Contributors to this thread:
Certainly a post I hate to make: I shot a bull on 9/14 in 16D. It looked like a solid hit. He took a step as I shot.. hit a little high and back. I found the arrow broken off. If anyone finds the bull I’d be glad to pay to get it back. An outfitter I ran into had a pic of the bull.
Man that sucks. I hope you get your rack.
Guys have been finding several dead bulls in Arizona and New Mexico and posting stuff on facebook. Might be watching there as well.
Took a step and hit him high... Ummmm.
I know the feeling and it's not a good one. Sorry and hope someone with integrity finds him!
Check out the New Mexico Professional Big Game Hunting Facebook page. They have a picture of one of their clients with a bull that looks pretty similar.
Sucks. For anyone that has been bowhunting long enough, very likely you've been there. I know I have. Good luck, and I'll be on the lookout for any "found bull" posts on the internet.
That extra point behind the right dagger makes this bull really unique so if there’s a picture of him out there being held by another hunter he should be easy to identify.
I hope you find it. I was hunting NM unit 15 and found a dead bull from archery season in a thick area. I noticed the fletching. There was no chance of seeing it from any further then 5 yards away. The bowhunter would have had to follow the trail right to it. I never thought a bull elk could "disappear" like that.
I’ve killed several elk with broadheads stuck in them… Back, shoulder, even one in a cyst in a lung. Mostly still acting normal.
Could be someone else killed him and had no idea he had been shot. Tough critters.
Yeah awful feeling. I am not sure what Tom Donohue thought I was asking other than if someone found the very identifiable bull dead in the unit I would like to have him back. Hopefully the bull Is alive. The shot appeared to be a lethal hit. I understand how tough these animals are and have killed multiple Elk with a bow. Should someone find him dead in the unit I would like to be able to get him back.
I've been there with that hit and recovered but it took some time. I sure hope you can find him. Sorry man, good luck out there.
"Took a step and hit him high... Ummmm."
He said high AND back...
I am not sure what Tom Donohue thought I was asking
I'm sure most everyone on this forum got what you were asking. Most of us here just ignore what azelkhntr says - I suggest you do the same.
"I'm sure most everyone on this forum got what you were asking. Most of us here just ignore what azelkhntr says - I suggest you do the same."
Ignore, or do the opposite.
Disregard any negativity here, the vast majority of us know what you’re going through and asking. I’ll be praying that you’ll be able to put your hands on him one day if he’s dead. God bless!
OP, my first hope is the bull survived. If not, I hope someone finds him, and is willing to give the antlers to you.
I once found a large dead 6x6 bull that appeared to have been gut shot by a muzzleloader. I smelled him from my camp, which was about 400 yards away, so I followed the stench until I found him. He reeked so bad, I really didn't want to touch him, and I also didn't want any scrutiny from a game warden for having a fresh set of un-tagged antlers in camp, so I just left it alone. I asked a few muzzleloader camps nearby if any of them had failed to recover a wounded bull, but they all said "no", so I chalked it up to unfortunate crap that happens.
Good luck,
Matt
I know you hate it but unfortunately it happens with bowhunting. Good luck
Good luck and I hope you salvage the bull if he indeed died. I have been stickbow and arrow hunting close to 60 years, these kind of things happen. I have been there, on more than one occasion.
No update from OP....not looking good. Sux
The reality is that if it was fatal the odds of anyone finding it are slim. Then the odds that the finder is a Bowsiter that reads this thread are really, really slim...
Whatever the odds..................I probably would have done the same thing! Worth a shot!
I don't know about the Gila, but in the areas I've elk hunted the scavenger birds make finding a dead animal possible after a day or two. Magpies and crows, especially, make quite a racket when they are actively feeding on a carcass. Over the years, I've found numerous kill sites, and my own fatally wounded animals, by following the sounds of the birds.
I'm curious about the details of the shot and the search. Was the shot late in the evening, requiring the search to happen the following morning? How long did the OP actually search for the bull? What did the blood and the arrow look like, and how heavy was the blood trail? Was there any water nearby, if so did he search all around it?
There's a lot that can be learned by an unfortunate situation like this, if the OP is willing to share details.
Matt
After having a recent experience with a Elk shot in the gut by an arrow, luckily it was at 8 AM, and we gave the bull fours hours before we picked up the trail. The arrow was still in the bull until he expired, therefore the blood trail was very minimal, drop here drop there and we mostly followed his track for close to a mile. The search included three of us for four hours, and by God‘s grace we found him. I was literally on my hands and knees crawling looking for blood many times during before our exhausting process. The Mental and physical process of a recovery can take a toll. Most of the time when they go this far you don’t get a recovery, and we feel very fortunate.
