Hey BJ the topic of poorly hit game always turns my stomach. In 1987 I worked for an outfitter in western Montana, my first hunter was what I thought a really good guy, but it' s amazing how much you can tell about a person once there is a wounded animal involved.

The second day of the archery seacon I bugled in a huge 6x7 for this hunter, the bull came at dang near a full tilt run and stopped at 15 yards to rip a small sapling out of the ground. This hunter came to full draw and gut shot this bull plain as day. As the bull ran off he turned with a big smile and gave me the thumbs up. Well I walked up the hill and found his arrow and just as I thought it was green from broadhead to fletching.

We sat down had a sandwich and told stories for as long as i could keep him there, which was about an hour and a half. I must say the bull was easy tracking little drops of blood and big drops of stomach contents. Any way 2 hours into looking for this bull the guy starts whineing about being tired and I quote " I didn' t pay for this" .

That blew it with me I told him than when he released that arrow this is what he bought. We jumped the bull twice with no shot opportunity and the complaining just got louder. At this point I gave him a direction to head twards the trailhead and the horses, he took off looking for civilazition and me not careing if I saw him ever again or not. (oh and yes i did actually send him in the right direction).

To finish up this story 10 hours after he let that arrow go I walked up on this bull in his bed, the bull stood up and promptly recieved a 44 mag bullet just behind his ear.

2 hours after dark I walked into camp with this bulls head tied to the saddle and 4 quarters hanging in a tree at the top of the ridge. I sat in my tent alone that night listening to this guy telling his great hunting story over and over about the remarkable shot he made on this great bull. In the morning he had the gall to reprimand me about putting a hole in the cape of his elk (a 44 calibre hole).

That was my last year guiding didnt figure I had the intestional fortitude for the job.

Now I hunt with people I choose not ones I' m forced to.

Sorry about the long story

good hunting
Rogue