Where would you shoot!!!
Contributors to this thread:Elk
From: Cheesehead
20-Feb-19
Where would you shoot this elk with a bow vs a rifle???
From: Ucsdryder
20-Feb-19
The BRO guys love this shot . It’s like catch and release for them because when the elk runs off they get to keep hunting!
From: drycreek
20-Feb-19
With a rifle, on the dot. With a bow, I wait for a better angle.
From: Bowboy
20-Feb-19
To small I'd pass! :)
From: Stekewood
20-Feb-19
I wouldn’t shoot with a bow. With a rifle, I’d shoot four or five inches lower than Dry Creek’s spot but his would certainly work.
From: Ucsdryder
20-Feb-19
With a rifle...
From: swampokie
20-Feb-19
Yeah id pass. Little short on those fourths. Wouldn't take this shot with a bow and would watch him run off while I was waiting on a better angle. Ahh the beauty of my struggle stick
From: Elkoholic
20-Feb-19
In my pants!
From: PoudreCanyon
20-Feb-19
Pass with a bow. With a rifle, UCSD has it right.
From: Treeline
20-Feb-19
Green spot with a rifle. Wait till he turns to leave with the bow and get a quartering away shot.
From: APauls
20-Feb-19
Straight up the centre of the on side leg in the V. Run over to the edge of the hill and watch him drop at the bottom. Take a good hour for pictures and pack uphill :)
From: TREESTANDWOLF
20-Feb-19
BOW:My skill set says wait... I'd sure hate to loose him.
Hopefully he turns a bit for me. . Rifle: Dont know, never shot one :)
From: ElkNut1
20-Feb-19
Dead bull where he stands out to 40 yards! We all love the perfect broadside shot but rare is the case it happens. Of course I also love a Frontal Shot! Seriously, that bull is toast!
ElkNut/Paul
From: Sean D.
20-Feb-19
I agree with Paul, that elk is dead!
From: cnelk
20-Feb-19
Just to the right of the green dot. Bow or rifle.
That bull is more broadside than quarter too
From: ElkNut1
20-Feb-19
Agree with Brad, I don't know how to apply a dot but to the right of the green dot 3". You miss the scapula by shooting there & catch both lungs!
ElkNut/Paul
From: Aspen Ghost
20-Feb-19
It's skylined.
From: Glunker
20-Feb-19
Can't say without knowing the yardage which is different for trad and compounds. That is not a 50 yard shot. What is sad is that there appears to be a subset of bowhunters that have wounded more bulls than they have tagged.
From: trophyhill
21-Feb-19
Agree Paul. No way I'm passing that shot with a bow! A couple options there. Rifle? What's that?
From: LUNG$HOT
21-Feb-19
I’d say this shot is doable with a bow but not a ton of room for error.
From: cnelk
21-Feb-19
I’ve seen plenty of hero pics on Bowsite with arrow shots way right of Lungshots red line.
From: Bowfreak
21-Feb-19
I believe your line is off Lung$hot. You can actually see the leg bone in front of your line.
As far as passing on this shot? NO WAY! Dead bull in my book.
From: swampokie
21-Feb-19
Aspen ghost is the winner! Safety first there could be a hiker over that ridge
From: cnelk
21-Feb-19
No there aint no hiker on the other side of the ridge. See those elk over there? If there was, theyd be looking at the hiker.
No wonder there's only a 10% success rate :)
From: wyobullshooter
21-Feb-19
It’s doable, but certainly tight. 20ish, he’s dead. Much beyond that, I’m waiting.
From: South Farm
21-Feb-19
Back when my son was 4 or so he would've told you to shoot him in the eye, or the "privates". Made me laugh at the time, but glad he grew out of it!
Anyway, top of the shoulder with a rifle and wait for him to turn with the bow.
From: LINK
21-Feb-19
I’d say anything very close or in the blue gets both lungs. I’m shooting at 40 or under and aiming at the left side of the blue circle.
From: txhunter58
21-Feb-19
I would say that on the left side of that circle you will have a dead elk soon. But even in the middle of that will go thru the back of one lung, probably the liver and exit in the guts on the right side not leaving much of a Bloodtrail unless the entry wound bleeds. I would wait for him to turn a bit with a bow.
From: Ucsdryder
21-Feb-19
An elk goes a long way with the back of a lung and guts. Link has it pretty close. Unless you’re going through the shoulder I don’t see that as a viable shot with a bow. Here’s a question...
Would you try to go through the shoulder blade with a 550grain arrow doing 275fps with a 2 blade cut on contact?
From: elkmtngear
21-Feb-19
Far forward into the V as possible with a bow at that angle.
No experience shooting elk with a rifle, I'll defer to the experts on that one !
From: Ollie
21-Feb-19
I'm not shooting unless he turns broadside or quartering away.
From: txhunter58
21-Feb-19
I would say that on the left side of that circle you will have a dead elk soon. But even in the middle of that will go thru the back of one lung, probably the liver and exit in the guts on the right side not leaving much of a Bloodtrail unless the entry wound bleeds. I would wait for him to turn a bit with a bow.
From: Jake
21-Feb-19
I'd pass unless he turns broadside or quartering away ever better.
From: LUNG$HOT
21-Feb-19
“I believe your line is off Lung$hot. You can actually see the leg bone in front of your line.“
That’s why the handle is “Lung$shot” not “Picasso”. ;^)
From: TrapperKayak
21-Feb-19
Base of the neck with rifle, with bow, no shot until it quarters away some.
From: codya
21-Feb-19
Straight up the front leg and would watch him fall (as long as I did my part)
From: cnelk
21-Feb-19
This bull only went 70yds. You can see where the arrow hit him.
From: LINK
21-Feb-19
This lungs are awfully big on an elk aren’t they cnelk. My circle is not a representation of the near side lung, it extends further back. That’s just the line I wouldn’t want to shoot behind for fear of not catching the offside lung.
From: WV Mountaineer
21-Feb-19
Paul, brad, Ohio, bowfreak, and anyone else who would send it as he stands x 2.
From: Cazador
21-Feb-19
"Would you try to go through the shoulder blade with a 550grain arrow doing 275fps with a 2 blade cut on contact?"
Don't drink the podcast kool-aid.
From: GF
21-Feb-19
For me, it’d depend on range. Big time. I’m looking at maybe 540 grains, 2-blade at about 185 feeps, so I could probably get through the meat of that shoulder with Oomph to spare, but things could go sour fast if I got into heavy bone.
One good thing... with the herd to his right, he might well turn in that direction if a guy were to refrain from talking at him.
Think I’ll replicate that shot on the 3Ds and see how my average comes out at various ranges. Like most, I’m good at remembering to practice a lot of non-Standard FAVORABLE angles, but I don’t do much with shots I’d sooner let pass by... but with the Live ones, the shots just are what they give you.
From: petedrummond
21-Feb-19
since it appears to be a mount i would give it a hamblaster.
From: LUNG$HOT
21-Feb-19
Here’s a good one that shows the bone definition in comparison to shot placement. This shot was a little more broadside than the OP photo but not much. Still got both lungs. She laid down 50 yards out and was done in no time. Would still hug that shoulder just for precaution.
From: Brun
21-Feb-19
Another example of a similar shot. This bull was even a little more quartering to, but very close [about 16 yards] and I hugged the shoulder and easily got both lungs. I personally wouldn't take this shot over about 30 yards, but the shot is there if you can make it.
From: cnelk
21-Feb-19
This bull was quartering hard to me. I slipped the arrow right by the front leg and got both lungs. You can see the entrance in front of my bow
Yep. Elk lungs are big.
From: Barty1970
22-Feb-19
"Elk lungs are big" How big would the lungs be in the average Rocky Mountain elk bull and cow?
From: Woods Walker
22-Feb-19
"I wouldn’t shoot with a bow. With a rifle, I’d shoot four or five inches lower than Dry Creek’s spot but his would certainly work."
X2
From: ELKMAN
22-Feb-19
drycreek has it right
From: WYelkhunter
22-Feb-19
That bull is not perfectly broad side. he is quartering to you. At that angle it would depend on the distance if I took the shot or not.
From: Surfbow
22-Feb-19
Dead elk. A tad lower than ucsdryder's green dot...I took this shot last fall at 22yds (not skylined though) as he moved his near leg forward to take a step.
From: Ski-Skin
08-Mar-19
Nice looking bull
From: BRI
08-Mar-19
Can't get em if you don't get one in em!!!! After 20 years on this site I've realized, there's no bad shot angle.
From: Teeton
08-Mar-19
That boy looks to be no more then 35yds, maybe closer. I put my pin just off one inch right of the v, where I'd shoot if broadside & send it.. With my setup at worst I'll have one lung and liver. Anyone ever loose a elk shot with one lung and liver? If I thought I got one lung and liver I'd wait min 90 minutes before tailing.
My worst shot was a 100% liver hit cow (I was young) waited 30 mins only. Found her laying down not able to get up. Shot her again. I think if I waited 15 mins more she been dead.
Gun at 35 yds I'd put my xhair just about where the first guy put the red dot. But I still have other options with a gun at 35.
From: TD
08-Mar-19
Can't look at a pic and a spot on the animal and say much about the shot. Some of the greatest angles will look like gut shots but were taken quartering away, perfect hits. Quartering on angles are tough. That shot is doable, straight up the leg in the "V". Tight shot, but if you can hit a softball every time at that range it's a done deal. Much farther back..... getting into one-lung no man's land.... maybe only one lung... maybe some liver, diaphragm.... might get him, depends on what gets cut..... might make for a long and depressing couple days trying to find him.... miss much forward, high or low and you're into some heavy bone. Tight shot.
A bit more quartering on.... no joy for me. Rather have him even more quartering on yet and go in front of the leg.
From: Hancock West
08-Mar-19
I don't like the angle for a bow, just asking for trouble. A good shooter with a rifle though should be able to hit that elk right at the base of the neck in front of the shoulder and drop him in his tracks.
From: RogBow
08-Mar-19
Bow no, rifle yes.
From: labguy
08-Mar-19
Entry
Entry
Exit
Exit
TD has it right. Doable, but very little margin for error. I actually was faced with this situation a couple of years back. My elk was maybe just slightly less angled than the one illustrated here. There wasn't much time, and my brain said its doable but you have to keep it tight to the shoulder. Here's a couple of pictures showing the entry and the exit. 30 yard shot, but there was no time to fiddle with the range finder (he knew I was there). In the picture you might guess the exit was guts, but it was not. That elk ran about 70 yards and was on his feet for maybe 5 seconds after the arrow went through him, so the far lung was hit. But like has been said by others, no margin for error and in this case if the entry had been just an inch further back, I can imagine a much more difficult recovery.
From: labguy
08-Mar-19
Exit
Exit
