Poll: Is this a Hit or a Miss?

[Buffinnut]

Yeah the film should be showing them on their hands and knees following his tracks and looking for blood

 

[mlgc20]

I will give them the benefit of the doubt and agree that it was a miss and that is an effective range for him and that firearm. However, the guy was in a perfect prone position when he took the shot. We are then to assume he missed an elk sized target within his effective range from a prone position. If I completely missed an elk sized target within my effective range from a prone position, I would have to assume my gun/scope was way off. So, I would not use it until I was able to verify the zero. If the zero was verified as being "on", then you have to conclude your effective range is not really your effective range. If they just assumed a clean miss from a perfect position and didn't verify that the gun was zeroed, and proceeded to use the same gun, that would be very questionable to me.

 

[Vandy321]

If he wanted to cut 200 yards off, it's safe to assume he was 200 past his max, else he'd have taken the shot there on a broadside stationary bull. So he moves in 200, and instead takes a quartering away shot at max range on a moving bull. "But I've been practicing alot". How much practice on a moving target at say 800? I'd bet zero. Maybe I'm wrong. But, not a shot I'd have taken.

 

[WCB]

Hit. The bullet would have gotten there before the sound. The way the bull literally stopped in his tracks and hunched up says the bullet hit him - somewhere.


I will say I cringe every time I hear some dude off camera saying “hitem again, hitem again, hitem again.” Not a lot of confidence there...

I'll agree probably a hit...but why would you cringe when someone says to hit them again? My rule when guiding was shoot till they go down essentially. I've seen enough weird stuff happen and elk can travel a long ways even hit well....

I was more confused why he didn't let a few more shots go after the initial one. if he thought he hit it. Once you believe the animal is hit, especially if you are not sure where you hit it, You keep shooting.

 

[Stubborn_bowhunter]

Bull reaction to me says hit. I slowed it down with the YouTube settings and what appears to be dust looks more like the bull exhaling hot breathe as he eats a bullet.

 

[FLAK]

Thats a tough one. Def., looked hit initially.
Walked away looking perfectly healthy.

 

[Jpace]

If you have to assume a miss, then you have to assume the shooter was being unethical and shooting far beyond his abilities. The truth is they called it a hit, then when things did not go their way they said it was a "clean miss." When you are "so confused" it is probably because reality does not line up with what you want.

Agree with your perspective. In these situations you may start to believe your own lies.

 

[DenverCountryBoy]

I just want to say that if you’re first reaction after pulling the trigger is “I hit him!?!?” The shot is too far.
My initial feeling is the bull was hit in the neck brisket area, based on the bulls reaction/dazed 3-4 seconds regaining his composure.
It’s always easy to armchair quarterback but if you are filming your hunt your ethics and methods should be beyond reproach. If you pull the trigger on a animal no matter what you mark the location and look for blood. If your filming it that step should be memorialized.
Just my .02

“Ethical behaviour is doing the right thing when no one else is watching—even when doing the wrong thing is legal.”
- Aldo Leopold

I don't know if it was a hit or miss. I do think it was unethical.

 

[JakeSCH]

Like many others I interpret bull's reaction as a hit. I've seen them back up like that a couple of times, usually go 15 to 30 yards and expire...

That said, it does kind of look like dust out in front of him and the camera angle shows a steep quartering away shot on a moving animal...very difficult at that distance.

 

[bsnedeker]

I don't know if it's a hit or not a hit, but I will tell you that them declaring it a miss from their vantage point and not spending the rest of the day and the next day looking for that bull and a blood trail is absolutely inexcusable. I expect MUCH better from the GoHunt crew.

 

[Ross]

Elk reaction looks like a hit....that was a long shot on a moving target and lack of follow up shot......always tough to judge but moving target that far is not a good idea....unless you are bob lee swagger...hopefully it was a clean miss

 

[browning2480]

Elk reaction looks like a hit....that was a long shot on a moving target and lack of follow up shot......always tough to judge but moving target that far is not a good idea....unless you are bob lee swagger...hopefully it was a clean miss

Or Gemini Man. He could have made that shot

 

[EastHumboldt]

Looked like a hit to me. Usually when they start running they keep running. They often walk downhill when they’re hurt. In that situation I would spend the rest of the day and half the next looking for sign. in fact did just that on a big muley buck a friend of mine winged in Wyoming a few years back. They said they confirmed a miss so hopefully that means they spent agreat deal of time combing the shot area.

 

[Buffinnut]

Looked like a hit to me. Usually when they start running they keep running. They often walk downhill when they’re hurt. In that situation I would spend the rest of the day and half the next looking for sign. in fact did just that on a big muley buck a friend of mine winged in Wyoming a few years back. They said they confirmed a miss so hopefully that means they spent agreat deal of time combing the shot area.

As Randy Newberg says, if it wasn’t on camera it didn’t happen. Not showing it tells all the new Hunters who are learning everything they know from YouTube that it’s ok to blast away at a moving animal at extreme distances, then say oh I think I missed and go shoot another one the next day. In this situation you should be over emphasizing the tracking and recovery efforts.

 

[Hunt_Jefferson]

Only thing I can tell for sure is that it is a low percentage shot.

 

[sndmn11]

Looks like he hit dirt right in front of him which caused the bulls reaction. Hard to tell with the Camera shake though

I think he hit the ground right in front of him.

@KickinNDishin watched it one time without context and this was her conclusion as well.

I think the bull was untouched based on his gimpish back right leg before the shot, and same gait after the shot.

 

[Sharptail]

As Randy Newberg says, if it wasn’t on camera it didn’t happen. Not showing it tells all the new Hunters who are learning everything they know from YouTube that it’s ok to blast away at a moving animal at extreme distances, then say oh I think I missed and go shoot another one the next day. In this situation you should be over emphasizing the tracking and recovery efforts.

I agree. That would have been a great opportunity to walk through how to determine it was a clean miss and the effort it takes to responsibly investigate after the shot.

 

[Flyjunky]

I'm not sure if it was a hit or miss. I've watched it a dozen times, slowed it down, but the footage wasn't stable enough to get a really good look. My first reaction was a miss but I can't be sure. Looking at his body and the reaction there wasn't a tell tale sign of a hit that I could see...I only saw him stop, no hunching. Most anyone would initially think hit because that is what we expect when we pull the trigger.

I will say this though....this is a perfect example of why having good form and being able to manage recoil so you can stay "in your shot" is very crucial on longer range shots. You can hear the shooter put a new round in the chamber immediately after the shot but he must have come out of the shot because the bull stands broadside for at least 4 seconds before moving again....this was the time to put another round in him.

Maybe I missed it but I didn't hear a yardage called out but I could hear him dialing his scope. Regardless of that I don't feel the shot was very ethical, not because range, but because the bull was moving and the angle he was at. Why not try to stop him before the shot with a call instead of trying to stop him after the shot?

As far as the comments about the bull stopping and backing up. I've had a round whizz by and hit the ground above me before I heard the crack of the rifle....the sound of the bullet was loud and the thump of it hitting the ground could have easily made the bull stop.

I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt but I agree that it would have been a great opportunity to show "after shot" ethics on camera.

 

[Rich M]

Film is shaky.

I didn't have sound on so don't know when he shot but did see the elk stagger/stop and said to myself, that's when he hit him.

Then the elk wanders a bit & stops - do they do that when hit? I never shot an elk. Had a mule deer go about 25 yds and stop after a shoulder shot - he was having trouble moving. Hit him again as soon as he stopped.

Do agree that it was a low percentage shot at a long distance - and should not have been taken by that guy.
Then he doesn't follow up with another shot or two. The bull stopped and stood broadside for a moment - shoulda hit it again if he thought he hit the first shot. Coulda punched another in the elk as it walks away. When you have a mobile critter, you keep punching holes - worst case you ruin a little meat. Best case, extra blood, and faster death.

The dude sitting there looking sad or whatever added nothing to the video.

Whole thing reminded me why i don't watch this stuff. And why folks get all pissy about long range shooting.

 

[Marbles]

I'm not sure an animals reaction means much. I shot a blacktail deer at 25 yards with a 30-06 (using 180 gr Accubonds) and he just stood there and looked at me (like the other three deer with him) then turned, I though I missed and shot again, he just walked out of my view like nothing happened. I thought I missed both shots, but as I ran forward to see over the small rise behind which he walked I saw him dead on the ground less than 20 feet from where I shot him the first time (the other three deer where standing around looking at him like "you okey Fred.")

My inclination is that no one, including they guys on camera, have enough information to give a definitive answer. This is because I think if the guys on camera had put in the work to have a real answer they would have shown some of it or talked about it.