Good luck in the morning regardless, having some K9 noses along the way won't hurt. Hope you get the meat salvaged, that's the only thing that ever matters. Contests are just for fun.
I could, but I highly doubt she'll die tonight. We are supposed to have a low of around 50, and assuming it takes her seven or eight hours to die, I'm guessing some will be salvageable if she's only dead a couple hours. Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
Unless you saw her lay down, you are probably right to let her lay for the night. Looking forward to what you find in the morning Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
An exit can wipe off all the sign of a good shot entry. Rip through a near side lung and exit gut will wipe that arrow clean yet leave it questionable on sign. I hope it rang true though. You had the best vantage point and take on the shot itself. Go with your gut feeling and it is what it is.
The shot felt good, but the arrow smelling like it does has me very concerned. She was pretty much perfectly broadside at 30 yards when I shot her. I'll come out here around seven and begin looking (she will have been laying for 11 hours by then). Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
Nobody can make the call better than the one who let the arrow fly. Always great to see them drop, but never guaranteed. Good luck in the morning, always here to help in any way needed.
Not sure if this will work but I uploaded a quick video of the hit to google drive and have a shareable link. https://drive.google.com/file/d/12o5YDhIbAqTJFb4Y_EWMqaFKj8FnBGDM/view?usp=sharing I think the hit sounds solid, definitely not a glancing blow.
Definitely not a glancing hit, but it would have been more reassuring if I'd heard that pop instead of that smack. I haven't read all of the posts, but if you backed out until tomorrow you did the right thing.
Excellent call. Also, when you recover her, if it was indeed a gut shot and the forecast lows are around 50, I believe that the meat will still be salvageable. She won't have died until not long before you recover her. Again, good luck!
I was going to say something disparaging about Illinois, but it suddenly dawned on me that BH.Com is based there. I have nothing negative to say about Illinois.......
That's what I was hoping for. I'll get her gutted right away and wash the body cavity out as soon as possible. I think if anything the backside (side by the ground) may be spoiled around the entrance. I really hope I get the meat from her because I'm on my last package of ground elk and need to get some more in a bad way. Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
This, this and this. Meat does not spoil from the point when you launch an arrow. 12 hours to die, the clock starts 12 hours after the shot, then another 6(?) hours to spoil. Found 20yds from the point of impact 20 hours later, better be smelling **** close and looking at colorization of the meat.
