Where would you shoot!!!
Elk
Contributors to this thread:
Where would you shoot this elk with a bow vs a rifle???
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!
With a rifle, on the dot. With a bow, I wait for a better angle.
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.
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
Pass with a bow. With a rifle, UCSD has it right.
Green spot with a rifle. Wait till he turns to leave with the bow and get a quartering away shot.
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 :)
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 :)
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
I agree with Paul, that elk is dead!
Just to the right of the green dot. Bow or rifle.
That bull is more broadside than quarter too
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
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.
Agree Paul. No way I'm passing that shot with a bow! A couple options there. Rifle? What's that?
I’d say this shot is doable with a bow but not a ton of room for error.
I’ve seen plenty of hero pics on Bowsite with arrow shots way right of Lungshots red line.
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.
Aspen ghost is the winner! Safety first there could be a hiker over that ridge
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 :)
It’s doable, but certainly tight. 20ish, he’s dead. Much beyond that, I’m waiting.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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 !
I'm not shooting unless he turns broadside or quartering away.
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.
I'd pass unless he turns broadside or quartering away ever better.
“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”. ;^)
Base of the neck with rifle, with bow, no shot until it quarters away some.
Straight up the front leg and would watch him fall (as long as I did my part)
This bull only went 70yds. You can see where the arrow hit him.
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.
Paul, brad, Ohio, bowfreak, and anyone else who would send it as he stands x 2.
"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.
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.
since it appears to be a mount i would give it a hamblaster.
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.
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.
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.
"Elk lungs are big" How big would the lungs be in the average Rocky Mountain elk bull and cow?
"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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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