Leaving a Bull overnight

[COOSEFAN]

I've got a new experience to share with you all and it goes right along with what Brian Payne and Tines are talking about.

 

This happened to my client and I last week and it's one of the very rare times I've ever thought about "pushing" a wounded bull! I would never advise it and was actually thinking about not tellin you all about it because I wouldn't want anyone to think it's a good option. Pushing a wounded animal is very risky and there are VERY few situations where it should even be considered. The only time I can think of where it's necessary to push a wounded bull is if bad weather is threatening. If you see a bad rain storm or snow coming, you have no choice but to track em up early. The situation I'm gonna describe to you is the first time I've pursued a wounded bull right away.

 

Last week my hunter had a bull jump the string bad! The bull actually started to take off right at the shot and the arrow hit mid level and right in front of the back leg, total gut shot! Like always, I stayed put and tried to follow the bull with my eyes and ears to see where he went or how far. I didn't take off after him but I was able to step to the side a few steps and could see the bull standing all alone in a clearing, his cows were all gone and everything was quiet. The arrow only penetrated halfway and I could see it hurt him to move and that's why he stopped running about 50 yards from the shot. I knew my hunter was using a fixed 4 blade Slick Trick broad head and could tell that the back leg on the bull moved that arrow with every step. The ground was soft and moist so tracking conditions were perfect and the wind was in our face. Because of all these details I decided we needed to sneak in and get another arrow in the bull. Any other time I would've backed out for at least 8 hours but in this situation I knew that worst case scenario is we bump him and when he takes off that arrow will be doing more damage internally. And again, this is only because I could see the arrow was right in front of the back leg where I know the leg would move the arrow as he walked. We snuck up to him but the damage had already been done from when he ran the first time and the broad head cut the femoral artery and the bull was down surprisingly fast with no more shots necessary. I was freaking out the entire time as we pushed in on the wounded bull, I kept thinking this is going completely against everything I've learned and know to do! Knowing that my hunter was using a razor sharp fixed 4 blade head and where the arrow was at were the only things keeping me from backing out. We were either gonna push the bull allowing the head to cut more, or we were going to get another arrow in him.

 

We were very lucky in this situation and if my hunter had been using a mechanical broad head I'm almost positive the outcome would have been different! Points to take away from my experience here is use the sharpest fixed blade broad head you can find when hunting Elk, and there are VERY few situations that would dictate tracking a wounded bull before waiting the appropriate time. I never once tracked that bull last week, I could see him the whole time. If I couldn't see him and exactly where the arrow was at I would've backed out and waited at least 8 hours! JIM>

[COOSEFAN]

I also gotta say, I witnessed several bulls shot last week. 1 was with a 4 blade Slick Trick and 2 with the new Ulmer Edge heads. The only reason we killed the 1 bull with the Slick Trick head was because there was a razor sharp fixed head being jabbed around inside that bull as he ran. We lost 1 of the Ulmer Edge bulls, fortunately the video shows that bull will survive and the arrow only penetrated 2-3 inches at the most and fell out 10 yards after the hit, I'm not sure if a different head would've made a difference here but I think it could have. And the second Ulmer Edge bull was broadside at 35 yards and the shot was perfect but the arrow only penetrated enough to hit 1 lung. We unfortunately had to sit there and listen to that bull expire for an hour. The hunters bow was set around 60 pounds and the arrow didn't hit any ribs! The broad head made a big entrance cut and I think that's what killed it's energy and greatly limited it's penetration. I don't like knockin' products, that's not my intention here, but these are factual events that took place and I have on tape! I know which heads I'll make sure to use in the future and which ones I'll steer clear of! Razor sharp and fixed! There's a lot of bulls being shot and lost lately and I'm curious how many of them were shot with mechanicals. JIM>

[AZHUNTER05]

I also gotta say, I witnessed several bulls shot last week. 1 was with a 4 blade Slick Trick and 2 with the new Ulmer Edge heads. The only reason we killed the 1 bull with the Slick Trick head was because there was a razor sharp fixed head being jabbed around inside that bull as he ran. We lost 1 of the Ulmer Edge bulls, fortunately the video shows that bull will survive and the arrow only penetrated 2-3 inches at the most and fell out 10 yards after the hit, I'm not sure if a different head would've made a difference here but I think it could have. And the second Ulmer Edge bull was broadside at 35 yards and the shot was perfect but the arrow only penetrated enough to hit 1 lung. We unfortunately had to sit there and listen to that bull expire for an hour. The hunters bow was set around 60 pounds and the arrow didn't hit any ribs! The broad head made a big entrance cut and I think that's what killed it's energy and greatly limited it's penetration. I don't like knockin' products, that's not my intention here, but these are factual events that took place and I have on tape! I know which heads I'll make sure to use in the future and which ones I'll steer clear of! Razor sharp and fixed! There's a lot of bulls being shot and lost lately and I'm curious how many of them were shot with mechanicals. JIM>

 

I shot my bull at 51 yards, with a 2 blade rage. I got a complete pass through and the bull died less then 70 yards from where i shot it. I watched the bull go down and die in less then 10 seconds. Not saying fixed blades are bad just sharing my experience with you.

[SirRoyal]

Jim. I agree 100% on broadheads . A nose cutting broadhead is the only way to go!!!! I used to shoot Zwickey Black diamond swaged to keep wieght down on the aluminum thin walled shafts!

 

This year I bought the part mechanical and part fixed bladed broadhead to try on my hunt. But have changed my mind. I know of numerous bulls wounded this year by mechanicals. Im done NO MAS.

Mechanicals work in a prefect senario. Most of us are not Robin Hoods and Hunting is never a perfect senario! String jump or limp deflection or quartering to or away , and these are just a few . What about the most common issue Excitement , Bull Fever, Heart pumping a 1000 times a second . This doesnt happen at a 3d shoot or in the backyard. Very few shoots are perfect so Im going to stack the odds in my favor for my late elk hunt and get the best cut on contact broadhead I can find which is a proven fact that they give 30% better penetration!

 

For deer or smaller ok for mechanical ! Elk no way! The money I spent on new mechanicals I will count as a loss and a lesson!

[elpepe25]

I too fight with the broadhead catch 22.

1. Big hole w/ a mechanical, but the possibility of no exit-poor penetration.

or

2. a small hole with all but guaranteed penetration, 2 holes, but maybe less tissue damage-skimpy blood trail.

I split the difference with a small 4 blade (wac-em exit/slick trick). Lots of overall cutting surface, no energy robbing moving parts. Penetration + tissue damage= Happiness.