Your Personal Wounding Rate- Archery Elk

[hank4elk]

Never hunted elk with a bow.
Shot a nice 4x4 buck in MT in 1978. Baer recurve. 20 yards,broadside.
Sunset in a snow storm. Lost blood & tracks after 100 yards. Soaked,I came back in morning and found it 20 yards further. Lost half the meat and was so mad at myself I quit big game bow hunting.
My Pearson straight bow and the Baer were stolen off the passenger seat on my last move trip to NM in Barstow. I should have locked it when I hit the head.
Never lost a rifle hit big game animal. Eaten a few tags tho. Always lock my truck now.
Life lessons.

 

[Borny1]

Does FWP put in an allowance for game not found when determining tag numbers? It definitely happens, so I wonder if they compensate for it.

 

[Archer86]

Looks like a bunch rifle hunters finding things to complain about before the season opens...... new stage of the off season.

season ends everyone is anxious for the draws. Then it moves to western state residents are greedy with the tags when they dont draw or resident are mad they give out to many nr tags and thats why they didnt draw. Then alittle excitement from those who drew tags and now rifle hunters complain about archers some how someone has to start a thread about rifle hunters when archery is over and the circle will be almost complete......

 

[ismith]

I agree. There would at least be a lot less losers posting about wounding an animal on social media, which would be better for the hobby.

Also, force people to put some sort of identification on their arrows. At least if a carcass was found with an arrow in it they would know who shot it, and if they knew the guy shot another elk (probably posted it on social media), they’d have some enforcement. Wouldn’t always work but might make guys think about questionable shots.

I could definitely see requiring bowhunters to have their ALS numbers on their arrows as reasonable. If a dead critter is found with an arrow stuck in it like this doe and the ALS holder filled that tag on something else a fine might be in order, or a year without hunting.

 

[cgasner1]

Looks like a bunch rifle hunters finding things to complain about before the season opens...... new stage of the off season.

season ends everyone is anxious for the draws. Then it moves to western state residents are greedy with the tags when they dont draw or resident are mad they give out to many nr tags and thats why they didnt draw. Then alittle excitement from those who drew tags and now rifle hunters complain about archers some how someone has to start a thread about rifle hunters when archery is over and the circle will be almost complete......

I’ve only ever killed one bull with a rifle because I drew a le tag. Ive killed a pile with my bow and feel like some of those ideas would be a great thing to help get some accountability into this.

 

[nastynate]

To answer question, well I've only had one elk tag, drew back twice, but never shot an arrow. So I'm 0/0

But this is a bit of a digression on this post but relevant. Lots of things go into a hunt being good and memorable. Be it species, camaraderie, landscape/location, hunting style, the meals afterwards, etc. But for me, doing my part on the shot is huge. For example, I look back on a antelope I gut shot (rifle hunt). It walked 20 yards, bedded, and I got a follow up shot quickly enough. Easy recovery, delicious meat. Great landscape, great stalk, great friend along for the ride. But it still bugs me that I biffed the shot. And yeah, the set up wasn't perfect and upon reflection I still wish I hadn't pulled the trigger (at that exact moment at least). Point is, for me, making a great shot (I.e. responsible) is very much in my control with use of discretion, and that influences my memories of the hunt. I'm keeping the front of my mind on my second ever elk tag, which is coming up soon.

 

[Irrelevant]

50 $*)Q!#@$ percent. Which is why I don't archery hunt anymore. It started as zero percent, then the last 3 elk weren't recovered and I stopped. It might be ethical for some people, but not for me.

 

[cgasner1]

I’ve heard that 90% of hunters take 10% of game. I think that a lot of things can be shown from those numbers. People learn how to put them self into positions for a shot and learn how to put themself into positions for a high success shots later with experience. Not to sound arrogant but I’d bet a lot of the 20% and up people have only taken a couple animals with a bow so their numbers are higher. If they learn and evolve into better hunters that number would drop for them.

 

[Archer86]

I’ve only ever killed one bull with a rifle because I drew a le tag. Ive killed a pile with my bow and feel like some of those ideas would be a great thing to help get some accountability into this.

Yeah some wouldn't be a bad idea but where does it stop.

Imagine the crying if they start putting range limits on rifle hunters? Wounding loss isn't new or something that just started it's just seen more with all you guys sitting on Facebook all day watching what everyone else is doing Instead of hunting.

There have always been hunters doing unethical things call them out all together idiot hunters come from all weapon groups to call out just archers or rifle hunters is dumb to me.

 

[bigsky2]

It’s probably too small of a sample size, but it is interesting that so far it looks like people either have a really low wounding rate or really high and there’s not much in between. I would have guessed the results would be more linear.

 

[The Hedgehog]

I wonder if the wounding rate is inversely proportional to those in the 100 yard club.

 

[cgasner1]

Yeah some wouldn't be a bad idea but where does it stop.

Imagine the crying if they start putting range limits on rifle hunters? Wounding loss isn't new or something that just started it's just seen more with all you guys sitting on Facebook all day watching what everyone else is doing Instead of hunting.

There have always been hunters doing unethical things call them out all together idiot hunters come from all weapon groups to call out just archers or rifle hunters is dumb to me.

It’s kinda fun how far you missed the boat on most of this. The guy that started this thread may rifle hunt a little bit he is more involved in archery here than you know. A lot of people on here this is the only social media they have. I don’t have Facebook or any of that other stuff. Threads like this get started as a guy was telling me this morning he didn’t have time to range a bull so he drew and was guessing 90 while at full draw his cousin told him it was 130 so he held high and sailed a arrow under the legs.

 

[Archer86]

It’s kinda fun how far you missed the boat on most of this. The guy that started this thread may rifle hunt a little bit he is more involved in archery here than you know. A lot of people on here this is the only social media they have. I don’t have Facebook or any of that other stuff. Threads like this get started as a guy was telling me this morning he didn’t have time to range a bull so he drew and was guessing 90 while at full draw his cousin told him it was 130 so he held high and sailed a arrow under the legs.

Haha look at all the pictures of the archery wounded animals that have been posted on here on the last couple threads attacking archery hunters they are not coming from hunttalk posts. You can see it in other threads as well tons of people on here screen shot Facebook post more have it on here then you think.

The guy that held and sailed an arrow is a idiot and not a example of all archery hunters I think most would agree no different then the dip shit rifle hunters that sailed a bullet well over a 1000 yards at buck that went whizzing over our head last rifle season and you hear about that regularly doesnt mean thats all rifle hunters again idiots come in all shapes and sizes

 

[The Hedgehog]

I'm highly qualified to ridicule the bowuppities and used to wear a traditional bowhunters of MT cap everywhere I went, especially when hunting with a 300 Magnum. If there were awards/medals for hunting feelings, I'd be a highly decorated.

 

[SaskHunter]

Can't wound a bull if you've never flung an arrow at one!

 

[The Hedgehog]

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

 

[The Hedgehog]

#sendit

 

[The Hedgehog]

 

[NDFB35]

100% on archery animals that's I've hit. Rifle and muzzleloader is a different story, but I'm probably still over 95%.

 

[EKYHunter]

I’m 100% on elk, released 2 arrows and have killed 2 elk so small sample size. Wounding shots happen. I’ve had it happen with deer, and it makes me sick. I’d rather have not had the opportunity than to have wounded an animal. I’ve killed a bunch of deer with a rifle/slug gun and never lost one. I’ve also killed 2 elk with a rifle and never lost one or made a wounding shot.