Take this Shot? Hard Quartered Away

[elkhunterUT]

yep - too much angle on the first shot to feel comfortable.

2nd picture is perfect - low in the chest and aim to hit the line of the back of the leg on the far side.

 

[Dos Perros]

Thanks everyone. I think for me it is going to be a pass regardless of range. While I am confident I could hit the spot at 30 in my backyard - it's obviously much different in the moment, and I don't have enough history shooting at animals to be entirely confident.

A couple of you have mentioned arrows not getting through the ribs when quartered away. Any thoughts at how much of an angle is too much for penetration?

What about this one? Any concern the arrow skids along the ribs here (aiming for far side leg)?

Sent from my SM-A326U using Tapatalk

I'd shoot that elk, assuming within my confident range. Put arrow behind last rib with margin and send it. Take out the diaphragm and at least one lung.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Thanks everyone. I think for me it is going to be a pass regardless of range. While I am confident I could hit the spot at 30 in my backyard - it's obviously much different in the moment, and I don't have enough history shooting at animals to be entirely confident.

A couple of you have mentioned arrows not getting through the ribs when quartered away. Any thoughts at how much of an angle is too much for penetration?

What about this one? Any concern the arrow skids along the ribs here (aiming for far side leg)?

Sent from my SM-A326U using Tapatalk

Let it fly!

 

[Laramie]

My very first archery animal, a medium sized muley doe, was shot in almost the exact same angle as the 1st bull is standing. Long story short I got lucky as my broadhead cut something between her shoulder and the rib cage causing her to bleed out in about 150 yards. My arrow never entered the chest cavity. Fast forward 100+ archery kills and 30+ years later and no way I would attempt the first shot unless it was inside of 20 yards and was confident I had the energy to penetrate enough to take our diaphragm, liver and one lung. No issues on the second shot angle.

 

[dingle]

Thanks everyone. I think for me it is going to be a pass regardless of range. While I am confident I could hit the spot at 30 in my backyard - it's obviously much different in the moment, and I don't have enough history shooting at animals to be entirely confident.

A couple of you have mentioned arrows not getting through the ribs when quartered away. Any thoughts at how much of an angle is too much for penetration?

What about this one? Any concern the arrow skids along the ribs here (aiming for far side leg)?

Sent from my SM-A326U using Tapatalk

More importantly, is that a Tule?

 

[Laramie]

Here is a fun one for you. Bull is at 25 yards and knows something is wrong so he just froze... shoot or not?

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

No archery shot for me as I’ve only ever shot non compound.

 

[dingle]

Here is a fun one for you. Bull is at 25 yards and knows something is wrong so he just froze... shoot or not?
View attachment 447595

No. Sapling. He should be turning to the right or forward in a moment.

 

[hobbes]

More than likely, no. If the tree is tight against him, maybe, but it looks to be out in front of him.

As far as what is clear behind the tree, I think it's too far back and quartered too enough that it's a one lung option at best. I'm not comfortable with that.

 

[Laramie]

At 25 yards I'm confidently killing that bull. A shot in the red dot takes at minimum one lung and liver, but probably both lungs and maybe some liver and the blood trail would be fantastic.


At longer ranges I would pass this shot as my group size from 25-40 grows to about 3 inches - which would mean I might hit that little limb deflecting my arrow or hit him too far back.

 

[Geewhiz]

Here is a fun one for you. Bull is at 25 yards and knows something is wrong so he just froze... shoot or not?
View attachment 447595

Heck yeah he would be toast. Hug that tree and he would be down with a double lung.

 

[roosiebull]

Inside 20 yds, it’s dead in short order… I passed that shot on my biggest bull I have killed a few days prior to killing him, it was just over 30 yds and that was my only window… I just didn’t like it at that range

I have killed deer with that angle, shot in front of the hip and exited between the front legs, it was efficient

I did shoot a bull at that angle one time, and it was 61yds, and I pinwheeled him, broadhead cut through 2 vertebrae “wings” and up into the vitals and settled in the brisket, but that was a follow up shot on a bull I thought I shot a little back on the first shot

All depends, I may pass that shot or take it depending on me at the time, as well as the critter… very unlikely scenario though, having a bull inside 20 yds at that angle, but ya never know… I would prefer that over quartered to, which is just not a shot for me, in the heat of the moment, I don’t want to be trying to pick anatomy apart, I like easy angles, where it’s obvious where you have a clear path to the vitals and some relative wiggle room

 

[roosiebull]

At 25 yards I'm confidently killing that bull. A shot in the red dot takes at minimum one lung and liver, but probably both lungs and maybe some liver and the blood trail would be fantastic.
View attachment 447609

At longer ranges I would pass this shot as my group size from 25-40 grows to about 3 inches - which would mean I might hit that little limb deflecting my arrow or hit him too far back.

I’m not shooting that shot at any range personally, looks like liver and one lung to me, and not in a great part of the lung

 

[roosiebull]

The first photo is too steep a quartered away shot for me to like it. I may be willing to take the shot really close, but even if I hit the dot, i need to penetrate a wet ball of straw before I get through the diaphragm.

The second example doesn't bother me and is likely the angle you'd have on the first with a single cow call.

The grass bag sure slows an arrow down too, more than most probably realize, but I would still expect penetration to the fletching with my setup

 

[Billy Goat]

I'm putting it right there, and not counting on a pass thru. The blood trail won't be great for the first little bit but it won't be long.

The sapling I'm passing. Too many times I have seen contact just on fletching detour the back end of an arrow and if that thing don't hit straight its going to absolutely kill penetration. I think at best it's one lung and liver, which is maybe 20 minutes, could be more. They can cover a lot of ground in that time and too much out of your control to think they will just bed up close by. He already on alert, in 30 seconds he is going 400 plus yards, hard to tell how much further in 5-25 minutes.

 

[Jermh]

I'm with Billy Goat in both cases. Within a reasonable distance they're both doable but I'd be hanging on the lower side on the first one. The one with the sapling no way I'm taking that shot

 

[Pony Soldier]

With a rifle I would shoot at the base of the skull. I wouldn't touch that shot with a bow. I respect the animal too much. It does answer why I find dead elk after bow season.

 

[Scoot]

Some interesting replies and aiming points in this thread. Answers for me for the three pics are: No (no way in heck actually), yes definitely, and no. On the last one the tree is exactly where I want to put an arrow. You definitely could catch lungs to the right of the tree, but maybe not. I've shot plenty of them that I thought were "close enough to the shoulder to be ok" that resulted in single lung hits and long ass blood trails. I'm picky on the shots I take now and that last one isn't a good enough shot for me to risk it.

 

[TheTone]

First one is a no, second and third are maybes for me. They would just depend on what had already happened and what I thought might be about to happen. There is no shame in passing up shots