No elk recovery, blame the broadhead?

[Damartin95]

Thanks for all the input guys. I know my bow was in good tune as my broadheads shoot right with my field tips at 90 yards. Obviously there's a chance my shot was low due to my error( I really couldn't see it being high). I shoot quite a bit at long range I think I'm a pretty good shot but everyone makes mistakes. I wouldn't have taken a shot that long if there was another choice and i didn't think i could put it on the money. I truly believe that elk is dead and had he turned right into the open instead of left into some of the thickest cover imaginable. I would be posting trophy photos instead of this. Obviously my head preformed well, full pass through at 66 yards on a large elk is excellent. Head was still in great shape. I guess what I meant by possibly "blame the broadhead" is would a different broadhead, 3 blade or possibly large mechanical have yielded better blood trail. Unfortunately continuing to look for him is not an option as I live half way across the county and had to return to work.

So my question of "what would you do?" . Is when I Chase elk again next year Do I shoot the same head and assume shot placement was the issue. Or do I switch to a 3 blade / different head?

Let me again say I AM NOT SAYING IT'S AM EQUIPMENT ISSUE. But anytime you feel as if you did everything perfectly and you don't get the result you expect. And you hear similar story's from other with the same head. It makes you question.

 

[dallen]

View attachment 606964

Thanks for all the input guys. I know my bow was in good tune as my broadheads shoot right with my field tips at 90 yards. Obviously there's a chance my shot was low due to my error( I really couldn't see it being high). I truly believe that elk is dead and had he turned right into the open instead of left into some of the thickest cover imaginable. I would be posting trophy photos instead of this. Obviously my head preformed well, full pass through at 66 yards on a large elk is excellent. Head was still in great shape. I guess what I meant by possibly "blame the broadhead" is would a different broadhead, 3 blade or possibly large mechanical have yielded better blood trail. Unfortunately continuing to look for him is not an option as I live half way across the county and had to return to work.

agree with low hit opinions. The blood on the arrow doesn’t look right for double lung. This pic was a week ago. Pass through at 62 yards. I watched him go down.

 

[Damartin95]

View attachment 606964

agree with low hit opinions. The blood on the arrow doesn’t look right for double lung. This pic was a week ago. Pass through at 62 yards. I watched him go down.View attachment 606966

Low shot is certainly possible. I will say again that picture was taken the next day when blood had dried. While there where no bubbles in the blood when it was fresh the blood certainly looked like good oxygenated blood to us.

 

[mavinwa2]

Equipment dialed in, it basically comes down to shot placement and knowing one's ability, max range to execute the shot precisely.
Now YOU know...in the hardest way, a lost bull.

My Iron-Will Solid-S have never let me down at 25, 37, 45 yards on bull elk. Usually use 125gr, the last one (37yds) taken with 150gr Wide IW-Solid-S. Each bull down within 100 yards, each shot placed in the pocket zone. Before IW, Slick-Tricks 125gr were my go-to BH.
My max hunting range is 70-yards with the right conditions, AZ buck in Avatar taken at 67-yards. However, elk hunting, most always the bull comes rushing in closer due to calls & hunting timber.

But I have passed many iffy feeling shots over the years; frontals, extreme quartering away, quartering toward angles. It's tough to watch a bull walk off, especially close range, but if the right shot not presented, I don't release an arrow. Afterwards, gives me the shakes not taking a shot, but that's the discipline.

Most don't practice uphill, downhill shots. Just about everyone I observe in their camps shoot on level ground. An archery shot requires more precision than the shock-KE value of a rifle shot. Miss the pocket low or high by 4+" may result in a lost bull or buck.
Exponentially worse if archery shot is uphill or downhill, exit angle too high or too low.

hmmm, mechanicals on elk.....never. Attached properly, nothing to go wrong with a fixed BH.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

You hit low, probably quite a bit. Shooting uphill at 66 yards that arrow will arc and be coming back down at the animal, where you saw your lumenok disappear will be higher than where the exit is by a decent amount and since it's traveling downward rapidly it likely appeared higher to the eye than it was as well.

 

[MattB]

You might not want to hear it but there's only one conclusion that can be drawn from this IMHO - 66 yards is out of your effective range. The broadhead did exactly what it needed to do.

This was roughly my conclusion.

If the BH broke off, blame the BH. If the arrow was unrecovered, perhaps question the BH. If the hit looked/sounded perfect and passed through and you did not find a dead bull, question the hunter. It is much more likely that your guide and you did not see what you thought you saw then it was the BH didn't perform.

Despite what you might read on the internet, 66 yards is a long poke with a bow.

 

[Bump79]

This was roughly my conclusion.

If the BH broke off, blame the BH. If the arrow was unrecovered, perhaps question the BH. If the hit looked/sounded perfect and passed through and you did not find a dead bull, question the hunter. It is much more likely that your guide and you did not see what you thought you saw then it was the BH didn't perform.

Despite what you might read on the internet, 66 yards is a long poke with a bow.

It really is a poke. Especially with a fixed blade head - even premium heads. I'm not saying I'd never take the shot - but I shoot broadheads all the time. I judge myself based on my worst shot at a further range than my effective. For example - if I think my effective range is 66 - my worst cold shot with a broadhead at 76 better be in the kill zone everytime.

For follow up shots past 60 yards I keep a mechanical in my quiver. So much more forgiving and I want to put a big whole in

 

[packer58]

Go

You hit low, probably quite a bit. Shooting uphill at 66 yards that arrow will arc and be coming back down at the animal, where you saw your lumenok disappear will be higher than where the exit is by a decent amount and since it's traveling downward rapidly it likely appeared higher to the eye than it was as well.

Good points, while spotting shots at some of the 3D shoots you can clearly see the downward angle of the arrow at these longer yardage shots. From the shooters perspective "line of sight" @ 66 yrds the lighted nock could be as much as 5" +/- higher than the actual broadhead impact point at that exact moment.

I'm sure the OP has a heavy heart after this ordeal as does most guys after loosing an animal weather it be with a rifle or a bow. In the end most lost animals are due to a bad hit no matter the weapon.

 

[5MilesBack]

Or do I switch to a 3 blade / different head?

I prefer 3-blade heads for fixed or mechanical.

 

[Bump79]

I prefer 3-blade heads for fixed or mechanical.

I couldn't agree more. While a 3 blade takes a little more energy - it is worth it for the way it cuts a hole. 3 different planes makes the head fly better, cut in 3 different directions and are tougher to close up.

 

[kravguy]

Stinks on the lost bull. I know even on some blown shot opportunities, your mind wanders endlessly on what you could have done differently. Hitting a bull, thinking you drilled it, then coming up empty... I'm sure you are turning every direction looking for answers.

Thing is, you are never going to know. Without finding that animal, all you can do is speculate. Which is what everyone else is doing that's replied to the thread. In over 30 years of bowhunting, I've seen some arrows do some weird shit. Some shots that I took as perfect, I've looked for animals for hours on. Shots I figured were marginal and I'd be crawling thru brush all day, looking for tiny specs of blood turned into some of the shortest track jobs.

If it hasn't been mentioned already, you ignored one major rule. When in doubt, back out. There was no reason to track until 2AM, unless you needed to be somewhere the next morning. Obviously till then, if you had hit the animal where you thought, you are looking at a dead elk. Why chance pushing the animal? Give the animal time to die, or time to stiffen up that even if the hit is marginal, you have a better chance of finding him.

The broadhead question is up to you. If you lost confidence in this particular head, then I think it's time to change things up. There are a ton of heads on the market that will kill an elk. A hunter confident in his setup, is a dangerous dude.

 

[Billy Goat]

Stinks on the lost bull. I know even on some blown shot opportunities, your mind wanders endlessly on what you could have done differently. Hitting a bull, thinking you drilled it, then coming up empty... I'm sure you are turning every direction looking for answers.

Thing is, you are never going to know. Without finding that animal, all you can do is speculate. Which is what everyone else is doing that's replied to the thread. In over 30 years of bowhunting, I've seen some arrows do some weird shit. Some shots that I took as perfect, I've looked for animals for hours on. Shots I figured were marginal and I'd be crawling thru brush all day, looking for tiny specs of blood turned into some of the shortest track jobs.

If it hasn't been mentioned already, you ignored one major rule. When in doubt, back out. There was no reason to track until 2AM, unless you needed to be somewhere the next morning. Obviously till then, if you had hit the animal where you thought, you are looking at a dead elk. Why chance pushing the animal? Give the animal time to die, or time to stiffen up that even if the hit is marginal, you have a better chance of finding him.

The broadhead question is up to you. If you lost confidence in this particular head, then I think it's time to change things up. There are a ton of heads on the market that will kill an elk. A hunter confident in his setup, is a dangerous dude.

Due to the history of Boal thievery, it's no longer recommended to leave overnight.

 

[kravguy]

Due to the history of Boal thievery, it's no longer recommended to leave overnight.

My bad. As a WKR, I should have known that.

 

[Billy Goat]

My bad. As a WKR, I should have known that.

In all seriousness, I do know of 2 issues with people I personally know of elk being claimed by others.


My response was of course a joke, however it is unfortunately becoming a real thing.



In terms of recovering it is best to give it time in most conditions, lots of times thought it was a done deal only to spook the animal.

 

[SandyCreek]

Dad shot a bull this year downhill, quartered complete pass through. we waited because he wasnt sure. long story short found the bull and he only went 100 yards. but not a speck of blood or barely any blood on his coat. weve killed alot of animals with the iron wills but stuff just doesnt bleed. Going back to what worked before

 

[Scoot]

I wouldn't have taken a shot that long if there was another choice...

Let me again say I AM NOT SAYING IT'S AM EQUIPMENT ISSUE. But anytime you feel as if you did everything perfectly and you don't get the result you expect. And you hear similar story's from other with the same head. It makes you question.

There was another choice-- to not shoot. 66 yards is a damn long shot. How you shoot at a stationary target in perfect conditions doesn't mean squat- animals move, limbs get in the way, etc. I can hit inside a volleyball every shot at 100 yards, but I'd never take a shot at that distance.

Let me get this straight... you're "NOT SAYING IT'S AN EQUIPMENT ISSUE", but you are saying you've heard similar stories with this brand of equipment and you are questioning it. So... you are saying it might have been an equipment issue.

You made a poor shot. Sounds like it was probably low, but no way to know for sure. Even if your shot "looked perfect", it wasn't. It's easier, and ego-protective, to blame the broadhead. The broadhead didn't make you take an almost 70 yard shot in the field and the broadhead wasn't the reason you didn't recover the animal. Not trying to be a dick, but my last sentence about sums this up.

I hope it turns out better next time and I hope you have a good rest of your season.
Scott

 

[jmez]

Hey whenever someone says it's not about the money.........................

Sent from my moto g power 5G - 2023 using Tapatalk

 

[Hnthrdr]

I’m sorry you lost an elk, I have been there. It absolutely sucks. Hunt long enough and it will probably happen. As far as equipment goes, that is a personal preference. I shoot the broadheads you were/are shooting I think. They are rock solid and when properly sharpened can be scary sharp. They are the fixed blade that groups best with my field points. End of the day shot placement matters over everything. You hit the heart or deflate the lungs and that bull will die 99% of the time most likely in under 200 yards

 

[doc holiday13]

...........................
Let me get this straight... you're "NOT SAYING IT'S AN EQUIPMENT ISSUE", but you are saying you've heard similar stories with this brand of equipment and you are questioning it. ................................

You made a poor shot......................................

This. If you had a full pass thru and found the arrow then clearly the broadhead cut through the animal. IF it was a good shot that bull would have died quickly and within 200 yards.

yes it sucks, yes it happens and EVERY archer has had it happen at one time or another. Doing better next time is all you can do. Yes broadhead choice could have made a difference.

Rage broadheads work
2 blade broadheads work
I've used both, had success with both, and lost deer with both. Having an IW broadhead or a Micro Hades or a SEVR 2.0 doesn't magically kill an animal. Good shots kill them. You've taken your hits, so get back out there and execute good shots.

 

[Scoot]

This. If you had a full pass thru and found the arrow then clearly the broadhead cut through the animal. IF it was a good shot that bull would have died quickly and within 200 yards.

yes it sucks, yes it happens and EVERY archer has had it happen at one time or another. Doing better next time is all you can do. Yes broadhead choice could have made a difference.

Rage broadheads work
2 blade broadheads work
I've used both, had success with both, and lost deer with both. Having an IW broadhead or a Micro Hades or a SEVR 2.0 doesn't magically kill an animal. Good shots kill them. You've taken your hits, so get back out there and execute good shots.

I 100% agree with Doc and I'll say it again-- when you shoot at an animal at 66 yards, you're asking for trouble. Tell me all you want about you expertise at the range... all that does is confirm you don't understand the enormous difference between how things work in a perfect (near perfect) environment and the real world.