A couple of days ago I hit a spike elk square in the shoulder blade (I was sitting on the ground). It was from apprx. 25 yards, 55# draw from PSE Vision bow, 28.5" draw length, 475 grain 29" arrow, 125 gr NAP Thunderhead broadhead.I heard the smack of the arrow hit and saw the location as he was running off. The arrow didn't look to have very much penetration, but it wasn't flopping around either while it was running. It was in timber so I couldn't see very far, but he wasn't limping in the little bit I could see him and he didn't stagger forward when the arrow hit. Will that tell me if the arrow broke through the bone? I waited a full hour before I started tracking. I tracked the blood trail through the timber for about 500 yards that took me about 5 1/2 hours until I finally lost the trail. In some places the blood seemed to be several large splotches (mostly on leaves or branches he would brush against), but often it was just a small smudge or a drop here and there. I often had to take a lot of time searching for the next blood spot - it definitely wasn't a trail I could just walk along. There seemed to be more blood after he brushed branches...I'm guessing from scraping the blood clot off from the wound area. But towards the end there wasn't even blood up higher on the branches that he brushed against like there was at the start of the blood trail. He never did bed down and traveled horizontal across the hill side, never going much up or down, even when he crossed multiple game trails. I kept on waiting for him to get on a trail and go up or down, but he continued just straight across. He definitely didn't stop and was hours ahead of me. I tracked from 2pm to 7:45pm and the blood was dry on the leaves during the last portion of the trail. I never did find the arrow. The ultimate question in all of this detail, is there a good chance that he wasn't mortally wounded? I've read and heard lots of stories of elk surviving a shoulder blade strike. If he was mortally wounded then I will count him for my tag. But if it sounds like he has a great chance of surviving then maybe I'll keep hunting. I feel terrible about this and want to be an ethical hunter and do the right thing.
Unfortunately I bet he is still alive, he'll probably make it unless he gets an infection then he's toast.
Not going to go through an elk shoulder most times. I shot elk last year that hit opposite shoulder and it bent the broad head screw in part. What was the sound you heard when it hit? Mine sounded like the arrow hit a piece of plywood. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It isn't going through in what you described. Keep hunting. Stay away from shoulder next shot. More than likely the elk will be fine. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sorry to hear that man... The elk will die of it eventually from infection or predation and you'll never recover it... Had the same happen to me in 2010 on a bull moose. LOTS of blood and for a long distance, then... nothing. Around the shoulders there are lot of blood vessels, but no major arteries so it will go for a long time, getting weaker as the days progress, then just die hidden in a bush somewhere. ... (
I'd say its dead somewhere. I'd give that elk hours before I'd find him. If u arrow it in the shoulder never track him after the shot. Give him time to expire. If blood stops spilling I'd look for his tracks.
No one is going to be able to tell you with any certainty that elk died or lived...not from the internet. That's up to fate now, all you can do is keep hunting and learn from that mistake. I will say that it's pretty darn unlikely your arrow made it through on 55# DW. I've seen many deer survive shoulder hits from light DW bows or light arrows. Keep at it and good luck.
If there's a lot of blood. That's a dead bull. But it depends on how far he kept bumping the bull from bedding to expire.
You have one lung at the most, although unlikely, or up have a flesh wound. Either way the elk is alive and well...at least for awhile till someone else kills him. Any elk with a single lung hit is about as awful a track as you can want to take up. Good luck catching up to them.
Thanks for all the replies. I would say it was 1/3 the way up the scapula, and in the middle left to right. This was my first shot ever, bow or rifle, at an elk and I was super nervous and I think I was shaking a little so I think that affected my shot. I hate to lose the first Elk I've shot at. I had my sights dialed in and was shooting bullseyes at 25 yards just the night before while I was practicing. I shot and recovered my first big game animal - a mulley buck - last year with the same bow and arrow setup. Based on some replies, I'm thinking what happened is my broadhead lodged into the bone and my arrow probably broke off. Sounds like if that's the case then there is a chance his body will heal over it....I have several trail cams set up on some springs and wallows in the area so I'm hoping he'll show up.
I don't think I ever was bumping him because I didnt come across one spot where it looked like he bedded down or stopped. He ran at least half the distance I tracked him, maybe more, so I don't think I wad ever close to him while I tracked. I waited an hour, but sounds like I should have waited longer. I'll definitely do that next time. On another note, I was shooting at a small upward angle so I'm hoping that is another plus that it didn't hit a lung if it broke through.
I've killed 2 bull's that had BH's lodged in there shoulder blade, one was a 5 point with a old school MA-3 that was completely surrounded by calcium build up! The other one was a raghorn 6 with a Qud Exodus 100 grain that was completely healed over, both bulls where healthy. From the sound of your story I would keep hunting because in all likely hood he will survive the hit.
You nor anyone here can state that with certainty. What I consider a lot of blood may not be what another considers a lot of blood....despite this different injuries and cuts can produce a ton of thin blood which can appear to be more than it really is. Not one of us was there, so we all need to stop pretending like we were. (A stretch I know but roll with me) Kinda like how a slice across my shin can seriously produce blood for a time but there is zero chance of death.... My opinion for what it is worth is this: Worst Case: With that pound pull assuming typical light hunting arrow most use these days...very minimal if any penetration and the shoulder stopped it. Elk will be extremely sore but fine. Best Case: It somehow made it through the shoulder and maybe touched or punctured that one lung....doubtful you ever see him and his chances of long term survival are low. Get back on the saddle and focus on shot choice and shot placement. Lay it down and get it done!
There is no way that anyone can say this bull is dead. Even if it looks to have bled a lot, no way. A muscle hit can look like a lot of blood is lost and never result in a kill. A shoulder hit on a bull elk is likely a non-lethal hit.
The bull I killed in 2012 had a trokar broad head lodged in his shoulder and a scar where arrow went in. He was walking and running with zero limp.
