Thoughts on no blood trail?

[3855WIN]

I’m not suprised you didn’t find blood. I wouldn’t expect much or any from that shot. Congrats

 

[Raisin Bran]

Great bull! Congratulations on your lucky retrieval! Without snow I believe the outcome would have been completely different.

Two words SHOT PLACEMENT.
What is the first few things that a new hunter learns in Hunters Ed? Shot placement.

We can geek out all day long on caliber, brand, grains etc but the fact of the matter remains that the low percentage of that shot resulting in a humane harvest is obvious. LOW.

Sometimes things just work out right like this story! So once again, Great Bull & Congratulations!

 

[Flatbrimmer]

Yeen find no blood cuz yeen have an exit hole. Next time you have to take a frontal shot just shoot him in the throat where itll break his neck.

 

[Salmonchaser]

Especially when talking "bullet failure" and a dead animal.

Never quite understood that either,

 

[Fire_9]

Great bull! Congratulations on your lucky retrieval! Without snow I believe the outcome would have been completely different.

Two words SHOT PLACEMENT.
What is the first few things that a new hunter learns in Hunters Ed? Shot placement.

We can geek out all day long on caliber, brand, grains etc but the fact of the matter remains that the low percentage of that shot resulting in a humane harvest is obvious. LOW.

Sometimes things just work out right like this story! So once again, Great Bull & Congratulations!

I would not consider a frontal shot a “low percentage shot”. Especially from this guy. This isn’t his first time in the elk woods…

 

[brockel]

Never quite understood that either,

People seem to miss the part about taking a second shot an hour later to finish the job. If there hadn’t been snow odds are he wouldn’t have found him to finish the deal. Odds are first shot was fatal but how long would it have taken? Fmj through the lungs is fatal too but they are going along ways before it happens

 

[Addicting]

You can kill a animal with a field point. But sometimes you have to then follow up with a broad head to the vitals. Does that mean everyone should shoot field points at animals.

 

[mtmuley]

Thats gonna be such a sexy beast.

And at hopefully 3400 fps it's gonna leave a blood trail. mtmuley

 

[mevertsen]

I understand fat/muscle closing up around the wound and along with the long neck hair absorbing some blood. I guess I was just surprised that in 100 yards or at the place he was standing when I shot there was no evidence at all of a hit. I didn't just half ass walk his tracks out I was going slow and looking hard, a pin prick on my finger would have left visible blood in the conditions I was in. I guess more than anything it's just a good reminder to follow up a shot regardless of what the evidence shows. I have shot close to 20 bulls with both archery and rifle so I am not inexperienced, but it would have been easy to assume and have a different outcome. I will do some off season testing with the Hammers and come to a conclusion about the performance of them. I try not to jump to conclusions and blame equipment/manufacturer at least until i have enough real-world experience with them.

Another thought...

Over the years reading of discouraging head neck shots because the target is so small. You likely missed a big vein on the entrance and the bullet did all the damage inside.

It's not a bullet issue, its a shot placement issue. (In regards to exactly where the bullet entered, not discouraging a frontal shot). No artery close to the entrance wound and no exit to help either. Obviously the bullet did some damage inside.

Big thick neck bull with fat and muscle to absorb and close the wound.

Nice bull BTW.

P.s. on two Hammer kills I have seen on a sheep and small deer, little to no blood on entrance, no blood on the one exit we did have, but very dead in a short distance and absolutely destroyed vitals. 243 with 70 HH at 3500 for the deer and 3006 with 153 HH at 2900, same result for the sheep. Dead inside 20 yards on 100 +/- shots.

 

[Jonesy125]

Great bull! Congratulations on your lucky retrieval! Without snow I believe the outcome would have been completely different.

Two words SHOT PLACEMENT.
What is the first few things that a new hunter learns in Hunters Ed? Shot placement.

We can geek out all day long on caliber, brand, grains etc but the fact of the matter remains that the low percentage of that shot resulting in a humane harvest is obvious. LOW.

Sometimes things just work out right like this story! So once again, Great Bull & Congratulations!

I know elk anatomy well, and I’ll respectfully disagree with you that a frontal shot is a low percentage shot. Had there not been snow I believe the outcome would have been the same. It’s a soft steep hill he ran off to where he bedded that would have still been easy to track him on. To be honest it’s a shot I would confidently take again, but that is up to each person to decide. I don’t take unethical shots, I have lost one bull in 22 years with a far back archery shot when I was 14 or 15.

 

[JLS]

I know elk anatomy well, and I’ll respectfully disagree with you that a frontal shot is a low percentage shot.

Yeah with a rifle I absolutely agree with this.

Going back to lack of blood trail, angle of the bull as it was standing, relative to the hunter can make a huge difference as to whether there is a blood trail. Elevation differences, etc.

 

[Jonesy125]

Yeah with a rifle I absolutely agree with this.

Going back to lack of blood trail, angle of the bull as it was standing, relative to the hunter can make a huge difference as to whether there is a blood trail. Elevation differences, etc.

Agreed. A lot of factors to consider for sure

 

[HandgunHunter]

You didn’t have a blood trail because you didn’t have an exit.

Hunting with handgun there are a number of times the bullet has just lodged under the off side skin. When this happens a blood trail has been minimal but they still die.

Without an exit there isn’t good flow to leave much of a blood trail.

I wouldn’t blame the bullet or the caliber for this one.

 

[JLS]

You didn’t have a blood trail because you didn’t have an exit.

Even with an exit there may not be a blood trail. Seen it.

 

[Salmonchaser]

Keeps rolling back to knowing how to track. I'm not convinced the R/P would have failed to recover his bull, his written comments have indicated he has probably tracked critters before. We have all this technology to help us shoot, I bet half the folks responding have never back tracked an animal they shot and watched go down some distance away. They simply go straight to where he fell. The physics of a high speed projectile striking flesh will leave some evidence, are you good enough to find it. Have you practiced?

 

[Jonesy125]

Keeps rolling back to knowing how to track. I'm not convinced the R/P would have failed to recover his bull, his written comments have indicated he has probably tracked critters before. We have all this technology to help us shoot, I bet half the folks responding have never back tracked an animal they shot and watched go down some distance away. They simply go straight to where he fell. The physics of a high speed projectile striking flesh will leave some evidence, are you good enough to find it. Have you practiced?

In this case I think anyone could have followed tracks through fresh snow. My dad was a bowhunter education instructor, I started helping set up and follow mock blood trails when I was 6. Of course everybody wants a blood trail you can walk a brisk pace on but it is a learned skill. Unfortunately
The tough ones are the ones you learn the most from.

 

[Irrelevant]

I'm late to the game, and have really nothing of substance to add that hasn't already been said, but I have a 300 win simply because my uncle shot a bull in the chest with it at close range and there was no blood nor no bull, so my uncle gave the gun to my grandfather as he deemed it insufficient and got himself a 375.

 

[Salmonchaser]

I'm late to the game, and have really nothing of substance to add that hasn't already been said, but I have a 300 win simply because my uncle shot a bull in the chest with it at close range and there was no blood nor no bull, so my uncle gave the gun to my grandfather as he deemed it insufficient and got himself a 375.

Pretty hard to argue with a 375. Love mine.

 

[Raisin Bran]

I would not consider a frontal shot a “low percentage shot”. Especially from this guy. This isn’t his first time in the elk woods…

Never questioned the person just called out the action! An action with cause and affect. That action in question does in fact have low odds of a successful recovery. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should…..think about it!

 

[Raisin Bran]

I know elk anatomy well, and I’ll respectfully disagree with you that a frontal shot is a low percentage shot. Had there not been snow I believe the outcome would have been the same. It’s a soft steep hill he ran off to where he bedded that would have still been easy to track him on. To be honest it’s a shot I would confidently take again, but that is up to each person to decide. I don’t take unethical shots, I have lost one bull in 22 years with a far back archery shot when I was 14 or 15.

I appreciate your conviction and intent but if you had to question “why” then maybe there in lies the answer to your own wondering.