Just how much blood can an elk lose??

[bigcreekmetal]

Today I shot a bull at 40 yards. The arrow went completely through the animal. The herd (8 animals) took off across the draw and up and over the adjacent hill which was pretty tall and steep. The bull I hit followed them but couldnt keep up and was lagging behind by a couple hundred yards. I watched him walk 400 yards until he disappeared over the top of the saddle. I was surprised he made it to the top the way he was walking and stopping. The arrow was covered tip to tip in blood. There was a large pool of blood right where I shot him and the trail of blood going all the way up the hill was incredible. I mean big gobs of blood and a continuous trail of it. The grass and sagebrush was also painted in blood along the trail where he walked. Everything was bloody waist high on me.
Well towards the top the trail of blood became less but still alot of blood on the brush and alot of large spots of blood. Once he hit the top and started downhill the trail of blood went for about 75 yards and completely disappeared. I could find blood on plants that he brushed against for another 20 yards or so but then all was gone. It seemed the wound completely closed up. I followed the herds tracks about a mile before they disappeared but I couldnt find that bull anywhere. Once they dropped over that saddle there is not much cover to hide in but I walked all the side ravines and checked all the brush patches for 5 hours and I couldnt find a darn thing. No blood, no bull.
So my question is how much dang blood can a bull lose and still survive? I mean it was a ton of blood this guy dropped but he kept on trucking, I couldnt believe it. Im also wondering where I may have hit him to make him bleed that much but still be able to climb that hill and walk a long ways after that to disappear.
What do you guys think? Although this isnt the first one Ive shot with a bow it is the first one that has gotten away and it really sucks the big one.

 

[hangfire]

From what you describe sounds like a liver hit? All I can think is something plugged the holes? Maybe chunks of liver? From my knowledge a liver hit bull will bleed good at first then dry up. What type of blood was you seeing on the ground? Bright red blood? If the bull is fatally wounded he might pull out from the heard and bed down. Look around some of the thicker stuff off the beaten path, good luck in finding your bull!

 

[anadavid25]

You would be amazed at what kind of cover these critters can just disappear in.
That bull can hide or die in three or four foot tall sagebrush and you could walk within feet of him and never see him, unless you are on a horse.
Sounds like you hit him good enough to nearly bleed him out, but these animals are incredibly tough. If he can breath normally, and his heart doesnt give out he could go for a good long ways. I would go back to the very last spot of blood you can find. Mark it, then zig zag downhill at an angle to where the rest of elk went to. I know from experience a bull will try to reaquire his girls and try his hardest to go where they went. But if he his fatally hit, and hurting, he will slowly descend while still heading in the general direction of his girls, until he is tuckered out and will stop to bed down. At that point he is as good as dead, unless pushed from his bed before he is to weak to get up. Look at any and all cover you can walk thru that is waist high or better. If you have any kind of water near that spot and downhill. Cover every inch of ground down to it. If he is gut shot, he will head for that water eventually to sate his thirst.

Dont give up on him. That much blood usually means a good solid hit on him. You might have to spend all day just walking back and forth, and mark with tape or something areas where you have looked so you dont cover the same ground twice.

I have found bull elk 2 to 3 miles from where I have hit them.

Good luck in finding him and keep us posted.

David.

 

[WapitiBob]

Liver

 

[Lv2hnt]

As to your first question about blood loss, years ago I learned an elk cannot survive if it loses 30% of its blood. That addresses only blood loss, not wound location (eg. liver, etc.).

Many have already encouraged you NOT to give up. Along those lines, 15 years ago I stumbled on an incredible bull that died from an arrow placed aft of the lungs. The bull died only 1/2 mile from where the shot was taken (as the crow flies, though the bull's path was roundabout). The hunter gave up on the tracking job too quickly.

We don't always have everything go exactly as we wish it would. Don't sell this bull short (he deserves your best effort!). Get back out there --- wishing you the best with your tracking ...

Lv2hnt
"Every man dies --- not every man really lives."

 

[elkassassin]

They can Lose it all & keep right on a going!

KEEP LOOKING FOR HIM!

I don't care if it costs you your Job or a Divorce!

You can smooth them things out Later!




Founder just Banned My Signature!
Hang in there!
I'm working on another one!

 

[Wailing4Wapiti]

Not sure where you are, but if legal, take a dog with you. A beagle or other hound will follow a blood/scent trail right to your bull. Some say horses will do the same.

Some states will allow you to use a dog if you don't have a weapon on you. Others call it a violation no matter what. (Stupid regulation IMO as finding and animal should be the highest priority after a shot.)

I watched a pair of my beagles find a deer a guy shot 14 years ago. At one point the guy thought they were on a wild chase because he was still on blood and they were behind him and 100 yards off to the side. Then I found blood where they were. His buck had taken a side trip that he hadn't found. A mile later we found his buck under a cedar tree. No way would we have ever found that deer without the dogs.

Good luck. From what you describe, the bull is dead someplace. However, I have seen them bleed an incredible amount and then seen them again a few days later.

 

[BenHuntn]

Just remember blood loss on the outside of the elk is only part of the blood loss. They bleed internally much more.

 

[wildwilderness]

There will be plenty of magpies and crows around if he died. Keep a lookout for them. I found a buck for a friend that way, and a bull another hunter had gut shot as well.

 

[bowhunt]

If he lives over night, he will head towards water.
He is dead now.

 

[BLooDTRaCKeR]

I shot at a bull, missed, hit a rock behind the bull, bounced back and entered the inside of his hind leg, right in the artery. This bull went all day. I gave up, came back the next day and got back on the trail. He went another 500 yards from where I left off the day before and piled up. My bull probably only traveled about a mile before he bled out. I think what slowed him down was the fact that he met back up with his herd and mingled with them for the night. Keep looking. Head in the general/predominate direction the bull was going when you lost the trail. You will be surprised how far an animal will go on a non-vital shot.

 

[elkmtngear]

LAST EDITED ON Sep-04-13 AT 08:25AM (MST)[p]If he went 400 yds he was probably liver hit. How long did you wait before tracking? I hope it was at least 3 hours.

If an elk is bumped, he can lose a ton of blood and keep going.




Best of Luck,
Jeff (MM Sponsor)
http://www.elkmtngear.com

 

[Gator]

Have you found him yet.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]

 

[shotgun1]

You should of backed up and took the shot from 100 yards because nobody ever wounds and loses animals at that range.

 

[kzkammo]

Just wondering the same thing. Where's it at, I really hope there was more recovery effort made.

 

[bigcreekmetal]

Well I went back and looked and looked and couldnt find jack squat. I didnt wait 3 hours to start looking after that shot it was closer to an hour. I thought with the amount of blood it lost an hour would have been sufficient. Maybe not. One thing about it though is like I said before there isnt much cover at all so if I were to bump that bull I should have seen him jump up and take off. The wind was in my favor while tracking him so he didnt smell me out. Im going to go back in a few days when Im done with work and look for birds and see if I can sniff anything out. The meat is long ruined by now which is real unfortunate because it was a meat bull to begin with. He was a 2x2. Had some tall spike x 2's but you dont shoot something like that for the horns. Ill keep you posted.

 

[hindquarters]

Really helpful post Sotgun1, really helpful! Have you ever missed or not recovered an animal? Oh wait let me guess you are perfect. I don't see you posting anything about rifle hunters taking 1000 yard shots, guess that is ok? None of your posts are positive, whats eating you? If you cant find any good here on MM maybe you should stop chiming in!

 

[shotgun1]

Sorry HQ, I just think it's pretty damn funny over the last few years of the kids bragging and posting pictures of 100+ yard archery kills, then when questioned about their shot choice, all of them claim they've never missed or wounded and lost an animal. So I'm just assuming that 100 yard shots are easy. It's only the chumps who actually sneak in close and take the 30-40 yard shots that are missing and wounding game.

There's a lot of shooters these days, not many hunters. Rifle hunters included.

 

[hindquarters]

Shotgun1
I Agree that some of these people who claim to never miss at 100+ are full of poop. Sorry for laying into you.

+1 on the "There's a lot of shooters these days, not many hunters. Rifle hunters included."

 

[anadavid25]

Hey man, sorry to hear that you have not found him yet.
But I will tell you this, there is a big difference between a mature bull and a small rag as to how they will react to being shot. I thought we were talking about a mature bull here.
So now, you must change tactics. That little guy very well could have been disorientated after so much blood loss, and circled back behind his line of travel. If he couldnt keep up with his momma, he would of been "lost". Like a little kid in the woods. I would now look for him, downhill and behind his first line of travel. If he topped that hill with a fatal wound, he likely turned straight downhill and to the opposite side of where you were at when you hit him.
Expand your search area more.
The other option is to assume he lived and rejoined his herd. That is very possible at this point as well.

Personally, I would move on at this point and go try for another elk. You have done everything any ethical hunter could ask for to find your animal. By now he is surely spoiled if you do find him. So let the critters have him. Nothing is wasted out there, so dont feel to badly about moving on.

Good luck.

 

[bigcreekmetal]

>Hey man, sorry to hear that
>you have not found him
>yet.
>But I will tell you this,
>there is a big difference
>between a mature bull and
>a small rag as to
>how they will react to
>being shot. I thought we
>were talking about a mature
>bull here.
>So now, you must change tactics.
>That little guy very well
>could have been disorientated after
>so much blood loss, and
>circled back behind his line
>of travel. If he couldnt
>keep up with his momma,
>he would of been "lost".
>Like a little kid in
>the woods. I would now
>look for him, downhill and
>behind his first line of
>travel. If he topped that
>hill with a fatal wound,
>he likely turned straight downhill
>and to the opposite side
>of where you were at
>when you hit him.
>Expand your search area more.
>The other option is to assume
>he lived and rejoined his
>herd. That is very possible
>at this point as well.
>
>
>Personally, I would move on at
>this point and go try
>for another elk. You have
>done everything any ethical hunter
>could ask for to find
>your animal. By now he
>is surely spoiled if you
>do find him. So let
>the critters have him. Nothing
>is wasted out there, so
>dont feel to badly about
>moving on.
>
>Good luck.
>
Ya thanks for the post. Somebody else I was talking to said the same thing. Nobody likes wounding a big animal like that but if it is to get away and die there are plenty of birds and coyotes and other critters that would be grateful.

 

[B-flat]

Personally,if you know it’s dead,then you should burn your tag for this year. You killed your elk,even though you didn’t bring it home. Some states have a law about this.

 

[nfh]

Personally,if you know it’s dead,then you should burn your tag for this year. You killed your elk,even though you didn’t bring it home. Some states have a law about this.

this post is from 2013

 

[Soj51hopeful]

Nothing like helpful advice a decade late.

 

[BLooDTRaCKeR]

Personally,if you know it’s dead,then you should burn your tag for this year. You killed your elk,even though you didn’t bring it home. Some states have a law about this.

shot in 2013.
Burn 2023’s tag to the ground?!

 

[travishunter3006]

Personally,if you know it’s dead,then you should burn your tag for this year. You killed your elk,even though you didn’t bring it home. Some states have a law about this.

No they don’t. Don’t run your mouth unless you can post proof of your dumbassery

 

[Danny_Ocean]

Old post but Alaska unit 2 black bear . You draw blood hunt is over!

 

[Bearpaws]

The more blood they loose the better, makes it easier to trail them and thats a good thing. Some deers can be stubborn.