Where Did The Arrow Hit?

[ElkNut1]

In the video clip below my son, grandson & I dogged this herd bull pushing his cows up the mountain to bed, we heard him at daylight with his Lip Bawls & contact bugles just keeping in touch with his cows as they moved up the mtn. We did not call to the bull but did our best to keep up with the group, it was tough as we climbed 1400' up. We were cliffed out more than a few times but nice thing was the bull bugled regularly so we had a direction. We hustled up the mtn playing catch up & was able to cut the distance to aprox 100yds over an hour later. As soon as we got to a good setup spot my son & Tanner moved to the top of this knoll aprox 50yds from me & to my right, I stayed just below the knoll so I could pull the bull past them & straight at me!

I heard the bull bugle straight above me in the timber, at that moment with the boys setup I gave 2-3 cow whines, the bull bugled instantly, I called again 2-3 times & the bull bugled again, I rolled two three rocks down the mtn the size of softballs to imitate elk moving around then started raking a tree fairly violently so the sound would carry up above to him, as soon as the bull bugled the raking (seconds after rocks bouncing) I challenged him with the coarse 5 point bull bugle, that's where the video starts & you can see what takes place from there & how quickly this bull comes in!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PofNJw_LlsM

Question is, at first glance where do you think the arrow hit? This is how fast things happen when you're right there & you're the shooter! I came up after calling & I asked where was he hit? What would you have said after you saw the shot? No wrong answers just wanting to know what you see? Thanks.

ElkNut1

 

[Travis Bertrand]

It looked to me it hit in in the forehead. I'm on my phone too so I could be way off.

 

[weaver]

I'd say right over his head.

 

[Mckinnon]

bottom of neck I think.... tough to tell

 

[BackcountryMT]

Hard to tell in the video but it looks like the arrow took the bull in front of the shoulder. Top of the heart and a lung?

 

[todd kelly]

looked like some chin music to me.

 

[fillthefreezer]

watched it 3x, sure is hard to tell with the camera angle/brush. looks like right over the head or center punched the chest, idk...

 

[RustyHazen]

I'd guess it went about 18 inches over his head. The trajectory looked awfully high. Definitely hard to say for sure, though.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

Putting it up on my big screen and stopping the arrow where I could last see it, I would say it either caught him somewhere in the shoulder area or went over him. The brush really makes it impossible to say for sure even watching it over and over in slow motion.

 

[N Corey]

I would say infront of the front shoulder in the brisket area which is a deadly shot but you have a very small margin for error. Let's see some footage tracking this elk.

 

[Silentstalker]

Just in front of the near shoulder.

 

[Shrek]

6" from the front edge of the shoulder to the rear and a little high of the centerline of the body. Just forward and above the heart but catching both lungs is my guess. Found him 70 to 110 yards at almost the same elevation or a little higher towards the herd ?

 

[amp713]

I read the post, watched the video to the shot, paused it there and scrolled to the bottom of here fast to avoid seeing anyone elses comments or see what was said in the video or anything. So if you disagree this is 100% first look first reaction after the shot with no one elses input. I however saw the arrow and judging by the way he stood and the way I SAW the arrow flying I would guess it hit just behind and above the heart. With the angle i could see it possibly just being a single lung back into liver and out the other side near the guts but i could be wrong.... Ok time to go watch the video all the way till the end and read comments....

 

[The Night Stalker]

Top of the shoulder

 

[voidecho]

Looked high on the neck just behind the antlers to me, but hard to tell that fast.

 

[voidecho]

For those that want to know, the answer is in the comments on the video.

 

[amp713]

For those that want to know, the answer is in the comments on the video.

I couldnt resist had to go read...... I fail

 

[ElkNut1]

Wow guys, lots of thoughts here! Guess what, those were basically the same thoughts we had as we watched the video there on the mtn trying to figure out exactly where the arrow impacted. As the caller I did not see the shot but only heard the bull coming towards me so I was in no position to offer anything! (grin) We tracked that bull for the next 4 hrs with little to no blood. We found the arrow a short distance away where the bull had ran & the arrow was laying on the ground intact, no a good sign with around 8-10" of penetration that we could tell. All blood found was very minimal & some was 100yds apart but all very sparse. The boys really thought he was hit just in front of the front shoulder as many had guessed which would be considered a quartering to you shot.

I just wish the grandson would have waited a bit longer as that bull had no idea they were there, I believe he would have had a broadside 20 yd shot if he'd had a bit of patience! (grin) Anyway after loosing all sign we headed out & looked the footage over countless times on a big screen TV & could then see the arrow hitting the bull very low in the neck not high enough to catch jugular or windpipe, it was basically an arrow that smartened that bull up, no doubt in my mind he survived the shot, at least his odds were good to do so!

This goes to show us how difficult it can be to see where an arrow hits an animal even if we're the shooter. We knew right away that the color & amount of blood was not good but kept after it until all tracking was impossible to continue on. We hate loosing animals as this as much as anyone but it does happen, that bull still has my grandsons name on him & we will be back after him! (grin) The hunt was in Idaho on Public Land OTC DIY! Thanks for the comments!

ElkNut1

 

[Ross]

Things happen and lessons are learned in hunting. I know I have learned my fair share. The bull lived and hopefully your crew will get another crack at him this fall. That was a fine sequence of calling on a bull that has heard it all and he came right in to investigate. Very similar to my last two herd bulls.Good luck Elknut.

 

[Rizzy]

That was a nice Bull you guys got on. I can't help but notice how steep that mountain is. I imagine that even at that short of a distance it has a significant effect on arrow flight. That's OTC Idaho Elk hunting terrain in a nutshell, you can always bet that when it gets that steep Elk live there

I would be interested in hearing about the tracking and what could be learned from that. For instance did he go uphill or down hill. Did he go back to the herd the next day or stay hidden the rest of the season? Where does a Bull like that go to stay hidden, deep timber on the canyon bottom or up in the rocks on top of a ridge? I suppose you guys had other nice Bulls to move on to, but if this had been a OIL Bull what would you have done next?