Need some quck, realtime help, Arrowed an elk...
 

Alright well I am experiencing something strange as far as the recovery of my elk goes. I shot a cow yesterday evening and gave it an hour or so before I checked the area for blood, wouldn't have given longer but it was getting dark. Slowly I looked and found blood and it trailed back to the ridge below my car so i followed it slowly and then marked the last spot with a few ribbons and went up to my car, by this point i had traveled over 100 yards. I came back a few hours later with some serious flash light power and followed the trail for another 50 or so yards until my flash light was starting to dim, so I marked and went home. I came back early this morning and spent four hours going another 100 yards or so, no longer going sidehill but straight down the mountain, when it went through trees i could see a fair amount left on the branches but besides that it was tough going looking for little drops of blood every few feet with the occasional large group.

I have made a trail of ribbons from shot to my last spot before i called it quits for a break, I am getting ready to head back out with a buddy in a hour.

The shot was good, as far as i could tell, right back behind the shoulder, could see the fletching sticking out as it took off, didn't seem that scared, saw it walk over the next ridge and I continued to cow call to it.

Blood is just a reg red color, not light or dark, torwards the end it looked like it kinda was crusty on the leaf i found, kinda, don't know if that means anything after 12 hours.

Any advice? Insight? I am baffled by the length of the trail.

RE: Need some quck, realtime help, Arrowed an elk...
 

in my experience an elk hit high wont bleed much, however, if it was a double lung hit it wouldnt have gone that far.i dont know without more detail about the shotjust keep looking good luck

RE: Need some quck, realtime help, Arrowed an elk...
 

Was she broad side? Quartering away or towards you? How high up did the arrow hit? There's a place on whitetails between the spine and lungs, you get a arrow through there, you don't kill that deer. If you hit the lungs the blood should of had bubbles in it.

RE: Need some quck, realtime help, Arrowed an elk...
 

You may want to read the thread about recovering animals. My advice is this:

I'm assuming that somewhere relatively close is a place for them to water since they do so everyday. Is there any water where she went downhill? That would be the first place I would search, if it was logical.

RE: Need some quck, realtime help, Arrowed an elk...
 

Something didn't happen right. If it was a double lung shot (tucked in behind the shoulder just below mid body) you should have found her long before now. May have only got one lung due to a funky angle or marginal shot. Best of luck.

RE: Need some quck, realtime help, Arrowed an elk...
 

twenty yards, uphill, broadside, arrow half way in. blood is dripping out of right side as it walked away. since it started downhill it could be heading for water which is about 150 or so yards, maybe slightly more from the spot i last marked which was 2-3 hundred yards from the shot. possibly a liver hit due to blood color?

RE: Need some quck, realtime help, Arrowed an elk...
 

Blood is usually a bit darker from a liver shot. A friend of mine shot a cow 9 days ago. Complete penetration. Walked ten yards and stood for 10 minutes (he timed it), walked another five steps and fell over. That cow left a tremendous amount of blood on the ground and I'm amazed she could stand that long. Point being, sometimes they are capable of going further than we think. I agree that there should be some frothiness in the blood if a lung shot. If the trail is faint, try some over the counter hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle. A mist will foam up on drops when sprayed. Keep on it. Look for tracks as well as blood.

RE: Need some quck, realtime help, Arrowed an elk...
 

Could be liver, but thats behind the lungs and not right behind the shouler. If it is a liver hit, she should be dead and its just a matter or finding her. if you lost the blood tail start doinga search grid and walk every square foot of the ground you can. Hope she ins't much further from where the last blood was. Good luck.

RE: Need some quck, realtime help, Arrowed an elk...
 

Liver blood should be dark............you said it was red right? You didn't double lung her that is for sure. Re-think your shot and where it hit. Your hit and results don't match.

RE: Need some quck, realtime help, Arrowed an elk...
 

Obviously not a double lung. Is it possible she was angled enough for the arrow to deflect off a rib or something and slide along behind the shoulder. Red blood doesn't sound like a liver for sure. Is it possible you were low enough to just catch briskett?

RE: Need some quck, realtime help, Arrowed an elk...
 

yeah i was just throwing out an idea with the liver comment, the arrow wasn't that far back but the blood isn't really giving away any clues. The animal took off but not too fast so i couldn't get a look at it, the shot was true as far asi could tell which is the baffling part, maybe i did catch a brisket, it was uphill so the arrow could be an inch or slightly morelower than the aim point and where I saw the arrow fly into. I will go get some hydrogen peroxide and a spray bottle and head back up in a few minutes. hopefully I can find it near my last tagged spot.

Would a dog be of any help, I do have a 4 year old labrador who i always take hiking and has a nose like no other. He has jumped elk on occasion before i knew they were near. And can blind retrieve.

Would you take him? Or do you think he would be more apt to get in the way?

RE: Need some quck, realtime help, Arrowed an elk...
 

Cheque your local laws on useing a dog, its illegal here in montana to use one for trailing.
Whats the temps there and how much more time do you have?
Stay on it and good luck.

Bobby

RE: Need some quck, realtime help, Arrowed an elk...
 

the temps dropped into the 50's for high, but in the shadows or tree'd areas I have been seeing my breath all weekend, so it's been pretty cold, thank god. I will check on the dog rule, i live in n.idaho btw. But I got the peroxide so i have about 5 hours til dark, and then i have some heavy duty spotlights and i will work tonight if need be, and i don't reallyeven have to go to school tomorrow so i can hit it in the morning, i won't stop until i find this sucker.

RE: Need some quck, realtime help, Arrowed an elk...
 

Why don't you get off the dang computer and you won't need spot lights, come on lets get it, time is running out dude.

Bobby

RE: Need some quck, realtime help, Arrowed an elk...
 

Well said Bobby! Get out there and find her!

RE: Need some quck, realtime help, Arrowed an elk...
 

If you have a propane lantern take it with you to trail instead of the flashlight. Propane will make the phosporus in the blood glow in the dark. Every little speck will show up really well. Much easier trailing than using flashlight alone. Hopefully it is not too late to have not dry blood as this trick only works when the blood trail is fresh.

RE: Need some quck, realtime help, Arrowed an elk...
 

Hi; First off, congrats on your nice cow...you got some serious good eating there. Lots of folks hunt horns....but it all taste the same to me....:) It sounds like it has been at least 24 hours since you shot the animal so here's what I'd be doing.....park where you did before you made the shot and just get out of your truck with a cup of coffee in your hands and break out the best pair of binoculars or spotting scope you have. then start looking for scavenger birds flying high in the sky....if the animal is down the birds will know exactly where it is and be circling the area ready for that easy meal. I have found quite a few this way...both deer and elk. Especially if you have turkey buzzards in the area you're hunting. Hope this helps you out and good luck finding her cause real soon now the meat will start turning and that would be a total shame........

RE: Need some quck, realtime help, Arrowed an elk...
 

well? just curious!

RE: Need some quck, realtime help, Arrowed an elk...
 

Along the same lines as Metalback: Listen for a bunch of flies, they'll find her before the buzzards do.

RE: Need some quck, realtime help, Arrowed an elk...
 

As for the dog idea yes it does work well if it is legal in your area. Keep the dog on a leash though so it does not trample all over the blood trail aimlessly and also if the elk is not dead the dog will chase it further. I have arrowed several elk in the liver and it is always not what you expect. Sometimes the blood is really dark like it should be but i have had cases where the blood was brighter also. All the elk i ever liver shot had one thing in common they all would hunch up every few steps. Sometimes they would just stand there, shake and drop and other times go for an hour or so. It is really difficult to tell until the animal is found. The most important thing at the moment is that you get it, csi can take place later.

RE: Need some quck, realtime help, Arrowed an elk...
 

Did you find your elk???

RE: Need some quck, realtime help, Arrowed an elk...
 

:([&o]
That sums up how i feel.

I found the elk, but it had stopped being in good shape long ago. I found it about 200 yards down and 50-100 yards right of my last drop of blood. Truly a magnificent animal, huge. First dead elk i have ever seen and i was blown away by the size of it.

Just updated the story for those of you who helped in my finding of it, too bad i was too late.