It was very close... but I really thought I did hit it. The shot was low and the lungs were gone and the bullet did pass through and the off-side rib cage was really a mess but the animal never showed any ill effects at shot time and after walking away.

That's a big ole yearling! Nice roasts on that one for sure! They are funny sometimes about taking a shot and showing absolutely no signs of the hit. Just stand there looking at you with a "wth you looking at" face :D Moose are really bad about that.

My congrats.

Congratulations Mike on sticking to the search and finding that deer. That sure looks like some good eating. Great story too. Made me feel I was kneeling there next to you in the fog.

Mike, way to go!! She may be a yearling, but she'll provide you with some fine eating. I can't believe you think you missed her the way you shoot. LOL. I know what you mean though. I went through the same thing this year with my two grandsons. My one grandson shot a doe, but did not know he hit her. She just stood their in the brush not offering him another shot. My other grandson who was hunting in the treestand with me, saw her and after what seemed like 10 minutes was able to get a clear shot and dropped her. What was unknown to us my grandson actually gut shot her and she just walked off and stayed in the thick brush and stayed there. Naturally like you he thought he missed her.

Congratulations!!! You still got that Kawasaki? What year is that thing?

So I gotta ask. Why would you leave that Elk over night?

LOL Grouse, he's old and it was COLD! He wanted to get that 4 wheeler in instead of packing the thing out and I for one can NOT blame the old guy. Been quite a few times I wished I had the option of doing the very same thing.

He usually keeps it in back of the truck. But maybe he didn't. Could of been the trees that fell as well. Just curious:s4:

The Green thing is a 2001 so it is not that old! I gave Trevor the 1992 Kawasaki... and it was in the back of the truck.

I was by myself and by the time I got that girl cleaned and mostly off the ground it was darker than crap and I still had to find a way in to the animal. I also knew the temp was going to near freezing all night so it and the gut pile would cool out just fine. The animal was only a 1 1/2 old and in really good shape so there was no hurry. And she certainly was not going anyplace at that point.

As it turned out the route in was fairly easy just had to a bit of chainsaw work to get in.

I'm glad you did leave it, didn't think you were alone.