I still re-live this years later
Contributors to this thread:Elk
From: SteveB
02-Feb-20
SteveB's Link
Wyoming. Ground blind on water and had him at 28 yds quartering toward. Guide said to wait he’d come closer. Took a step and turned straight away and walked right out of my life. Took this at another 100 yds. Stood there for maybe 5 minutes of course.
From: Bowboy
02-Feb-20
That sucks! Was it a hard quartering towards shot?
From: Z Barebow
02-Feb-20
We have all had situations that “hurt”. That one would “REALLY HURT”.
From: LINK
02-Feb-20
Wow that looks like some flat country.
From: Treeline
02-Feb-20
Ouch! Great Bull!
From: SBH
02-Feb-20
Tremendous Bull. Thats a heartbreaker for sure. I don't blame you, that would sting
From: SteveB
02-Feb-20
Bowboy - it was makeable I thought but he wanted me to wait. That’s why I have nightmares.
From: Trophyhill
02-Feb-20
That is thee #1 factor on why I can't bring myself to hire a guide. I trust my instincts over all others when hunting. I don't care what your experience is. Even if you're right, I'm more right, even if I'm wrong ;)
From: midwest
02-Feb-20
wowzer.....huge bull!
From: goelk
02-Feb-20
oh Bummer been there done that. Still think about it after 4 years. great Memories
From: skull
02-Feb-20
Wow that’s a beauty, one time I had a guy telling me wait is coming closer on a turkey hunt, I didn’t listen, one thing I have learned, if you’re not going to shoot at it you’re never going to killed
From: goelk
02-Feb-20
just curious where do you aim on quartering forward.
From: Norseman
02-Feb-20
I feel your pain May you find some sort of peace and comfort knowing you are not alone
From: Inshart
02-Feb-20
Wow, nice bull. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, take the FIRST good shot opportunity!!! And like Trophyhill said, listen to your instincts, not what someone else is saying!
From: PECO
02-Feb-20
I understand waiting on a quartering to shot. But I would wait for him to turn, not come closer. Great bull.
From: Jaquomo
02-Feb-20
Tough to say without seeing the angle, but often guides err on the side of caution, not knowing the ability of the hunter to judge vitals and angles.
I shot this year's bull and muley at quartering-to angles. Both went down in sight. I placed the arrow in front of the front leg when it was back, got the front of the near lung and the back of the opposite lung. A little further back or more acute angle and I'd have gotten one lung and liver. Ribs are close together at that angle so you need a tuned broadhead and reasonably weighted arrow that will blow through ribs. Don't think I'd try it with a mech, and personally want them closer than 20 yards.
From: Jaquomo
02-Feb-20
PECO and I posted at the same time. I typically always wait for them to turn unless they are either going to walk over me, like this year's bull at 7 yards, or about to walk out of my life, like this year's muley buck.
From: SteveB
02-Feb-20
Funny thing is I ended up killing a nice 6x6 about 280 on last evening on the same shot but not same setup. We called it in. 28yds quartered to. Very tight to the shoulder and the Striker fixed head was up against the hide near the opposite rear quarter, amazing penetration. I use a fairly heavy arrow at about 480 but only pull 60lbs. Went 80 yds stood and fell over. But....it didn’t make up for letting this one go.
From: Grey Ghost
02-Feb-20
An old bowhunter who I respected once told me, "never pass on a makable shot hoping for a better one, because they usually never come." I've always remembered that advice, and it's proven spot on, in most of my experiences.
Matt
From: t-roy
02-Feb-20
Bummer! What a dandy bull! Funny how the missed opportunities stick with us as much as our successful ones.
From: Willieboat
02-Feb-20
Dandy bull for sure ! Ouch !!!
From: Mule Power
02-Feb-20
That even hurts me! Heck of a bull for sure.
From: PoudreCanyon
02-Feb-20
Yeah, I can’t imagine you’ll ever forget that one. Bulls like that don’t come around too often...
From: WapitiBob
02-Feb-20
Based on videos I've seen, most still shoot a quartering towards animal behind the shoulder. Guide and client should have had a conversation about shot placement.
From: Bou'bound
02-Feb-20
That’s why we hunt. To relive them all for decades until dementia sets In
If each hunt was over when it was over and only lasted as long as the brief time afield it would be a tremendous waste of time money and effort
From: altitude sick
02-Feb-20
I agree with Lou about a guide leaning towards waiting. because he doesn’t want to be responsible if the hunters possible botched the shot.
I agree with taking the first possible shot.
A solid BH and heavy arrow will help with that angle.
From: Scrappy
02-Feb-20
Scrappy's Link
Reminds me of a buck I was videoing and decided I was going to shoot, so I put the phone away, grabbed the bow. He turns and come straight towards me. He stopped and put his head up to work a licking branch and busted me.
From: Jaquomo
02-Feb-20
+1 Wapitibob. I've guided rifle hunters who shot behind the shoulder on those angles, and we lost the bulls. Seems like autopilot guides a hunter to that spot regardless of the angle.
This year on my GF's first rifle elk hunt we spent a lot of time discussing shot placement on elk photos. When presented with a quartering-to shot she made a perfect placement. She said without that discussion, she wouldn't have taken the shot
From: PECO
02-Feb-20
What would that bull score?
From: Jaquomo
02-Feb-20
I'm guessing 380 gross because his bottom half is sorta weak. My hunting partner killed one very similar but without that extra kicker, and it grossed 367.
From: SteveB
02-Feb-20
Jaquomo, we knew he was there and had him pegged at 390ish but by this video he had lost another kicker on his left side.
From: SteveB
02-Feb-20
I settled for this guy late in the hunt. I actually thought he was a different bull that was much larger but still no regrets over pulling the release. You can see all the blood on the off side rear. The arrow traveled all the way through from opposite front shoulder quartering to. The outfitter Craig Smith was excellent and has since passed away.
From: badbull
02-Feb-20
Jaq, in this situation but with him coming in and having you in his line of sight , he stops at under 20 yards, you find yourself in a staring contest, have you ever been able to draw on one like this or would you always wait him out ? I have not had good success trying to draw feeling I should wait but also feeling he's about to bolt. .........Bob
From: goelk
02-Feb-20
Jaquomo I placed the arrow in front of the front leg when it was back. guessing we are talking about nearest leg to shooter not opposite. Correct
From: Jaquomo
02-Feb-20
In a staring contest, no. Only if his head passes behind a tree and gives me a chance to draw. On this year's bull there was a good-sized tree 5 yards in front of me and he had to go around it. Gave me the chance to draw and shoot him as he came around.
Like PECO says, I'd much rather wait for them to turn. They almost always look over their shoulder as they turn. This is fairly easy to execute with a stickbow and I've shot more than a dozen like that, but not so much for sight shooters who have to draw, anchor, and organize the sight/peep, etc. Lots of stories of pin shooters unable to hold long enough during the staredown and having to let down.
When I first started hunting with a compound I blew it on a big WY bull because I forgot I could draw early and eat a sandwich while waiting for him to clear trees and walk into the shooting lane.
From: FORESTBOWS
02-Feb-20
Fred Bear would of sent it!
From: WapitiBob
02-Feb-20
As my mentor told me after my first call in, “it pretty hard to kill ‘em when you’re not at full draw.”
Get the bow drawn back, the rest is easy to deal with.
From: TXHunter
02-Feb-20
Yeah, that one would tend to stick with you....
From: Missouribreaks
02-Feb-20
Pretty easy on a quartering shot for the arrow to ride the rib cage on the outside. Even when angling away, especially of more than quartering, tuck it in behind the rib cage when possible. Hitting elk ribs at an oblique angle "may" result in planning of the broadhead along the outside of the rib cage. I have seen it happen, but not always.
From: GF
02-Feb-20
I guess I’d rather remember the one that walked away than the one that ran off poorly hit and was lost for good.
From: SteveB
03-Feb-20
Thanks everyone. Tough, but good memory for sure.
From: DonVathome
12-Feb-20
Ouch. That is a beast
From: Outdoordan
12-Feb-20
What a great bull. Must've stung.
From: KHNC
13-Feb-20
Was that bull in a LQ area or GEN area? Nice bull! If LQ, when will you have enough points to go again possibly?
From: SteveB
13-Feb-20
It was private land in a draw unit and doesn’t take that many points. Now it just takes many years because they are booked that far out. I was in the outfit’s first group of hunters after he took over the area. Anyone interested can PM me but it’s of no use....you can’t get in for about 10+ years.
From: DL
18-Feb-20
It’s always amazed me about what and how much and what our brain remembers. I can remember in detail from 50-60 years ago when the big one got away whether hunting or fishing. It seems that those are more memorable than successes.
