Your Personal Wounding Rate- Archery Elk

[sclancy27]

I didn't fill out the survey because I think it skews the data. I had my first archery elk hunt this year and shot a nice 5x5. It was just after sunset and I didn't hear an obvious crash down the hill where he ran post-shot. I thought I had a good shot, but didn't see the impact point when it turned and ran. I've read many people's horror stories about bumping a bull and never recovering the animal, so we backed out for the night. That's a hard choice to make with the balance of meat spoilage vs bumping the animal. Fortunately, the overnight lows were mid-30s.

We hiked back in first thing the next morning. I found the spot where I hit him and there was a good blood trail leading to the bull wrapped up in a tree 70 yds from where the arrow first hit him. We got him flipped over so I could remove the ground-side quarters first to get them cooling, then pulled the rest of the meat. Got the last load back to the jeep at 9pm. The meat was all good when I butchered and packaged it. I couldn't be happier about that!

That's a long-winded response for someone who didn't even answer the survey, but the honesty of people talking about (and posting YouTube videos showing) the bad hits, mistakes, and bumping of wounded animals really helps newbs like me. It sucks, but sharing the mistakes helps some of us learn from them.

Leaving elk overnight sucks. Anecdotally, I've left a couple overnight and haven't experience meat loss other than a couple lbs around the femur bones on 1 bull. That was with daytime temps in the low 90s.

I've seen rifle shot elk get spoilage when left overnight, I think the heavy winter hair makes a big difference, and the fact that generally bullets cause way more damage that introduce more chance for spoilage.

 

[WanderWoman]

I have a 100% wounding/loss rate for elk shot with archery equipment. I consider myself a very good shot with a bow, but have learned what’s true at the range is not always so in the field.

The one and only bull I shot with archery equipment (my sixth season bow hunting—I passed up many, many shots waiting for the “perfect” one) was at 35 yards. It didn’t turn out perfect; I hit him high and watched my arrow essentially bounce out of him. I tracked him to private property and was allowed a few hours the next day to try and find him before the landowners told me it was time to go. It utterly shattered my confidence in myself and my equipment while bow hunting and I haven’t gone since. I’m aware that’s a me problem, not an archery problem, and I’m okay with it.

I have killed 13 for 13 other elk with a rifle though, two with a .30-06 and 11 with a .270. I have since decided to stick with rifle hunting although I do pull my bow out to shoot for fun sometimes.

 

[Flynarrow]

Seems like we need to revise regs . I wouldnt hate it if people were done when they drew blood. Period.

In places I have hunted in Africa.....if you draw blood you pay for the animal whether you recover or not.

 

[Flynarrow]

Have been bow hunting continually since the 1960s and taught bow Ed for over 20 years.

Effective shooting range....the distance you are SURE to hit the vitals. Novel approach it seems. I think/hope I can hit the vitals seems more prevalent these days.

Too much social media/hunting shows defending poor shot choices....how many are wounded for the one they have on video?

Unfortunately a lot of bowhunters lack skills in determining the appropriate post-shot followup. Stress using high visibility fletching so you can see exactly where/angle/what penetration you got in the fraction of a second as the arrow enters the animal. Depending on that info, followup decision time. Have found gut shot animals within 40 yards of being shot because 1) didn't go look for blood but rather quietly retreated, 2) waited 8 hours or more to go look. How many bowhunters are doing that?

In my sunset years of bowhunting, I lament what I and others are finding in archery wounding loss. I am increasingly embarrassed to be part of it. It won't happen, but how about requiring each archery elk hunter limited to 3 arrows with their ALS stuck on it with an E (for elk). When you are out of these 3 arrows you go home for the season?

 

[Fred Rogers]

Shot a half a dozen and recovered 5 of them. The 6th one died I am certain. Poor circumstances (bad shot, rain washed away blood, etc etc).

 

[wolfpup]

My wound rate with my bow is the same as my brother in law's wound rate with a rifle. He is from Oklahoma where many many were taught to shoot right into the shoulder on a whitetail to anchor it. He sent 2 shots from a .300 Win Mag through a bull shoulder never to be recovered.

Maybe the rule should be no whitetail hunters should also hunt elk? Just to stir the pot!

The lesson he learned with a rifle is to shoot for vitals. The lesson I learned with my bow is to shoot for vitals. Pretty simple, human error sucks, but it happens!

 

[Forkyfinder]

My wound rate with my bow is the same as my brother in law's wound rate with a rifle. He is from Oklahoma where many many were taught to shoot right into the shoulder on a whitetail to anchor it. He sent 2 shots from a .300 Win Mag through a bull shoulder never to be recovered.

Maybe the rule should be no whitetail hunters should also hunt elk? Just to stir the pot!

The lesson he learned with a rifle is to shoot for vitals. The lesson I learned with my bow is to shoot for vitals. Pretty simple, human error sucks, but it happens!

Impossible. I thought that if it said magnum it was close to an rpg.