Tough hunt

[G_E_E]

Well.  I hit it hard in a very tough unit 7E.  First week was super hot and almost no bugling action at all.  A few unsucessfull spot and stalks and miles of hiking was about all I did.  The best bugling action I got into was Monday through Wednesday on the last week in the mornings.  I got within 50 yards of a nice 6 point herd bull but just didn't have a shot with him running around, then finally was seen by one of his 20 cows.  Later that day I was lucky enough to have a bull come into my buddies cow calling.  I shot him, unfortunately my arrow glanced off a tree limb and only penetrated about half way on a quartering away shot.  Bubbles in the blood told me I hit at least one lung.  Between a day and a half we tracked blood for about 800 yards, but a culmination of rain 10 minutes after the shot and the charred black ground we were tracking on left me without a recovery.  I'm still sick about it.  This was my first time being able to hunt bull elk.  With that being said, if there's anyone who will be in the area hunting in the future and happen apon a rotting (I believe 5 point) bull, please let me know where so I can check and see if by some miracle it's mine.  Congrats to all who were successful.

 

Attached are a picture of the arrow and the ground I had to track on.

 

[goinhuntn]

You need to try to get back up there & look for birds circling in the area.

[G_E_E]

5 hours ago, goinhuntn said:

You need to try to get back up there & look for birds circling in the area.

Yup.  I'm still trying to work that out.  My kid has a cow hunt in 6A, if that's goes really well and he tags out early I should be able to give it another go.

[111]

Find a high vantage point looking over the area you last lost him. Get the 15's out and search the sky and tree tops for the birds.

[Azsteuter]

I will be in the unit for a turkey hunt as well as the late archery hunt in the unit. I will keep my eyes and nose open.

[G_E_E]

On 10/4/2018 at 1:57 PM, Azsteuter said:

I will be in the unit for a turkey hunt as well as the late archery hunt in the unit. I will keep my eyes and nose open.

Awesome, that's about all I can ask for now.  Crossing my fingers for a miracle.

[hoghntr]

G_E_E if it makes you feel better they are crazy tough animals. Found this in my bull this year i'm sure he picked it up during archery hunt in couple prior weeks. His body was just pushing it out

[G_E_E]

Wow!!!  What part of the body was that arrow in? Congrats on your successful hunt.

[1uofacat]

On 10/8/2018 at 1:37 PM, hoghntr said:

G_E_E if it makes you feel better they are crazy tough animals. Found this in my bull this year i'm sure he picked it up during archery hunt in couple prior weeks. His body was just pushing it out

3-bladed broadheads are the worst for penetrating hard tissue/bone.  I had a complete pass-through on a satellite bull, however my setup utilizes a single bevel broadhead on a very heavy shaft.  Arrow went through both shoulders, but down low, and right through the upper half of the heart.  My bull went about 200 yards, but was probably dead within a minute or two.  It wasn't a huge bull, but was bugling trying to get cows away from a bull that had cows I was chasing, so I decided to take him instead.

 

The bugling in unit 8 was very active the entire season.  We experienced more bugling for longer periods of time as the season went on, but never had "quiet" days.  We had other issues to deal with like lightning caused fires as well as controlled burns. 

 

Sorry about your lost bull, many of us have been there too.

[hoghntr]

23 hours ago, G_E_E said:

Wow!!!  What part of the body was that arrow in? Congrats on your successful hunt.

High right front shoulder but since i sorta blew up the whole shoulder with the 300wm i am not sure it was even in bone. When i rolled the bull over the broadhead and shaft were just loose in there and were actually being pushed out my infection and stinky nastiness. Seriously it was as if you or i had a little cactus needle in us that was festering out a week or 2 later.  I can only assume it had hit top of his shoulder and stopped that is why such a short piece of shaft but also maybe deflection and poor penetration or a hail mary long shot?? The area was pretty thick. I can tell you he was acting like any normal bull so i sure was suprised when i saw the broadhead in him.. I'm thinking you shoot me anywhere in my body with a broadhead and i am going down! 😯 tough beasts they are. Also the infection was localized/confined to small area of tissue surrounding broadhead which was good to see.

[hoghntr]

8 hours ago, 1uofacat said:

3-bladed broadheads are the worst for penetrating hard tissue/bone.  I had a complete pass-through on a satellite bull, however my setup utilizes a single bevel broadhead on a very heavy shaft.  Arrow went through both shoulders, but down low, and right through the upper half of the heart.  My bull went about 200 yards, but was probably dead within a minute or two.  It wasn't a huge bull, but was bugling trying to get cows away from a bull that had cows I was chasing, so I decided to take him instead.

 

The bugling in unit 8 was very active the entire season.  We experienced more bugling for longer periods of time as the season went on, but never had "quiet" days.  We had other issues to deal with like lightning caused fires as well as controlled burns. 

 

Sorry about your lost bull, many of us have been there too.

I killed this 1 with rifle but found shaft and broadhead in him from archery week or 2 earlier. 

 

It was all pre rut action where we were kinda crazy. G&F guy said not sure cows will even reach estrus this year in 9 cuz bodys totally lacking fat needed. Plenty of bugling but no bulls charging in on you for sure. Would love to see it right now and see if has changed since weather came.