Elk Down. Need Some Help!

gotthefever

Active Member
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142
My dad just shot a bull with his muzzleloader at 148 yards. After the smoke cleared we were not able to tell where, exactly, we had hit the bull. My brother watched him bed down across the canyon from us through his spotter. He traveled down hill only 250 yards after being hit and bedded in a thick quakie patch. After giving the bull 4 hours we made a plan to move in on him and try to get another shot. We bumped the bull out of his bed and lost him in the thick oak brush. There was a little blood in his bed and some foam from his mouth. I have attached pics of both. based on the small drops of foam from his mouth, and the the position of the blood relative to where his body was laying I would say the shot was toward the front quarter of the bull and possibly got a lung. From your guys's experience, what would cause the foaming? I have never seen this before. If we I can better determine what would be causing this, it would with where we spent our time looking for him. Any help would be much appreciated.

Fever

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Never seen that before but without blood in the foam I would not think the lung was hit.
That much time and that little amount of blood in his bed is discouraging but do not give up.
Look for all shaded areas in the area where the bull was headed.
If there is water close by check that as well and mark every sign of him.
Be sure to look around as well as on the ground since you may bump him again and might get another shot.
I wish you the best of luck recovering him.
Best,
Jerry
 
A bull that beds down that quick might indicate a possible paunch it. Agree with previous poster that it is unlikely a lung hit.
 
I've seen a buck spit foam and bed quickly like that. Turned out to be shot in the throat, much closer to the jaw than was originally thought. Good luck.
 
Probably has rabies!!!!!!!!!!
:) j/k never seen that before, hope you find him!
Mntman

"Hunting is where you prove yourself"


Let me guess, you drive a 1 ton with oak trees for smoke stacks, 12" lift kit and 40" tires to pull a single place lawn mower trailer?
 
I would guess a paunch shot and the foam was from the mouth. Probably from heavy labored breathing.
Once they are bumped they tend to go farther that the first run. He will travel downhill as far as he can. Follow his line of escape as far down as possible.
 
LAST EDITED ON Sep-29-13 AT 09:46PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Sep-29-13 AT 09:45?PM (MST)

Sorry dude but It was a bad shot. He is gut shot. I shot a spike elk once on the run and the bullet clipped his belly and ripped him open underneath his stomach. That bull went downhill and repeatedly bedded, getting up and moving then bedding again, over and over, until I finally found him and finished him off. He was foaming from the mouth too. My guess is the stomach acid burning his throat and causing him to salavitate.
 
I appreciate the input guys. Ive been at this game now for quite some time and have never seen anything like this.......little blood, foaming at the mouth, bedding down 200 yards from where he was shot.....anyway, sounds like it was a gut shot. Makes sense. We looked all day and could not turn him up. Back at it again tomorrow. If it is a gut shot, chances are he is holed up and living out his last hours. Got to keep on it!

I really do appreciate everyone taking the time to respond and offer helpful advice. I cant wait to post some pics of a happy ending to this very discouraging and frustrating past few days.

Fever
 
Yep from my own experience, gut shot is almost certainly what has happened. I would look in the most nasty cover you can find downhill or side hilled away from where you last seen him. He is hurt badly and will crawl into a deadfall area or large sagebrush patch and hide.
Good luck in finding him. It took me 10 hours and well into dark before I found that spike.
 
Birds and coyote(howling night) will now start pointing to his resting place.

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I have a Drahthaar, which is a wire-haired pointer bred in Germany to be a versatile hunter, including blood tracking. Every time I read one of these posts I think how valuable a network of dog guys on here would be helpful in these situations.
 
LAST EDITED ON Oct-17-13 AT 12:28PM (MST)[p]What state are you in? You need to act quickley and if legal in your state, get someone in there with a blood tracker (dog). The Drahthaar would be a good one and there are VDD-GNA members in most states.
 
148 with a muzzy ? able to post pics but can't find the elk. lovely. so glad i live in idaho........
 
BPK, I agree with you on a network. My grandfather had a wire-haired pointing griffon in the 60's. I helped him train that dog to follow game scent. And read an article at about the same time on a group in NY State that had about 20 members. The local game wardens would call them in these type of situations.

I hit a buck with a .243, high in the shoulder, about 30 years ago. I couldn't find much blood. I went back to camp and got my Brittany. I put her on the only drop of blood I could find. She seemed disinterested. I was on my hands and knees finding tracks and an occasional drop of blood. I'd forgotten about the dog. I crawled around a large granite boulder and looked up. The dog was sniffing the buck, which was dead. I'll never know if she just got down wind and smelled that buck, or if she tracked it.
 
>148 with a muzzy ? able
>to post pics but can't
>find the elk. lovely. so
>glad i live in idaho........
>

^
Another internet jack off.
 

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