16D first archery hunt ups and downs

tallpine13 · Sep 15, 2016

we had an amazing hunt all in all the rut was definitely slow at the beginning and m jealous of the guys with the second tag. if anyone knows of a last second 16D tag id be interested haha. But on a serious note it was my wife first hunt and she stuck a 340-350 7x7 or 7x6 about 12" back and i know it was a fatal shot but it rained that afternoon and we tracked blood for about 200 yards.... he was really heavy but i couldn't tell if his 5th on his right side forked or was just palmated a little. On his left he had a double 4th which was awesome and it has a maxima blu carbon express arrow center punched on his left side. But if anyone turns up this bull dead in 16D id be willing to pay a finders fee because of how much it means to her. i had the whole thing on video on my go pro but the zoom is horrible on it. and she took it pretty hard and we looked for 3 days straight but couldn't turn him up and the chased a bunch of ghost stories people were telling us about finding him but thanks to a few guys out there that helped us look and that are still out there hunting and keeping their eyes open for it. i appreciate it.

12ring · Sep 16, 2016

12" back huh? How far was the shot?

tallpine13 · Sep 16, 2016

30 yards. She's only pulling 53 so we limited her to 40 yards. If your about to talk crap. She drives tacks at 40 yards and wore out 2 targets this summer. She shot more then anyone to prepare for this hunt but like all of us hunters know sh** happens sometimes. I'll have a video posted on YouTube by tomorrow.

BUGLEnmIN · Sep 16, 2016

>30 yards. She's only pulling 53
>so we limited her to
>40 yards. If your about
>to talk crap. She drives
>tacks at 40 yards and
>wore out 2 targets this
>summer. She shot more then
>anyone to prepare for this
>hunt but like all of
>us hunters know sh** happens
>sometimes. I'll have a video
>posted on YouTube by tomorrow.
>

+1 agree completely. Stuff happens,nobody is perfect seen a grown man pay $5500 to shoot a 340 bull in the gut at 35 yards, and took 3 days to track and find , another guy at 40 yards shot a 402 in the gut, lost all the meat cape , everything. Certain people on this forum think they're the how far you should shoot police. I shot my January buck at 88 yards ....... tallpine I have friends who live in the area . I'll let you know if I hear anything buddy.

MoGreen · Sep 16, 2016

It happens to us all. You and the Mrs hang in there. Good luck!

----------------------------------------------------------------
I hunt, therefore I am. Harvest the land. Taking of the fallen
lamb.

tallpine13 · Sep 17, 2016

Appreciate it guys. I can post pics of her groups that would more then likely make us all jealous.... But starring at a big ol bull at 30 yards for 20 minutes definitely will give you the shakes for the first time shooting at a big game animal

cmbbulldog · Sep 17, 2016

No need to apologize or explain... Tell her to hang in there, I bet someone finds the bull. Post on more than just this site.

tallpine13 · Sep 18, 2016

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mzPySMkysIU

Here's the YouTube link. YouTube did the auto anti shake so it messed up the view on the shot but still not bad I through it together real quick just to share. We were pulling out the afternoon of the 14th when an outfitter came up and said they found her bull he died he's up on the side of a hill showed me on my GPS about where he was which was only .75 away from the shot and one ridge over so we got our hopes up ran over there started out search just to find a bunch of four wheeler tracks on the side of the hill. Not sure if someone went in and got it or what the deal was but I know for a fact nobody was suppose to be off the road with a quad. Couple afternoons before we came up on the game warden totally buried and went back and got the truck to pull him out trying to get some good karma on our side but no luck. He also knows we were lookin and is keepin an eye out for him as well. He caught a few guys hunting in D with A tags. Trophy wise one of the best years I've seen in the gila but the rut was just super slow at the beginning they got cranked up the last 2 days I was lucky enough to call her bull in.

BUGLEnmIN · Sep 18, 2016

Bad combo , the Matthews + the expandable..... Hahaha jk man those wide cutting diameters help with far back shots , as far as the Matthews... Well it is your wife's bow haha ? seriously someone may have rapped their tag around him if that what you found.w Hy somebody would do that ? Idk. "SOME" (ILL TREAD LIGHTLY HERE) people in our great state think it's okay to take ATV where ever it fits. I know awesome places in the Gila that are so far away from anywhere an ATV is supposed to be that has a road to it.... Sucks I'm going down this weekend.. p.m. me where to look and I'll look for birds.

tallpine13 · Sep 18, 2016

She was having a bad problem torquing her bow when she first started and we finally worked it out of her but watching the video you can see she had a death grip on the bow which if she aimed 3-4" back. She would of missed a lot further right. She just got way to worked up but she's already talking about heading down to the ranch or portales and trying to get a deer in January

12ring · Sep 19, 2016

Dang man. All I did was ask how far the shot was and I I was wondering if 12" back was going to do the job still. You got all worked up over nothing. No need to prove how good she shoots. I don't give two shizz. I was only asking questions to analyze your situation. Forget I asked.

tallpine13 · Sep 20, 2016

LAST EDITED ON Sep-20-16 AT 06:38PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Sep-20-16 AT 06:37?PM (MST)

Well it definitely got the liver I've seen a lot worse shots kill elk. i just wish it was a through and through i watched the fletchings disappear in his side hoping it went all the way through but couldn't find the arrow and was only bleeding out of one side.... We had a guide tell us he saw her bull and we hit it in the ass which definitely wasn't the case i think he just wanted us off the mountain because that was one of the bulls he was hunting... the same guy said his hunter passed on a 418" bull..... had another outfitter say he found our bull and only thing we found where he pointed us out was four wheeler tracks so i am starting to think somebody went in and picked him up for themselves. sorry if i came off wrong i just take it personal because i know how hard she worked for this and i told her nothing can prepare you for the moment you get that one shot and your hearts racing and adrenaline is pumping. From the looks of it it'll be a nice dead head on the mountain for someone to take pictures of or somebody is already back home telling their fishing stories about how they killed this bull.....

Deepsix · Sep 21, 2016

Tallpine13 I have viewed this Website for many years and for the most part I find MM to be entertaining. However I have never felt compelled to post until I read your story regarding your lost bull. I have 2 motives for my post.
1. I had the first archery hunt 16D however could only hunt the first half of the hunt. Long story short my time was almost up and decided to pop a cow on my 2nd too last day at 45yds, rage hypodermic completely failed never recovered the cow.I'm not sure what your wife was shooting but it looked like a Rage to me in the video.I too saw the arrow burry itself behind the shoulder only to find the everything broken and busted a short way from the site of impact. Never again will I use a mechanical on elk although I have had success with them in the past.I feel for the first time in many years I have a excellent set up.
Matthews Halon 6 71 lbs 291 fps easton deepsix 427gr.arrow.Rage was the weak link.

2. 2nd reason. I'll be helping on the 1st 16d rifle hunt. If you like PM and if I find something I'll let you know.

So in a nutshell if anyone one out there is considering using Rage mechanical for elk (Good Luck)

nmhntr · Sep 21, 2016

My opinion is that that rage broads are insufficient for elk based on stories I have heard. Last year, My buddy found a dead bull with a rage broadhead still inside. It never opened. I'm only saying this to add another data point to the discussion.

Had another friend kill a nice bull with a rage this year. It had a giant entrance wond and bled out very fast.

leftturnabq · Sep 22, 2016

I'm another that is not a fan of Rage. I had a buddy shoot a javelina and got poor penetration. It killed the javelina, and has killed a nice bull with them, but I would never even consider them for elk.

Having said that, I have lost elk with fixed blades too. Last year I shot a bull broadside, right behind the shoulder at 30 yards...complete passthough. He stopped at 40 and I put another through him quartering away...never found him.

tallpine13 · Sep 22, 2016

LAST EDITED ON Sep-22-16 AT 09:16AM (MST)[p]I'm definitely not blaming rage. Shot placement wasn't the best. Ive killed many of elk with the rage and have never had to track over 100 yards to find my bull... I've punched through 2 shoulders with rages and everything end up just fine. My buddy this year punched through both shoulders as well. I know if the shot placement would have been better it would have been a quick recovery. With as many people that have been hunting in that area in starting to think maybe it lived but no reports of anybody seeing the bull alive either. One outfitter was actually hunting that bull and never saw it again since but I know he started hunting a different area as well. And when people say they never opened do they pull the arrow out to check? Or cut them open and see because if you pull them out they will close. I've never had one not open

Deepsix · Sep 22, 2016

The Rage broadhead I used hit bone and broke when I found my arrow it was splintered and broken. The shaft was packed half way with flesh and covered with blood. This indicates to me the shaft alone entered the elk with no broadhead. Not sure exactly where the broadhead broke but it did break. In my mind I can in-vision the broadhead traveling 291fps and stopping / breaking almost instantly on bone however the shaft deflects slightly and keeps going and enters the rib cage without a broadhead. Just my 2 cents, sounds like your broadheads work good for you. Just wanted to share my experience with Rage mechanicals.

NMBOWHNTR27 · Sep 22, 2016

I think that it has to do with shot placement 99% of the time rather than the broadhead.

NMBOWHNTR27 · Sep 22, 2016

Man I would hate to hunt with an outfitter/guide that lies like that about hitting the bull in the ass and his hunter passed on a 418" bull. What has hunting come to with this BS.

BUGLEnmIN · Sep 22, 2016

Rage sucks ...... Period hahaha. Man what a lier that's just dumb.

labby1 · Oct 6, 2016

Bad shots happen. Anyone that has killed multiple animals with a bow has made one. What to do after a bad shot is another story. A shot 12 inches back rain or no rain means you back out. It is the only option. That bull is dead 100 percent of the time and if not pushed will lay down within a few hundred yards. It may take up to 16 hours for the bull to expire but if you bump him he will go up to several miles leaving little to no blood. I do not intend my post as a rant only my 2 cents and past mistakes. Hope someone comes across your wife's bull.

Bowdeadly · Oct 6, 2016

A 418 bull dang. Not a 400 class but a 418. Must have had a laser rackulator. Clown. I laugh every time someone says they've seen a specific number of inches instead of a range like a 340 to 360 bull.

tallpine13 · Oct 8, 2016

we only followed blood for 150 yards and stopped and backed out... i know your not ranting but its not my first rodeo. and yeah I've had guys break down and say they've been chasing a bull that they guess at 382 5/8" and i just can't keep from laughing. My old man is helping a guy out on the mobility impaired hunt and they will be turning over a rock or 2 where it all went down as well so maybe luck will work out.... the outfitter i know that was spending a lot of time over there said they haven't seen that bull since.....

12ring · Oct 8, 2016

It's over bro. I personally, wouldn't be able to claim any bull found after this long. Unless the arrow was still in him. But go with what ever brings you closer on this bull wether you think someone stole it or it never died from her arrow.

tallpine13 · Oct 9, 2016

I've had closer but when i have family helping someone hunt that same area why would it hurt to keep eye out? i don't see anything wrong with that. We aren't losing sleep over it anymore but when we head up in the spring to shed hunt you can guarantee ill be up around in that area. Wont be able to pick up a dead head then though.

RabidRattleSnake1 · Oct 9, 2016

Closure not closer... might try smaller words in the future?

12ring · Oct 10, 2016

LAST EDITED ON Oct-10-16 AT 08:59AM (MST)[p]> Closure not closer... might try
>smaller words in the future?
>

You got me. I shouldn't have responded after a few beers. Couldn't spell and I came off rude. Sorry.