Yesterday evening a buddy and I were working a gooooood bull, but got interupted by a smaller rag bull with all the cows. (i couldn't believe he had all the women) anyways he presented me with a 20 yard shot after an intense stairdown and i let him have it. It was dark when i found blood and we looked until 10:30 last night before we gave up. Hard to find where he went in the dark. Got a pretty good idea where he is so I'll find him today. I feel really good about the shot and there was plenty of blood. I will try and get a pic on here when i find him.
while i was having a standoff with the bull my buddy (who i thougt was only 10yds away) was having one of his own with a cougar on the edge of the field. I thougt he'd seen a ghost when we hooked back up. 2nd time that's happened to him. I drempt of bull elk last night he probably got ate by a cat.

Congratulations, sort-of. I know how hard it can be to leave your animal out there all night! Makes for a very long sleepless night waiting for daylight!
Looking forward to the pics! And the relief you will feel............

Is it just me or is it taking a long time to get that Elk out???

Looking forward to the pictures and information still............

glowball

Tell us you didn't loose that elk!

uuuuummmhhhhh......I AM thinking good thoughts for you fella! Any news?

Glowball,

I've been in your situation before. I hope you find , or have your bull. I lost mine after tracking for 6 hours total. Have also been tracked by cougar, but never a face-to-face situation.
I'm goin' out tonight 'til next Thursday. Dreamin' of the woods, family, many animal sightings and, meat in the freezer.

Good luck to all!!

Hate to say it but after 16 hours of searching the western washington brush sucked in my bull and did not kick him out. My buddy stuck one tonight right before dark marked the spot and we're gonna give this one plenty of time to die.
I just got back to comp sorry to delay the inevitable.
kris

Well........
atleast that cat will eat good.

So are you still hunting,or do you consider your tag filled this year?

Hey Glowball, just my personal opinion but from 1 bow hunter to another, please keep these posts about wounded animals off the internet where anyone can read them, hunters have enough problems with image (especially archers) from the anti-hunting crowd and we don't need you giving them more material. I wasn't going to say anything but now that you have to tell us about another wounded 1 your looking for, well I had to say something, wise up pal.

Pittsville

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anyways he presented me with a 20 yard shot after an intense stairdown and i let him have it.

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I feel really good about the shot and there was plenty of blood.

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It was dark when i found blood

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. My buddy stuck one tonight right before dark

Let me get this straight...

You made a 20 yard shot that you felt "Really Good" , PLENTY of blood. I'm curious as to what time you made this shot if it was only 20 yards away and you couldn't find a blood trail until after dark?

Then to top it off, you "GAVE UP" on this one and your buddy "STICKS" another one "RIGHT BEFORE DARK" .

As sportsmen we should only be taking ethical shots at these animals. NOT "sticking" animals at 0:DARK THIRTY and hoping we find them tomorrow.

What a shame...two wounded/wasted elk.

I'm with AkKings on this one. Do us hunters a favor and keep this info to yourself.

Camo

Glowball,

Sorry to hear about the loss of the elk. If you hunt enough, at some time, you will probably lose an animal. Bummer. I've lost a few ducks.

I hunt with a muzzleloader or modern rifle (shotgun w/ slug barrel) for elk because I don't have the time to dedicate to becoming a good enough archer for my taste. I have yet to shoot an elk at further than 35 yards, and that is with a firearm.

Two of the elk I have taken have had broadheads stuck in them, up high in the body cavity, but all they got was muscle. The elk had blood all over them, but were still getting along just fine.

Before you think this is a slam on archers, I helped a buddy butcher an elk a few years ago. While we were separating the front shoulder we hit a big old puss pocket, and out drops a flattened Maxiball.

It happens. Learn from the experience. Make sure you incorporate the lessons learned from this into your hunting style in the future. I would also notch your tag and bow out of the season. If I down a duck and me or the dog can't find it, we count it as part of the limit.

Andy

Well said and good points gentlemen.

I use to think most archers sucked. My neighbor one year stuck a bull, buck and a bear a never recovered one. My best friend is an archer and use to own a archery company. I know most are good people who spent time shooting their bows. My neighbor did every day for a month straight. Then a couple years ago I nailed a BIG buck at 50 yards with my .3006. I shoot Federal High Energy 180 grain TBBC. The energy at that range is around 3000 foot lbs. More then enough to knock down anything. I tracked that great blood trail for over a mile and half. AFTER I let 25 minutes pass. Blood was dark and foamy. A Heart and lunger shot. It was a week later when I recovered the horns on that beast. I had to stop tracking when I lost my blood trail in the rain. Even my heat tracker failed.I spent a full week kicking myself. When I found the what was left of the deer, the shot was right through the boiler room. It was still two hundred yards past my last marker tape. But the price we Western WA hunters pay is THICK brush and rain. So even us rifle hunters lose a few. And even me at that. Someone who shoots a 1.5 inch group at 200 yards on a normal day. And can shoot deer at 288 yards off hand one shot drop shots.

I found blood right away at around 7pm then left and when i come back with my buddy it was dark. We found my buddies bull within 10 minutes after we went back out. And as far as the mine went it was found thenest day by another hunter 600 yards away from where we were looking (by another hunter) with a cougar perched on top. He shot the cat with his bow and is now getting a rug made.
If you want to sit there and preach ethics to me save your breath.
Camo: two days later my buddy shot his elk. I don't live on this thing like some people. I'm sorry you are so perfect and have never lost anything in your life. Well I don't feel at all good about it and quit acting like it ain't a big deal to me cause it is.

Hey Glowball, I've got to kind of side with Camo and AKKings on this one. Being a bowhunter
myself, I realize the importance of being extra careful on the shot and also the time. I had a buddy that got a huge fine for drawing back on an Elk 5 minutes after legal hunting time.
It was great that you got the one Elk, But I'd keep the bragging rights to the ones you can put your tag on. PETA does use this stuff against us. As for me, I'd like to keep my right to Bow Hunt

get a grip guy that does nothing but give us bowhunters a bad name.think a little.

last year was my first experience at tracking. I shot a bull with my muzzleloader and he didn't even let all 4 knees hit the ground, it was also getting dark, i called my guru, he said go to town, get 2 flashlights and LOT'S of batteries, track all night, its easier to track wet blood at night if it's dry out, than in the daytime. Boy was he right, the flashlite reflects off the blood like a reflector. besides, your not trying to sprint anyway, 3 hours later, found the 3 point bull. stayed up all night/next morning getting him out. Moral is, don't go home and dream (worked for me, but i'm no expert.) :p

YOu can sure tell by all the reprimanding that we live in WA.

I have been with some of the best hunters in the world and if they have a good shot and there is enough light, they make the shot... they are not looking at their watch ready to check out on the time clock.

Now, I'm not advocating breaking the law... far from it. But come on... Anyway... new subject... some of you might be interested.

I am a Pastor in Tacoma (hint my user name) and we are putting on for the first time a Sportsman's Banquet. I have some excellent fishing guides coming and we will have some displays and some clinics... But for all of you bowhunters, our special guest is "Larry Jones". If you are into bowhunting then you have seen one of his many videos. IF your interested you can call our bookstore for tickets or call my at our church at 756-5300. Ask for Steve Novotny

Date: Saturday November 9th Salmon & Elk Chili... Feed starts at 6:30pm... come a little early if you want to mingle, share pictures and/or do what sportsman do... talk a good story.

Hey Padre, You're a pastor ? I can't believe you said that you don't go by the time clock when you have a good shot and there's still good enough light. To me that sounds a bit unethical. The regs call out a specific time to start and stop. Or am I wrong and that is just a guideline? Let me tell you. My buddy went through hell. 3 times to court in Ellensburg and 2000.00 for a lawyer to get the charges dropped. Unless you hav'nt read the regs. Hunting out of the scope of the legal hunting hours( Getting caught) carries a maximum penalty of 5000.00 fine and a year in jail. Gross misdeameanor. To me that is a very serious offense
I don't understand you're other point of, that you can tell we live in Washington, by the way we were critical of anothers hunters ethics or lack thereof? Bow hunting to me , is a priveledge, that can be taken away at any time. I think most people that made comments here are just as concerned as I am about keeping that right. Lead by example Padre and use your watch!

hey woody
I told you not to question my ethics obviously you payed no attention. If i was an unethical hunter i would still have an unpunched elk tag and probably wouldn't have missed a day of work which is $1000 for me, to look for an animal which I shot OVER AN HOUR BEFORE IT GOT DARK. Maybe you and i should sit down and you could tell me all about where the bear @#$# in the woods. Probably not huh. Out of all the animals that I've been involved in harvesting this is the only problem i've ever encountered, but I've heard plenty of stories of the big buck that joe blow rolled at 500yds with his 338 and got away. morel of the story don't post on this site about someone elses ethics that you don't know.

No, the moral of the story is don't go on the internet and shoot your mouth off about a kill when you haven't even found the animal yet. I'm sure losing an animal is a BAD feeling. It can and does happen. You did right by notching your tag.

Mill workers make $1000 per day?

Big Woody...

You can't tell we live in WA? You wouldn't be having these kind of posts if you lived in TX or WI where the hunters are more of the mainstream. We are so freaked out about PETA etc. because we live in the most liberal state of the US. Oregon being the first, WA second, CA third.

And of course I follow the regs! What fun is it to be poaching... Typically though the regs coincide pretty good with the light and dark of the day. If you bow hunt you typically can't make your shot unless there is fairly good light. Your buddy getting fined for shooting after 5 minutes is pretty stiff. I don't think all the WDFW officers would of handled that in the same way.

Stilly Bum, I agree with you 100%.
Glow Ball, Sorry if I hurt your feelings but my opinion is just what it is. If it sucks to you, then I guess that the way it is. Ones persons ethics, might not coincide with anothers. I'm glad you punched your tag.

Padre, I've never been to Texas. You're right about some wardens. Don't get caught late in the Quilomene. My buddy told me this warden working that area said he could fine him for coming out of the woods with his weapon after legal hunting time. I guess he got caught by the wrong guy.

GB,This may sound dumb but why would you leave an animal out overnight with out gutting it didnt this spoil the meat or at least give it a rank taste,I can understand it could be along night with a flash light but I think that is all part of the hunt.

Loomis,
It got down to 34 degrees that night so the meat would have been fine.

Okay so let me get this strait... This board is ONLY to tell about successful hunting trips. You may NOT tell about any unsuccess, you may not tell about a beautiful deer, duck, goose, or any other animal you saw... unless you killed it and tagged it of course. You cannot talk about the beauty of the land... unless there is spilled blood on it from an animal you killed.

Guys, bad things happen. Why dont you just be productive and use this as a warning for checking your accuracy before you take the shot?

You guys remind me of the freaking people i used to have to go to school with... And I'm only a sophomore. Maybe I'm to young to understand how immature the world really must be.

Curtis

It's fairly common to leave an animal, or part of an animal, in the field over night.

SB,leaving an animal out over night is not so bad when one has cleaned and properly taken care of.But when these guys leave an animal over night that has not been taken care of thats asking for trouble,I've been in the woods enough to see what they look like after just a few hours.In the camps that I hunt in you don't come back to camp unless you have found your kill and properly taken care of it,it does not matter what the time of day it is you search until its found.

Sorry about the loss of an animal Glowball. But the truth of the matter is that you should not have advertised it on the net. Just my thought.

I never leave camp to hunt without my AA maglight and (2) extra sets of batteries. You would be crazy to take an evening shot without the means to track after dark. I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. Might as well spend the time tracking and packing. Especially if I was confident it was a good shot.

Ethical shot selection, and being prepared to do what is required following the shot are a couple of the most important things to a succefull hunt.

RK 43

Well said. It hurts like heck when this happens and I want to believe that we will become better at what we do as we learn from others as well as our own experiences. Straight Shots!