at short range) it can hurt penetration. This is one of the reasons why you need to make sure your bow is tuned, regardless of the broadhead you choose.

Tough luck, but live and learn...

 

[mtnrunner260]

Heartbreaking for you and especially your buddy. I dont think he go more than 1 lung. Probably dead elk but could have traveled a long long ways.
Tell him to keep his head high.
Be interesting to see the results of him shooting block target at that range and then at 25 yards to compare penetration.

 

[hobbes]

Worst case....At least a third of that arrow penetrated, so that's a minimum of 9 to 10" of arrow past hide. At best there is an inch of rib bone, hide and muscle there for a quartered animal (probably more like 1/2"), so at least 8" of arrow inside the body cavity. I think you are more along the lines of 12" inside the body cavity. Mid height and no exit means less blood and several inches back for a quartering to shot means less blood. I think at best the shot clipped the back edge of one lung, pierced diaphragm, and punctured the liver.

I'm not a mechanical guy, so no significant experience with them. Are the blades strong enough to withstand an elk rib, or could it shear them off turning the head into a field point?

 

[307_timberstalker]

I think he's .3" low of the lung and behind the heart and it's a liver hit dead elk.

I also initially thought liver/ single lung after the bull did not tip in the 1.5 minutes he was on film with an arrow in him. My idea was to give him 4-6hr in hopes he would walk out of view and quickly stop or lay up due to sickness and die. The wind was in our favor and we backed out opposite of his travel route in order to let him due his thing. We found no sign or evidence of him stopping long enough or bedding to bleed out.

 

[Stickbow]

Im not sure I would call not finding your quarry a bowhunters dream... To me it looks like the arrow is too far back for ideal placement on a quartering to shot, think I agree with 92xj. Seems like more of a shot placement issue than broadhead issue. Hope you guys find him though! Sounds like you made the right choices on follow up tracking which was smart.

 

[307_timberstalker]

Im not sure I would call not finding your quarry a bowhunters dream... To me it looks like the arrow is too far back for ideal placement on a quartering to shot, think I agree with 92xj. Seems like more of a shot placement issue than broadhead issue. Hope you guys find him though! Sounds like you made the right choices on follow up tracking which was smart.

I’d say any elk hunter dreams of being 4 yards of a 300 class bull, but yes more of a nightmare when it goes south. But as far as the shot goes, the angle was slight, minimal quartering to. But being a mech broadhead, does the angle play a bigger deciding factor then that same placement/angle with a 2 or three blade fixed?

 

[corey006]

I feel your pain....

I lost an Elk this year as well....and it's not a good feeling blood tracking for 400 yards and losing blood.

It was a cold overcast day....

I was sweated up from hike in....and sat and called from my treestand for 3 hours.

I had a bull bugling from across a pond in front of me about 30 minutes before end of legal shooting but after 15 minutes decided he was not coming ...at least not before time expired.

I was so cold and shivering from wind cutting through my damp clothes....

I decided to leave before the Bull came in after dark and spooked.

As I turned to start packing my gear I was surprised by a small 5x5 bull which had snuck into 30 yards from my treestand.

His attention was focused on my decoy set up.

I slowly reached for my bow and as I got it I clipped on my release(thank God I had arrow already nocked).
He was coming out of dark timber and I shadows with 10 minutes left and cloudy day did not make for greatest light.


As he slowly walked trail broadside his head went behind large Aspen....I drew.

I settled in, remembering to bend at waist. Then while at full draw he decides to stop with a large Aspen obscuring his lungs....I held at full draw what felt like an eternity....

I eventually collapsed....slowly. which didn't totally spook him but he turned to leave but was still broadside.

I had a short window and thought he stopped....and shot.....

The shot hit with a loud pop.....and looked and felt good....he wheeled and left.....I called in Hope to stop him.

The woods turned silent and I slowly left my stand.

I found the arrow immediately 5 yards behind where the bull stood. I had good blood but dark....and fat slime on arrow....my heart sank. I knew this wasn't a good thing.

It took me 20 minutes to find blood trail and I was elated there was really good blood....but after 50 yards.....good blood turned into 1 inch drops....200 yards later just drops.

I did not push him and I eventually found where he had crossed creek ....found blood on other side but only a few drops...

I decided to leave him for night

Came back next morning, there was dew on grass but could still find blood....but again lost trail after 50 yards and he got on a "black" elk path...

I scoured the area in ever larger circles

Using Canada maps and bread crumb trail was great asset.....I never found anymore sign.

I went over the shot, the range and concluded I probably hit him below spine but maybe grazed top of lungs....shot was passthrew and 1 blade from Wasp Drone was dinged as it clipped bone.

I ended up not tagging an Elk although I had opportunities, it didn't feel right.

I ended up calling in a nice 5x6 Bull for my Father In Law who is 82 and was in rifle season.....in exact same area.

I was in the area for 3 weeks off and on after I wounded bill and never seen ravens or coyotes and other hunters in area never encountered a dead Bull.

It was a gut wrenching experience and in hindsight, being cold and shaking and poor light and Bull being in the shadows I should have passed on the shot.

Lessons learned.....not to be repeated!

 

[tt_johnsclist]

Looks a little far back, and not great penetration, chalk it up to live and learn and hopefully the next one is quartering away!


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[corey006]

Here is pic of Rage Trypan I shot through a Moose rib.

Many claim they are a great Elk head, and it's tough to argue with kill pics, entry/exit holes and blood trails.

I think mechanicals should only be used when you are producing higher K.E ...and heavy arrows to maintain Momentum.

All but last part/tip of blade had its edge rolled.

Now this was a rib off a 46"Bull so it's quite a bit larger and tougher than an Elk....

Next season I am going to try G5 Stryker Magnum 1.5" cut.

 

[Scooter90254]

Man that's tough. Your buddy must feel terrible.

Something doesn’t add up. You should be able to penetrate a bludgeon point at 4 yards.

A 3 blade rage on an elk is simply not a great idea it that shouldn’t have been a problem. Has to be the bow was out of tune like mentioned above.

Anyway he clipped a stick or branch?

 

[Thess87]

Feel bad for your bud. I feel like he’s dead. But I have no problem with the 3 blade rage but light poundage and light arrow with it isn’t a good combo.

 

[Indian Summer]

I’m not going to bash using mechanicals for elk but I’ll say that quartering shots are the weakness of them. When a guy says he killed an elk with one I expect to hear it was a broadside shot. If they say he walked away like nothing happened I figure the bull was quartering one way or the other.

Tuning your bow is about accuracy. But it’s also about directing the energy in a straight line. Expandables rob you of that if they don’t hit square. Especially now that they are soooo wide and don’t have a tapering blade angle the the good old fixed blade heads. Those things are made for deer! Not an animal with thick heavy hair, heavy hide and big bones.

 

[AGPank]

Dang nice bull. Elk are tough animals. I agree with others who think this is fatal. The lack of blood is a problem I think many of us all try to avoid.

I tried a new COC head this year and shot a little high and found little blood. I’m going to increase to a 165gr Simmons Tiger shark next year. Increasing from a mid-400 gr total arrow weight to 500+. A few FPS are worth the sacrifice for better penetration.

Sorry it happened, I wouldn’t have imagined those results from that range.


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[wytx]

Possible he hit a twig on the way and the arrow expanded prematurely ?
I wouldn't use a mechanical on elk but I shoot a longbow. 2 blade cut on contact broadheads for my moose and all 4 arrows went completely through rib bones and into shoulder blade.
He may well live and be fine.
Sorry for the guy, it's a gut wrenching feeling to loose one.
Look and listen for ravens, they'll lead you to a dead animal.

 

[codym]

I put a bull down a couple years ago that had been hit poorly. I was working my way down a revine and spotted a bull bedded at 90 yards. He was a nice bull but odd to me he would be bedded at 7:30 in the morning. The wind swirled and bulls started calling from some ridges above. He calmly got up and walked down the revine away from me. I see no blood on his hide or anything. I follow him and find him bedded again. Get to 30 yards and pin wheel his heart. He dies in his bed. I knew he wasn’t acting normal but not like he was super hurt. When I get to him I see someone had hit him way back, just before the hind leg right in the gut. The wound was not a pass through and was clotted up. He was not bleeding at all. No idea what he was shot with or when, archery season had been open for 20 days at that point. I doubt any broadhead would have helped that shot, but it was gonna definitely kill that bull. It left a weird feeling for me, I wasn’t particularly proud of tagging that elk because of the circumstances but I was also glad I ended his suffering. My only other thought was that maybe he had been gored in a fight. I didn’t open his belly up to inspect. No one in the area said they had lost one and the wound made me think it was at least a couple days old. I was amazed at the clotting ability, as there was absolutely no blood on the bull or in his bed. Not really sure the point of all that other than to say just because you lose blood don’t assume that bull is fine.

 

[elkyinzer]

That is a dead bull. Clear as day watching that video. That's a gut shot. Too far back for lungs on a quartering-to shot. Stomach contents could cause penetration issues with that shot placement. If you don't have confidence in your equipment do what you need to do to regain it. Sorry you couldn't recover him. Definitely the worst possible outcome for a bowhunter.