Hit bull in shoulder

Muleys24Seven · Sep 4, 2010

Yesterday morning I took a 35 yard shot at a six 6pt bull and unfortunately the arrow was a little off target and struck him square in the front shoulder. The bull was broadside. Spent yesterday and today looking for the bull without success. The blood trail was good in the begining but then slowly disappeared.

10" of arrow and broadhead is in the bull, the rest broke off so I'm guessing I got about 12" of penetration.

Is this enough penetration to reach lung? Anybody else been in this situation...what was the result?

Any help would be appreciated...I'm sick about the thought of not finding this bull. Headed back out tomorrow to search again.

hornhunter247 · Sep 4, 2010

Stick at it! I'm hoping your shooting fixed blades as they will continue to work the whole time he's moving! But sometimes just takes a lot more work to find them! Good luck and keep us posted!

I just call em as I see em!

justr_86 · Sep 4, 2010

+1 keep after him! 12 inches of arrow and a broadhead will do him in. Was it high or low on the shoulder?

SPIRITELK · Sep 4, 2010

BEEN HERE BEFORE. BULL WENT 4 MILES. WE FOUND HIM BUT HE WAS SPOILED. FIRST GO TO A HIGH POINT ABOVE LAST BLOOD AND LOOK FOR THE BIRDS MAG PIES RAVINS AND GREY JAYS. THEY WILL SHOW YOU THE LOCATION. IF NONE ARE PRESANT IN THE DRAW OR CANYON LOOK IN THE NEXT DRAWS TO EITHER SIDE. ALSO MOST ELK WILL HEAD DOWN HILL AFTER THEY GET WEEKER FROM A HIT LIKE THIS.

mathewsman · Sep 4, 2010

What spiritelk said and I would add, to water. Find the closest water source downhill from where you lost blood.

Muleys24Seven · Sep 4, 2010

Thanks for the info. Fixed blades. The shot wasn't low or high, about right in the middle to bottom 40% of the body. I'll stick after it...to pretty of an animal to give up.

How long until birds find the carcus? This area is steep and brushy.

Gator · Sep 4, 2010

Go there in the dark also and try and hear the coyotes feeding or claiming it with calling. sometime you can hear them fighting over a kill.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".

pointblankcalls · Sep 4, 2010

I'll have to agree with Gator, I think going there in the night and listening for the coyotes may give the bull away sooner than the birds will. especially if he got into thick timber or brush. Also recruit as much help as you can the more eyes and noses the better "sometimes you can smell them". The unfortunate part is a bull with one good lung can go a heck of a long way before he goes down. Keep at it but if you don't find him don't beat yourself up to much. No matter how much preparation you put in if you hunt long enough this is going to finally happen to a person. The wild is not perfect so as long as you did everything you could you did it right.

cujo489 · Sep 4, 2010

sorry to hear...stick with it and good luck.

ADDICT · Sep 5, 2010

That sucks! Those shots make me sick because elevation was perefect, just pulled the wrong direction by an inch or two. I lost a bull last year, similar story. I shot a a mechanical though and the arrow fell out after 25 yards. The penetration was ,maybe 8" but there was no to little blood. I stayed in the area for two weeks and never heard, saw or smelled anything.

This is the #1 argument for fixed blades on bulls. If you stuck him deep, that wound will not heal and he'll get infected, sick and cease moving. I hope you find him, don't give up!

rmanwill · Sep 5, 2010

Sorry to hear. All great advice. Keep with it and good luck.

doublehaul · Sep 5, 2010

where are you hunting? state? area?

JB148 · Sep 5, 2010

Sorry to hear, great advise above, stay on him. JB

mevertsen · Sep 5, 2010

I have been thinking of this for a few days.

If I am picturing your shot right, then you hit a bit farther forward of where you wanted?

1/2 up from the brisket will put that thing smack in the center of the chest. If you are a bit forward, then you hit the leg bone, not the shoulder blade. A fixed broadhead should graze around the bone, but it would get slowed down considerably. If the arrow went back off the bone, its a dead bull with an arrow in his lungs. If the arrow went forward, I am thinking it would be muscle.

Did you have classic lung "bubbly" blood, or was it darker.

Remember the leg bone makes a > with the bottom being the humeros, and the top being the shoulder blade. The joint at the bottom would be the lower leg.

I am thinking you hit muscle clean and not arteries, or he is dead, CLOSE to last blood, and you have just gone past him.

Later,

Marcial

Gator · Sep 6, 2010

any luck finding your Bull.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".

Muleys24Seven · Sep 7, 2010

Unfortunatley I haven't found the bull yet.

Looked Sat, Sun, and last night. Did everything you guys recommended in watching for birds, listening for coyotes at dark and walking in cicle patterns. I even brought my bird dogs.

I'm stumped...the more I think about it the more I can't believe he's not close to last blood. Very little blood found when he was walking but there were multiple pools about the size of my fist when he'd stop. He never climbed much and stayed in the bottom of the canyon. He's obviously hurt bad but apparently they can go a long ways with one lung.

If I can get off work I'll head back Wed.

Thanks for the help.

BrowningRage · Sep 7, 2010

I'd try and recruit the help of other MMers... I realize that you may be scared that the antlers may get taken by somebody else... But hey, you haven't been lucky on your own yet, and on the Good Chance that an honorable sportsman happens upon it out there in the field, I think I might divulge the location... Maybe just offer the unit, then anybody who is also hunting there you could PM with specifics...
Just a suggestion- it may be a hard one to swallow though, I understand.

Good Luck to ya..!!!!

"Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!" 2 Ne. 28: 24

ADDICT · Sep 7, 2010

Bro, a bull elk can go a loooong ways with one lung! They are tough buggers. I like the water ideas. Is there a lot of water in the area? if a creek, then I would walk it for three miles in each direction. If not, check every tank with three miles. If you snuck it around the bone an clipped a lung, he's toast by now. If its superficial, he'll possibly make it and you'll never get him.

Keep us updated!

stinkystomper · Sep 7, 2010

my father made that same shot on a bull two years ago. he was shooting a mathews safari cranked up to 115lbs draw weight. he was shooting the recomended carbon arrows and the 125 gr thunderhead fixed blade broad head. only 8 inches of shaft was sticking out and they followed good dark blood all day. they peeled off in the evening to give him time to die. they went back the next day and couldnt find him. that evening they glassed his cows back up and there he was with dried blood all over his front shoulder and pushing his cows and rutting as if nothing had happened. he was barely even limping. they never did recover the arrow.

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