Didn't find blood for about the first 20 yards. When we did, it was dark blood, certainly not a lung hit, and not spraying like a major arterial bleed. About 70 yards from the shot, we found a spot where it looked like she'd stopped and just stood for a bit. There was a good bit of blood that had run out and pooled. I was still hoping to see pink froth, but nope. I had to concede it was an artery hit at best. We found a tiny bit of blood sign on down into a small canyon and the trail ended at the bottom where she seemed to have crossed the gully. We crawled, sniffed, did everything we could do to find more sign, but it was dark and there were lots of elk tracks. At about 11:00 we called it and decided to come back in the morning.
We hit the trail again at first light, and followed a game trail up the other side of the canyon a little ways - found blood. The blood sign was sparse, but a drop here and there showed us where she'd gone. She never bedded down and I never got the impression from the tracks that she was stumbling or staggering, just walking steadily along. We followed the trail for a good half mile with the blood petering slowly away. The last couple of spots of blood sign was where she brushed against a branch or stepped over a log - not running/dripping anymore. Ultimately we came to a big patch of deadfall. We spent the rest of the morning examining fallen lodgepoles and every conceivable we through and around the deadfall. In the end we were reduced to just wandering around. At about 11:00, Chris called it. We just couldn't find another strand to pull on.
On our way back up, we found the arrow about 20 yards from where we'd started, near the first blood sign. It appeared to have passed through, darkish blood covering it, and had some fat smeared on the front half of the shaft. No bone fragments and a little dark hair hanging on the vanes. The blades didn't have nick.
I sure hate that we lost that cow. There is no hollower feeling than that; and I really felt bad for Chris because, although he's taken a number or elk w/ a rifle, that was his first time to ever shoot even draw a bow on an animal. I was really wanting to recover it for his sake, as well. Anyway, emotional drama aside, I'm kind of thinking it must have been a high shoulder hit that just happened to miss the big leg bones. I know elk to be exceedingly tough creatures, so I'm thinking there's a possibility she'll survive the injury.
Anyway, opinions on what you've just read? Think we could've/should've done anything different?
TBB
Terry
Good luck.
Same blood on broadhead and feathers? Arrow was still intact?
Sounds like a brisket or neck shot. That explains the blood. But it doesn't explain the noise when the arrow hit the elk.
I hit an elk high in the lungs before and recovered it in 80 yards after a very sparse blood trail. This wasn't one of those cases. That elk was in a panic run until she crashed; this one ran initially, then stopped, then walked across the next canyon. The dark hair wasn't quite as long and shaggy as you'd get on the neck or brisket, but it might have been right on the edge.
I don't know what it is, but had he not said it was a muzzy I would have guessed it was a muzzy. A friend of mine lost a bull this yr saying it was broad side good hit, blood trail went to zero. No pass thru claiming it hung up on the opposite shoulder.
He is also notorious for keeping an arrow knocked at all times dragging it through the brush and what not. Plus the constant in and out of the quiver will dull a bh.
Sometimes a neck hit will bleed more when the animal is moving downhill (head down) than when moving uphill (head up).
You don't mention if the blood trail was on one side, both sides, or both sides and in the middle of the tracks. This can be an important clue to whether the arrow passed through, and if a lung was hit (blood in middle of tracks indicates blood coming out of nose/mouth which may indicate a lung hit).
Kudos on your perseverance. Following a blood trail for a half mile, and then grid searching is not easy.
Very good information and observances that I had not thought of before. I will definitely keep this is mind.
Mike
Aaron, those pics could have come from Chris' bloodtrail. Very similar.
Thanks for the comments, guys. I figure the best thing to do now is learn as much from the situation as we can.
