Stinky meat, spoiled?

[Muley_Stalker]

All I know is you took a bad shot. Explain yourself if you're going to get butthurt about it. No need to insult me. I was trying to help not rag on you.

btw We're both on the keyboard.

 

[tjones]

In the OP he says he had to chase the bull due to a bad shot. Doesn't say he took a bad shot.

It could have been a perfectly good shot opportunity that went bad for some reason we don't know. Anyone that has hunted much has been in the same situation. Jumping to the conclusion he took a bad shot is, well, silly.

 

[Muley_Stalker]

Like I said. Just trying to help. I can only go by what he said.

 

[Southern Elk]

I hate to hear this happened, Addicting. Like someone said above, trust your nose. I won't eat anything that doesn't smell right. I ate some bad lunch meat once while I was in college. It smelled bad but had a good date on it, so I ate it anyway. That was the one and only time that I've had food poisoning and it was the sickest that I've ever been.

 

[Bambistew]

Thats a bummer. Chalk it up to a lesson learned.

There was great thread a few years ago on meat handling after the shot. https://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showthread.php?261698-Meat-Field-Care

Sucks to lose meat, especially elk meat.

 

[jabber]

I hate to hear this happened, Addicting. Like someone said above, trust your nose. I won't eat anything that doesn't smell right. I ate some bad lunch meat once while I was in college. It smelled bad but had a good date on it, so I ate it anyway. That was the one and only time that I've had food poisoning and it was the sickest that I've ever been.

Words to live by

Bummer about your elk.

 

[Addicting]

All I know is you took a bad shot. Explain yourself if you're going to get butthurt about it. No need to insult me. I was trying to help not rag on you.

btw We're both on the keyboard.

Internet arguments are dumb, I owe you no explanation for you putting different words into my statement. I saw the other day where you jumped SFC B’ arse about shooting pine squirrels and not eating them. It’s almost as if you are just hunting for some one to argue with...... Good Day!

 

[Muley_Stalker]

No, I hate to argue. Just speaking my mind. I always figure hunters aren't sensitive and can accept help. Not always the case and see it as an argument.

 

[Gr8bawana]

The problem is in your first sentence in the first post. You made a bad shot. If you've learned anything from this experience it's to never take a bad shot. I know it's hard to pass up a shot on an elk after hunting hard, but you must. Get as close as you can and put one through both lungs.

It's very easy to play "armchair quarterback" without knowing the details. The OP doesn't say where he was hunting when this occurred. He is from Michigan so perhaps he drove thousands of miles to hunt out west on his week or two of vacation time. This may have been his only opportunity to harvest an elk and took the only shot he had.
Not everyone has the luxury of waiting for the perfect shot to come around. People who live where they can pass on an elk and wait for the perfect shot because they can wait until next weekend and hunt again are very lucky.

 

[JLS]

I can think of a lot of ways where shit can go south. A sudden step, pulled the shot, misjudged the wind, bullet deflected off of an object, the list goes on and on. The OP clearly acknowledged it was a bad shot, and there really is no reason to over analyze it any further.

A shot that ended up being bad did not necessarily start off as a shot that shouldn’t have been taken.

 

[Muley_Stalker]

My only point is the heart of the problem was the bad shot. Had it been a good shot i'm sure the meat wouldn't have gone bad.

My only point is taking the shot is the most important part of the hunt. It shouldn't be taken for granite and hope for the best, because you drove a long way. I'm just saying be more careful next time. You guys covered everything else. The shot was the only part not mentioned. I don't mind taking the flak for being the one to mention it. I think it's important. I'm not looking to argue or put him down. I just thought it was worth a mention.

I'm done.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

Glad you're done ES because all your posts in the thread were completely uncalled for just like the other members have mentioned. The OP said he made a bad shot and you have no idea what he even meant by that and piled it on for no reason after everyone else merely tried to explain why the animal spoiled compared to a deer that he has plenty of experience with. The only meat I ever lost in all my years of hunting was a cow that I made a good broadside shot on at less than 125 yards one evening. She got in with a bunch of others that obliterated any sign and I didn't find her until 10AM the next morning. I lost over half the meat, most of which was on the ground side where heat couldn't dissipate properly. Shit happens sometimes even when we do everything right!

 

[Laelkhunter]

Well said Topgun. The OP posted this in an attempt to salvage the meat. The point is, if you can't help him with determining if the meat is safe to eat, then pounding on him about him making a "bad shot" is pointless, and of no use to him. He wants to know if the meat is safe to eat, otherwise I'm sure he doesn't need (or care) to be judged on his shooting ability.

 

[Jwill]

That really sucks to lose the meat. A buddy lost some elk a few years back because we didnt get the neck skinned soon enough even though it had been field dressed. This isn't directed at the OP, but I hope this experience helps to kill the hunting tv myth that it's ok to back out and leave animals in the field overnight. Sometimes you might get away with it and sometimes it's necessary, but that practice is sure to burn you sooner or later.

 

[Muley_Stalker]

Glad you're done ES because all your posts in the thread were completely uncalled for just like the other members have mentioned. The OP said he made a bad shot and you have no idea what he even meant by that and piled it on for no reason after everyone else merely tried to explain why the animal spoiled compared to a deer that he has plenty of experience with. The only meat I ever lost in all my years of hunting was a cow that I made a good broadside shot on at less than 125 yards one evening. She got in with a bunch of others that obliterated any sign and I didn't find her until 10AM the next morning. I lost over half the meat, most of which was on the ground side where heat couldn't dissipate properly. Shit happens sometimes even when we do everything right!

Short memory in your old age? I thought we were friends? This is Pete.

 

[Addicting]

Thankyou all for the support and positive advice. It is a hard and expensive lesson learned. For those of you wondering, I flubbed the shot. He was broadside in a wide open hayfield. It was my last day to hunt elk on that BMA and I had to crawl thru 2-300 yards of sage to get close enough to shoot. I was trying to get closer and the lead cow caught me. She barked and started to walk off and the other 24 were in tow. It was now or never, I got into the kneeling position and when he stopped to look back at the last spike I shot. I could see the hit and blood down his leg and he was coughing it up. Any sec he will drop I thought, but he never did. In fact he just kept going and going. I tried putting a anchor shot in him but it was way too far. I watched the herd for about a mile before they dropped into a drainage. He was trailing them but still walking fine. Blood all down his legs and still coughing up chunks. I ended up catching up to them and getting the two anchor shots to kill him. Upon exam I had shot high catching him in the lower jaw/throat on that first shot. The bullet did a lot of damage and we were surprised it didn’t kill him as parts of the round made up thru his sinuses. His lungs were heave with blood and he would of died that night from drowning. After replaying it in my head I simply flubbed the shot. Had he not been looking back it would of sailed harmlessly over his back. But because he looked back his head took the round. I practiced that distance, I have top quality equipment, and in a perfect world I would of had time to set up and 10 ring him. Reality is you can’t practice for elk fever, adrenaline, loosing your range finder, kneeling in 3-4’ sage and last day pressure 1700 miles away at a gun range. In the split seconds that I had to make a decision I over estimated the range and shot high. Had I not lost my range finder and actually ranged him I bet it would of been a lot closer than the 300 I shot for.

 

[Muley_Stalker]

Thank you for the explanation. I won't comment on the shot. Good luck next year.

 

[grandejuan]

Learn, learn, learn, learn. Lots of lessons from this thread. GJ

 

[bigskyblueman]

That really sucks to lose the meat. A buddy lost some elk a few years back because we didnt get the neck skinned soon enough even though it had been field dressed. This isn't directed at the OP, but I hope this experience helps to kill the hunting tv myth that it's ok to back out and leave animals in the field overnight. Sometimes you might get away with it and sometimes it's necessary, but that practice is sure to burn you sooner or later.

Excellent point.....Esophagus sours quickly.....

 

[480/277y]

That really sucks to lose the meat. A buddy lost some elk a few years back because we didnt get the neck skinned soon enough even though it had been field dressed. This isn't directed at the OP, but I hope this experience helps to kill the hunting tv myth that it's ok to back out and leave animals in the field overnight. Sometimes you might get away with it and sometimes it's necessary, but that practice is sure to burn you sooner or later.

Best post on thread.

Can you leave an animal out over night and still make good meat?... Maybe
But you will always make good meat when you take proper , timely care of your kills.