Hit/lost bull

[Flatlander3]

If he was bleeding out on level ground, that tells me the shot was low enough to bleeding out. I've had animals not bleeding out until the body cavity fill with blood up to the hole. If he stopped bleeding right when he went up hill, that tells me the shot it not far back and the hole is more forward, thus more in the boiler room. The blood on the ground can tell you alot. Post a couple pictures, but if he was bleeding constantly for 250 yards, not a speck here a speck there, I'd keep looking. Dark blood could mean liver, lighter blood lungs, heart.

 

[Salmonchaser]

Most of the tracking problems I’ve helped resolve occurr when folks stop tracking when the blood stops and start grid searching. Some one mentioned getting on your hands and knees, absolutely. You’re running out of time if he’s down. Go back to the last blood. Go inch by inch looking at the brush along side his last direction of travel. Heavy blood may indeed be pooling inside given the direction change but he still has a wound, still has blood on his hide. It’s amazing where they can hide when they go down. I’ve seen elk go 250 yards with their heart shot out of them, start staggering in a circle and go down under a windfall where it’s unlikely they would have been found if we hadn’t seen the animal drop. Nothing worse than going into the same area next year and walking up on some bones.
Good luck hope you find him.

 

[338win]

Someone will find a cool deadhead next fall

 

[Hammsolo]

I’d really be back tracking in my head and finding all the learning I can. It’s tough, but necessary. We’ve all been there.

One of the tough lessons I’ve learned is to slow down. Let the bull chill. Move slow, be meticulous, and have a plan.

I stalked past my first bull 30 years ago multiple times searching for him after a poor hit. I was 15 and amped… Once I knew that wasn’t going to work I grid searched loudly. He spooked and stood up at 10 yards. I dumped him. He was mortally wounded and went back to his calf strategy.

 

[utah400elk]

We are now simply looking for birds and coyotes. We spent over 10 hours looking with no luck. I spent over an hour on my hands and knees from last blood. My buddy said he was very big. My guess is that the bull was much more straight on/quartering to him. It was a 28 yard shot and he held with his 30 pin. This should have been a dead elk. Crazy what can happen once an arrow is shot. The bull initially ran straight down hill. Made it about 100 yards the. Slowed to a very slow walk with his head down. Then made the steep climb back up. There were spots of blood about every 2 feet with pools/drops the size of a volleyball. This was steady for about 200 yards then thinned out as he turned up hill.

 

[MTGamecock]

We are now simply looking for birds and coyotes. We spent over 10 hours looking with no luck. I spent over an hour on my hands and knees from last blood. My buddy said he was very big. My guess is that the bull was much more straight on/quartering to him. It was a 28 yard shot and he held with his 30 pin. This should have been a dead elk. Crazy what can happen once an arrow is shot. The bull initially ran straight down hill. Made it about 100 yards the. Slowed to a very slow walk with his head down. Then made the steep climb back up. There were spots of blood about every 2 feet with pools/drops the size of a volleyball. This was steady for about 200 yards then thinned out as he turned up hill.

Wow, that's a mystery. Volleyball sized splatters of blood for 200 yards should mean a dead elk pretty close by. I don't mean to insult your buddy's recollection of the event, but he's absolutely positively sure the elk he saw go up the steep hill is the same one he shot? Stranger things have happened.

Thanks for starting this thread. I feel bad for your friend, but I have enjoyed reading all of the suggestions and picked up some good tips from some experienced hunters.

 

[cgasner1]

Wow, that's a mystery. Volleyball sized splatters of blood for 200 yards should mean a dead elk pretty close by. I don't mean to insult your buddy's recollection of the event, but he's absolutely positively sure the elk he saw go up the steep hill is the same one he shot? Stranger things have happened.

Thanks for starting this thread. I feel bad for your friend, but I have enjoyed reading all of the suggestions and picked up some good tips from some experienced hunters.

Sometimes they will lay down for awhile and things kinda coagulate and plug up then you either bump them or they get up and wander into a he’ll hole to never been seen again leaving behind no blood

 

[perma]

We are now simply looking for birds and coyotes. We spent over 10 hours looking with no luck. I spent over an hour on my hands and knees from last blood. My buddy said he was very big. My guess is that the bull was much more straight on/quartering to him. It was a 28 yard shot and he held with his 30 pin. This should have been a dead elk. Crazy what can happen once an arrow is shot. The bull initially ran straight down hill. Made it about 100 yards the. Slowed to a very slow walk with his head down. Then made the steep climb back up. There were spots of blood about every 2 feet with pools/drops the size of a volleyball. This was steady for about 200 yards then thinned out as he turned up hill.

Well I’ll say I appreciate reading the effort you put into this. 10 hours of searching is a lot of time, and I imagine some would have given up way sooner than that. Hopefully he turns up somewhere to find closure to the story.

 

[jpcoll01]

good call watching for magpies, I had that happen on a red stag this spring in Argentina. Spent an evening and another full day tracking/grid searching after my guide insisted that we push this animal after an archery shot into the shoulder blade. I knew there was a Kudu single bevel in there cutting everything and it was only a matter of time. On day 5 we found by watching vultures, the hogs (and birds) had eaten almost all of him but we got the head.