Shoulda dropped!

[hunting freaks]

hey guys, I shot a bull at 9:00 am yesterday morning opener at 30 yards with a 300 win mag in the neck to bout and some how he ran for a mile bleeding everywhere there were bubbles in the blood and everything. My wife and I tracked him there was so much blood that we could walk normally and tracked him, he stopped in a few areas and bled out good and all the sudden he quit bleeding. I have no idea where he could have went weve searched ever since yesterday 9 hours to be exact hes a nice 6x6 and its my first elk im just sick if someone could give us any tips itd be nice thanks

[Frans]

First tip you have already found out for yourself: don't do neck shots!

Wish I had something more to contribute, but without a trained dog (which I guess would be illegal), you are going to have a hard time.

How quickly did you follow up? When pushed, an animal that would have hid somewhere close, will put on the afterburners and cover a lot of ground before dying.

Since it has been a while, maybe start looking for congregations of ravens,crows and magpies, that could give you a clue.

It has all happened to me: neckshot a roe deer that fell down like the hammer of Thor hit, then bleated, came up and disappeared never to be found. I followed up on a red stag within maybe 10 minutes (also shot with a .300WM) only to push him from his bed, never to be found again. Those are hard lessons.

Another example: a few years back I shot a moose, that ran uphill. I went after it, and found it standing still not 30 steps away. I thought I'd go fancy and put it down with a neckshot. I hit the neck alright (of course from that distance), but not the spine. The moose just looked at me, and showed no reaction. Luckily my earlier shot had done the job.

[Elkaholic6]

Hole healed up. Probably just hit the fat in the neck.

[walking buffalo]

Sorry to hear this. Don't give up. Mark the trail extensively (I use toilet paper, it decomposes quickly) so you can find it again, as well the "paper trail" gives you an easier read on the path the animal took.

Go slow, mark every bit of blood, watch and listen for birds and coyotes.

It sure would be great if you could use a dog to follow the scent trail...... almost a guaranteed method of tracking down lost dead game.

It's rather cool out, you have a bit of time before the meat will spoil. Keep looking.

[crashtested]

look for ravens and magpies.......... they are a sure fire way to find game that you have lost.

good luck!

[whitetail Junkie]

[QUOTE=Frans;684280]First tip you have already found out for yourself: don't do neck shots!

Wish I had something more to contribute, but without a trained dog (which I guess would be illegal), you are going to have a hard time.

QUOTE]

Hunting freak,Get Jonathan out there with his big Shnoze.He will sniff out that bull with that honker of his

[hunting freaks]

haha no kidding john sniffed out his brown bear just about walked into the thing . Well im glad im not the only one whos had this happen to i cant believe it though im frigin sick .

[Tuc]

I wouldn't hesitate to take a neck shot at 30 yards, they usually drop in their tracks.
Sounds like you severned the windpipe but if this was the case, it should have dropped in its tracks.
Any chance you misssed the deck and shot it in the lungs?

[hunting freaks]

naw he came up the hill and stopped infront of a poplar tree .The only open shot I had was his neck , I aimed for the middle of his neck hoping to hit the spine must of hit the air way cause he was spraying blood that had air bubbles in it.but if thats the case wouldnt he choke himself out ?

[Rockymtnx]

Originally Posted by Tuc

I wouldn't hesitate to take a neck shot at 30 yards, they usually drop in their tracks.
Sounds like you severned the windpipe but if this was the case, it should have dropped in its tracks.
Any chance you misssed the deck and shot it in the lungs?

I am one who will not take another neck shot. There is a lot of meat in the neck area with no vitals. 5 years ago I shot a cow elk in the neck with my .300 Weatherby at 75 yards and ended up loosing her. Never again.
I personally know of 3 moose that were shot in the neck and lost too.
Why not center punch the lungs? You waste no meat other than 4 ounces from the ribs. Also one guarantee is you don't make it far with a hole through the lungs. Remember there is a reason why bow hunters shoot things through the lungs and not through the neck.

[Stop Staring at my Rack]

Keep looking, hopefully you will find it tomorrow...good luck!

[timsesink]

Keep lookig it's your legal and ethical responsibility. I'm getting sick of reading this stuff. If you shoot it through the heart it's dead every time 100% of the time. Why take the risk anywhere else? If that was the only shot then you should have waited till you had a better shot or not have taken it.

[trouty]

agreed get back out there and keep looking. Elk are by far the toughest game animal and will go miles when the adrenalin is going.

[timsesink]

Even if you don't find it, still burn your tag because you did shoot one. You just didin't recover it.

[Donny Bear]

Keep looking I wish you lots of luck use the good advice offered and ignor the self edified ethics of the perfect people.

It's not easy to loose an animal plays heavy on the heart and mind of a hunter.

[Grizzly Adams]

Originally Posted by Tuc

I wouldn't hesitate to take a neck shot at 30 yards, they usually drop in their tracks.
Sounds like you severned the windpipe but if this was the case, it should have dropped in its tracks.
Any chance you misssed the deck and shot it in the lungs?

Just curios, why would you pick an aiming point, where fractions of an inch can matter, when you have a much more sure shot in the heart lung area? I've run into a couple of animals, with the jaw shot off, cause some "marksman" "wouldn't hesitate". First elk? If our friend wasn't suffering from Buck Fever, he would be a rare exception. . Not the situation to consider an iffy shot and he sure wasn't under gunned.


Grizz

[outdoors forever]

Originally Posted by timsesink

Even if you don't find it, still burn your tag because you did shoot one. You just didin't recover it.

Are you serious about this ??? You think your tag is used even if you can't find your animal ???

Wow. Thats the first time I've heard anyone think that way........each to their own, but if I put in a solid effort to find my animal and failed, you can be sure I will be trying again to attach that tag to a hind leg.

I don't understand your logic here............

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Grizzly Adams

Just curios, why would you pick an aiming point, where fractions of an inch can matter, when you have a much more sure shot in the heart lung area? I've run into a couple of animals, with the jaw shot off, cause some "marksman" "wouldn't hesitate". First elk? If our friend wasn't suffering from Buck Fever, he would be a rare exception. . Not the situation to consider an iffy shot and he sure wasn't under gunned.


Grizz

The neck shot , next to thje Texas heart shot, is one of the most controversial shots there is !

Some people swear by it, and some swear at it.
I cannot remember the last time I intentionally aimed for the neck of an animal myself, but I must have at one time or another. I hate the neck shot myself, simply because there is way too small a vital zone in there.
To the OP, keep looking, and try to figure out on a map where the bull may have gone.
Wish I could be more help....
Cat

[Donny Bear]

Originally Posted by outdoors forever

Are you serious about this ??? You think your tag is used even if you can't find your animal ???

Wow. Thats the first time I've heard anyone think that way........each to their own, but if I put in a solid effort to find my animal and failed, you can be sure I will be trying again to attach that tag to a hind leg.

I don't understand your logic here............

I have actually done this myself. That said I was not happy with myself or the choice I made that resulted in the situation.

To try to put your personal ethics or choice out as a requirement of others is a load of crap! People make choices and then live and deal with them in thier own way and none of us should be so self righteous as to tell the other how to act or deal with a disapointment IMHO.

[timsesink]

Completely serious, the tag gives you the ability to shoot one animal for it. If you shoot it and loose it in my opinion thats your bad. Imagine the amount of animals wounded and lost and then guys shooting other animals, while fine maybe for an abundant species think about a goat hunt. A guy drops one, it falls into a deep, unreachable canyon. Should he go shootig a bunch more goats until he gets one in an accesible spot? If any guy is hunting with me and makes a stupid shot and then proceeds to go shoot something else you better belive he won't be recieving a call from me to go hunitng again. Bets of luck in finding your elk?

[redranger15]

Originally Posted by timsesink

Even if you don't find it, still burn your tag because you did shoot one. You just didin't recover it.

Maybe if your an outfitter and this guy is your camp you can call the shots. There is a chance the elk is still alive. Go out and keep looking, learn from what has happen and make better choices in the future. A lot can happen in the heat of the hunt but live and learn. Keep looking and if you don't find him, go shoot one in the lungs this time , then tag it.

[prospector]

Originally Posted by Donny Bear

Keep looking I wish you lots of luck use the good advice offered and ignor the self edified ethics of the perfect people.

It's not easy to loose an animal plays heavy on the heart and mind of a hunter.

x2

I hope you manage to find your elk.

[Pathfinder76]

Lesson learned, carry on and good luck this morning.

[whitetail Junkie]

Originally Posted by hunting freaks

haha no kidding john sniffed out his brown bear just about walked into the thing . Well im glad im not the only one whos had this happen to i cant believe it though im frigin sick .

Yaa that Boy's got quite the nose on him.He can smell charlotte baking cookies two blocks away

If you put in the time over the next few days,you'll find the bull,you wont be able to eat him,or whats left of him,but you will be able to get your 6x6 set of antlers.

When your in the bush,listen for ravans makeing lots of noise,it will almost sound like they are fighting with eachother.walk to the noise of the ravens.The ravens never Lie.Good Luck.

[209x50]

I neck shot my first bull elk. I was 14ish, the 6x6 330 bull was 80 yards away. I aimed for his lungs and cleanly broke his neck 6 inches from the back of his skull. Maybe a little buck fever...

[prospector]

If you do find some ravens and possibly the elk watch out for anything else that may have found the kill. There is one Grizz left in Alberta but he somehow gets around and could be watching over his new find... I would abandon it if there is competition!

[paul1964]

Originally Posted by hunting freaks

hey guys, I shot a bull at 9:00 am yesterday morning opener at 30 yards with a 300 win mag in the neck to bout and some how he ran for a mile bleeding everywhere there were bubbles in the blood and everything. My wife and I tracked him there was so much blood that we could walk normally and tracked him, he stopped in a few areas and bled out good and all the sudden he quit bleeding. I have no idea where he could have went weve searched ever since yesterday 9 hours to be exact hes a nice 6x6 and its my first elk im just sick if someone could give us any tips itd be nice thanks

Last year I shot a buck that someone had done a neck shot on. The shot was about one week old, large hole but the deer was walking fine and had no signs of being shot. The only time I will do a neck shot is if I am with in 100 feet and then I shoot in the back of head. with a bull or buck a heart shot is the best. Saw lots of game escape. find your last two blood spots. mark and make line. the walk a V pastern till you find next one. the continue.The same way, you will find it.

[Frans]

Originally Posted by timsesink

Completely serious, the tag gives you the ability to shoot one animal for it. If you shoot it and loose it in my opinion thats your bad.

Quite common practice around the world with guided hunting. Wounding equals killing, your tag is forfeit, and you "pays yer money" (aka trophy fee).

Frothy blood on a neck shot, I would think severed windpipe. I don't know how long an elk can live with that. Long enough to get into the next country probably. Breathing is accomplished mostly by rib and chest muscles, as long as the pipe doesn't clog with blood, he should be getting quite a bit of air in still (DISCLAIMER: completely layman's assessment of the situation).

I guess there is nothing in the regulations about a situation like this (is there?), but destroying the tag would certainly not be an improper thing to do.

[Tuc]

I don't mean to steer your thread off track here....... do keep searching.

Like it or hate it an ethical neck shot has always worked for me and several have been made over the years. Call it luck or whatever but all animals have dropped stone dead in their tracks.
I like the neck shot because you don't have to contend with bloodshot meat. If I only had 4 oz of meat ruined after a lung shot, I'd still be taking lung shots. It was never my case and many times the blood trapped inside the animal would taint good cuts of meat. It's my opinion the hamburg meat you lose from the neck, is more than equal to what you'll get back from the lungs.

WTS, I wouldn't suggest newbies start with lung shots. They need to practise and gain shooting confidence before they get too fancy, also get over that buck fever.
I don't think long shots at the neck are ethical neither. You want to have a clear, open shot, animal standing perfectly still and scope power up as far as it will go. (in my case 9x) I would suggest if there's any doubt what so ever that the shot may not be successfull, don't take it.

What works for some, doesn't always work for others.

[omega50]

You don't say where you are, but do you need a hand looking? More eyes the better.
I would absolutely help a fellow AO-er if I can.