With many more likely working from home during these crazy, trying last few weeks, thought it would be good to spice in a little positive. So, what's your best shot on an elk? Here's mine. Took almost an hour of trying to pull a 325 bull in and I had to sneak up at least 50 yards to cut the gap and try to get him to budge from his cows. He finally started to move, but straight at me. I drew at about 40 yards when his head momentarily went behind a bush. He kept coming straight and at 30 yards he turned quartering to me and then stopped behind a bush. Felt like forever, but likely holding just under 2 minutes. He didn't like something behind me and spooked and started to move quartering away from me. I had already marked a dead spot of grass at 42 yards. It happened fast, but I stopped him with mew right at that spot (just lucky) and stuck him. Didn't make it 75 yards. One of those 11th hour kills. What's your best shot?
I would say my best shot, both with the trail camera and then with the bow happened almost simultaneously. This bull came into the wet meadow last season, and was quartering away at 18 yards. The white stick in the meadow marked 15 yards. See me in the treestand in the background. The arrow entered at the last rib on the left side, traveled through, and started to poke out on the right shoulder as can be seen in the picture; two seconds later he ran by the trail camera. The bull was down, within sight, 40 yards away.
I still think that picture is a trophy, Paul! If you haven't, get an enlargement to hang on the wall and hang near your easy chair to look at every day,
My 3rd year bowhunting I had just gotten down out of my stand mid-morning after seeing nothing. Seconds later I hear the unmistakable sound of elk moving about 100 yds away and behind a wooded knoll. I ran around the knoll just in time to see several cows and a couple young bulls disappear down a hill. I then hear another one coming from where the group had come from. I came to full draw, and a spike came bee-bopping out looking all around for the others. I stopped him broadside at 30 yds with a mouth mew and gave him one in the rib cage. He ran back the way he came and died within 40 yds. One happy bowhunter!
If I were fortunate enough to get a picture like Paul's, all my hunting buds and family would have enlarged and framed copies. That is the coolest trail cam pic I may have ever saw. I love it
I can remember threading the needle on some impressive shots on elk , but I think my best one was on my biggest bull. I remember catching him in the thick dark timber, so thick I couldn't see him coming until he was right on top of me. I could hear him walking through the timber, hear his bugle rattle my soul every time he cut loose. When I finally saw him I realized he was walking straight at me. I thought he might literally walk right over the top of me. I drew and he continued straight at me, when at the the last moment he turned broadside at the tree directly in front of me a little more than a couple arms length. He was still moving slowly but I distinctly remember putting all 7 pins on my sight in about a couple inch circle on his hide. I remember think to myself OMG, I don't even need to aim... looked at his broadside and dumped the trigger... game over! Its moments like that, that lead me to hunt traditional more often. While I've had more impressive shot with the compound at distances from 40-60... stuffing one at arms length is worth the price of admission...
I’m in with Ground Hunter & Scoot on this one. JMO, if killing the animal is more important to you than doing everything you can to ensure a truly CLEAN kill, you should grow the hell up or switch to Golf.
First (and only) bull, hunted hard for 5 days, and it was my last evening of hunting. Stopped at one more mountain literally while driving back to MO to make an evening hunt out of it. Located a Bull after 5 miles and an up&over of a mountain. Sprinted down to him, sprinting to get downwind of him when I saw him sidehilling to get to my original calling spot. He went behind a cedar and I sprinted to get as close as I could, as fast as I could. Ranged the other side at 42 yards and dialed my single pin sight in. Whenever he stepped out it was just his “triangle” showing (that their shoulder bone makes, with the heart in the center) and right on the other side of his “shoulder triangle” was where the cedar started. Probably a 7” gap? Knew it was my only opportunity as he started staring right at me halfway through the draw, sent the arrow and watched it hug tight to the cedar and drop right into the triangle. He was piled up 30 yards away
Had been following a bunch of elk for about 30 minutes trying to get in position to call and get wind right. Set up at edge of small clearing. After a few cow calls bull started running towards me. He stopped momentarily at 50 yds to bugle. He then ran directly at me skidding to stop at 6 yards. Already at full draw shot him frontal. Wheeled and ran 20 yards before pulling up. Layer bow down and raised both arms, touchdown.
Thanks for sharing your pics. Pretty cool! My best shot was 15 yards quartering away Mule buck deer and broadside bull elk at 10 yards. Both animals recover less than 30 yards
On day 9 of a 10 day hunt. After lots of ups and downs and a miss. I blew out a great bull and was mad at myself. My hunting partner told me to Man up. 15 minutes later I made a great heart shot on a nice bull !
My first P&Y bull, many moons ago. Last day of the season, and I snuck in on a nice bull and cows in the heavy spruce timber. I stopped him between two trees with a hard voice grunt, picked a spot and let fly with a little one-piece longbow my partner had made that summer. I had no idea of the distance - didn't matter because I felt the shot.
I saw the arrow hit before he bolted away in the direction of my partner. A minute later he paged me on the little walkie-talkie and asked if I'd just shot a bull. He said a nice bull just ran right up to him and stopped, and as he was drawing his recurve to shoot, it fell over. He didn't see an arrow or wound and wondered if it had a heart attack. It did, sort of.
I'd centerpunched the heart on the side facing away from him, the arrow shaft broke off on the first lunge, and the broadhead was lodged in the offside shoulder.
Later, I paced off the shot distance and it was 39 yards. Like I said, it didn't matter. I was shooting really well in competition that summer and just "knew" I would make the shot.
Best one to me was a 6x6 bull I was shadowing for quite some time - he was thrashing a tree below me in a steep draw when his cow slipped out of the draw and went by me about 15 yards. He finally quit thrashing and realized she was gone and beelined straight up the ridge at me! He blew my hat off my head with a bugle right before I drilled him at 10 yards - down inside of 30! I was shaking so bad not sure how I hit him!
Paul's camera shot would be hard to beat for originality and for the odds of it occurring. A best shot of mine also involved one of my worst shots. In 1970 hunting in Utah I shot a 4 point mule deer in the hoof ( between the dewclaws) but didn't know where I hit him as he limped off as if badly hit. I watched him bed in a stand of quakies. As 1 watched him for quite some time cattle walked up to him but then spooked off. I made the 100 yard stalk to 15 yards and angled myself at full draw for a spine shot. I carefully took aim and released. I heard the crack and a slight moan as he expired. It was then upon examination that I found that my initial broadhead had only hit between the dewclaws on his front foot and had done little or no visable physical damage (no blood at all). I thought that I was just making a finish off shot, so needless to say I felt very lucky to make that quick kill shot.
Paul's shot on camera is probably the coolest elk shot ever!
Brad's two-fer is pretty darn awesome as well!
I have shot a pile of elk, but a couple are very memorable!
My first bull elk that I shot with a Snuffer was very memorable.
I was hunting with a couple of buddies on a snowy afternoon up in a high basin up above treeline. Several bulls started firing off and Chad decided to go after a good one that had some cows in the last set of trees across the basin.
There were several bulls bugling below us so Rob and I dropped down the ridge in the timber and gave a few bugles that lit up the whole basin. We had at least 6 bulls bugling back and forth.
We dropped down further toward the closest one and ripped out another bugle. The bull bugled back and came right to us on a string. Rob and I split up about 10 yards apart and got ready.
His antlers first came into view at about 40 yards below us in the steep dark timber. A big 5x6 - definitely a shooter! As he came in, he walked straight at me, finally turning to his right at a small pine tree about 6 yards from me. He started a bugle as he turned and walked past the tree and I drew and shot him at about 5 yards as he was bugling.
The shot looked like it was in the right spot, but it looked like the arrow bounced back out as the bull crashed through a bunch of small pines and disappeared. I was worried that maybe that big 3-blade just couldn't penetrate an elk and maybe I had just wounded him.
I eased over to Rob. When I got there, I told him I didn't think I got enough penetration. He just chuckled and said that it was more than enough and pointed down the hill. Confused, I turned and looked over my shoulder.
The bull was laying just on the other side of the small pines that he had busted through after the shot with blood bubbling up on his ribs. That bull had not gone 20 yards after the shot! Rob had been in perfect position to see the whole thing but I had missed it as soon as the bull hit the pines.
The broadhead had cut through both lungs, the top of the heart and stuck in the offside shoulder and the insert had broken. The arrow had just bounced back from the impact and completely fell out after only a few of his steps.
In 2014, I shot a small 5x5 in a Colorado Wilderness Area, from 25 feet up in a treestand. I shoot a compound instinctive, and as the bull started to walk directly beneath me, I realized I'd have no shot out the back of the stand. I didn't even realize it when the string slipped from my tab, I was so focused on the top of his shoulder.
Shot was nearly straight down, entered between the spine and shoulder near the base of the neck, on his left side, and came out under the opposite "armpit". Turned out great, 70 yard recovery!
For all against the frontal shot on a bull elk! 72 lbs 480 grain arrow. DIY hunt Wyoming Called This bull in too about 5 yards hit him he went too turn and dropped in his tracks !!
I've made double lung shots, heart shots, and frontal shots. They were all great shots and short recoveries. It's always nice when you can see or hear them fall. I guess because of only a small window to shoot thru, my greatest shot was my first bull. I had maybe a 2x2 window to shoot thru. I had ranged a tree at 30 yards. Told myself if he comes in on this side of the tree, I'm using my 20. If he comes in on the other side of that tree, I'm using my 40. I stopped him on the dime with a nervous grunt and drilled him thru both lungs thru the small window using my 40 yard pin. Heard him fall. You wanna talk about some silent fist pumping. I remember my 2012 hunt like it was yesterday. I was living in HI at the time and flew back for that hunt.
I've made double lung shots, heart shots, and frontal shots. They were all great shots and short recoveries. It's always nice when you can see or hear them fall. I guess because of only a small window to shoot thru, my greatest shot was my first bull. I had maybe a 2x2 window to shoot thru. I had ranged a tree at 30 yards. Told myself if he comes in on this side of the tree, I'm using my 20. If he comes in on the other side of that tree, I'm using my 40. I stopped him on the dime with a nervous grunt and drilled him thru both lungs thru the small window using my 40 yard pin. Heard him fall. You wanna talk about some silent fist pumping. I remember my 2012 hunt like it was yesterday. I was living in HI at the time and flew back for that hunt.
Pauls pic is a unique classic. How do you beat that??!
Brads double is also tough to beat!
A solo hunt in NM back in the mid 90's was a good one for me. I called a big 'ol Gila Monster in on the 1st morning. I would have shot any 6 point bull. I was on my knees next to a bush that screened me from the bulls perspective as he approached. I could hear him coming, rolling rocks and dropping some guttural utterances, but not really bugling. I peaked over the bush as he was raking a tree at 60 yards and about peed myself. He was friggin huge!! I quickly stopped looking at him. He finished trashing the tree and continued on his course, coming in like he read the script in my head. He stopped broadside at about 11 yards. At the shot, he went over the ridge we were on and was immediately out of sight after a few steps. I ran to the ridge and looked downhill and he was already down after 50 or so yards!! Happiest next 20 hours of packing ever!!
Maybe not the BEST shot I've made, but certainly one of the easiest and most memorable....
Mine was at 155 yards. We were walking back to the truck on the Haul Road and a survey stick was near the truck which we ranged. I pulled my longbow back and let the judo point tipped arrow go. when I pulled it out of the tundra the feathers were touching near the middle of the survey stick.
Seems like bragging but these are sure fond memories for me. Mountain caribou hunt with guide Gerald Mollnar and three stickbow shooting friends. Spotted a good bull late in the afternoon and Gerald was real excited about his size. The way he wanted to do it was set up on trails below and hope he fed down by one of us. My idea was to sneak up in the rocks and shoot him. My buddy let me have the stalk and after much stress adding from Gerald to not screw it up I went. Ended up 35 yds above him and made a perfect shot. Still vivid in my mind,the flight of the arrow, the blue sky, the bright blood on his beautiful dark cape. Unbelievable feeling and relief from not screwing it up with an audience. On a Caribou hunt with good friend Kurt in Newfoundland. Lots of crappy weather and my frugal friend learned to not save too much money at the surplus store. We split up and the guides made a fire to keep warm. We had heard grunting in the spruce thickets and the guides didn’t know what it was. I figured it out and ended up stalking into a herd of caribou with a herd bull and cows and satellite bulls just like a herd of elk. Took my pants off and snuck right into the middle and watched that bull chase the smaller bulls away for maybe an hour. Kurt showed up and ended up right above me watching the show. Couldn’t get as close as I wanted but finally had a good broadside shot The arrow seemed in slow motion and arced in perfectly. I think Kurt could see the whole deal unfold and and made the a great moment even better.
My best shots are when I am in “ kill mode”. I almost don’t remember any part of the shot except the arrow just shows up at the location I m looking at. Both compound and stick bows. I won’t go into details because I don’t want to turn this into an ethical debate, But I’ve made very quick clean kills everytime I am in that mode.
49 yards, 10 ringed him, I literally couldn't have put in anywhere more perfect if I had walked the arrow over to him. Ran 30 yards and tipped over dead.
As individual as bowhunting is, is sure is better with good hunting partners / friends nearby to watch and enjoy a fine kill. Reliving the story from different vantage points seem to paint the story so much finer.
Seeing turner post reminded me of a trip to Quebec. Troy Cunningham and I watched Mike shoot a 360 bull with our buddy Kevin kneeling behind him looking thru his rangefinder. Long ways off but could see that bull pile right up. Man we’re we pumped!
Randy's shot on the Newfoundland Woodland caribou bull was a great one. Watched him take his pants and shoes off to make sure they wouldn't brush on the Tuckamore bushes when he was stalking....it was raining, almost snowing and cold. Anyway, the caribou were running around between us (I was well above him) and he finally drew the Predator recurve back and shot the big guy. The big bull ran toward me for a few yards and piled up! What a hunting show to watch...great stalk and shot!
Me and buddy were squirrel hunting with our bows, It's a ton of fun... On a bet, I pinwheeled a big squirrel dead center in the chest @ 52 yards! He was 30 feet up it a tree and I stoned him... I got breakfast and the squirrel out of the bet!
Shot lots of arrows at small game. 52 yds on a squirrel is noteworthy. Shortly after reading about ishi Ron Pittsley and I made our first trip to Wyoming. Took a term off college. Saw Ron make a great shot on a woodpecker, like Ishi we set about to eat it raw. Couldn’t get that taste out of our mouths for a couple days. Knew we weren’t Ishi.
Consider not reading the thread, especially if you have already - it's a long one. But that shot through the thistles at 15 yards popping up from my ass on the ground and firing through the thistle flowers was definitely my best. I've had a bunch of slam dunk shots that I've messed up since then...
Yeah Ike it was long but great job! Glad you reposted it as I hadn’t seen it. Yeah mike that was college I don’t think you or Ron were born yet. Pitts kept that meat in his mouth until I got a chunk in mine. He was pretty happy with that.
Buddy was separated from me and I had been cow calling loudly and often trying to locate him when a herd came toward me. I pressed back into a bushy tree and the first 5 cows went past at 25 yards before they took off. The rest of the herd turned back including the two bulls- a 4 and a big 5. I cow called for Mike again and the bull answered. The second time I spotted him he was 35 yards slightly quartered away and up hill. Trees and brush left a narrow path for the arrow. That is the exit wound under the bow and he had little 6 points. CO 10 years ago and I replay that shot often.
