something you don't see everyday....

[nuadixion]

I have been chasing elk for few days....see nothing but cows and calfs....on the last day I finally creeped up on the herd with bulls....I get to about 60 yards to a huge guy; he is staring in my direction ....i see antlers and head above the foliage ....get my breathing under control, relax my arms, get comfortable/steady position, lock the crosshair between the antlers and let it fly.......antlers disappear ... couple anther bulls close by stir up.....i move foreword ....see him stumbling....he is trying to get up....falls...tumbles some more.....then he piles up and rests. I move to about 7 ft of him.....he is not moving at all.....no chest movement etc. I can't see his head..it is all kind of wrapped under his huge body. The rest of the herd is watching it all as I watch them with amazement. I call my buddy on the radio and we discuss the logistics of hauling him out....then in the blink of an aye he jumps up and takes off like a SOB...I am stunned.....he is so close I can't get him in the scope....he disappears between the trees with the rest of the herd. I follow....see them for a while...then it is the smell and tracks. Buddy shows up and we search the area for few hours. I went back to the spot where he piled up and found no sign of blood....there was no blood anywhere......I gave up.....

[coach]

Where did this happen? today or an old story?

[Blainer]

hit the antler and temporarily knocked him out???

[Edzzed]

You can buy a lottery ticket for what, The price of a BUCK. lmao

[RB2]

Yup maybe? Happened on a moose hunt by some of my moose partners. Buddy shot. Moose dropped. Pics taken. He took off .They went after him. Got him in the trees and there was a big chunk out of the base of the rack.

[Whonnock Boy]

Sounds like you hit him in the antler, and had him seeing stars. Funny, I was just telling my wife about the time my father had shot a deer, the biggest he had ever seen. Gets up to him, grabs hold of an antler to cut its throat, and up he jumps taking off. Off he follows up over a small ridge, and there at the bottom of the next coulee is the buck laying there. He figures he is done for good, and heads back to the truck to grab some gear. When he gets back to where he last saw the buck, it's gone, never to be seen again. No blood, no nothing. The only thing he could think of was he hit it in the antler, and knocked it out.

[goatdancer]

Depending on the angle, the bullet could have bounced off his skull and knocked him out. My neighbour did that to a moose a couple of years ago.

[nuadixion]

Where did this happen? today or an old story?
couple of days ago ......Mcnab creek.....

[BillyBull]

Tough break, sounds like one of those mystery times where the elk won and you have a memory.

[Ranger95]

I have been chasing elk for few days....see nothing but cows and calfs....on the last day I finally creeped up on the herd with bulls....I get to about 60 yards to a huge guy; he is staring in my direction ....i see antlers and head above the foliage ....get my breathing under control, relax my arms, get comfortable/steady position, lock the crosshair between the antlers and let it fly.......antlers disappear ... couple anther bulls close by stir up.....i move foreword ....see him stumbling....he is trying to get up....falls...tumbles some more.....then he piles up and rests. I move to about 7 ft of him.....he is not moving at all.....no chest movement etc. I can't see his head..it is all kind of wrapped under his huge body. The rest of the herd is watching it all as I watch them with amazement. I call my buddy on the radio and we discuss the logistics of hauling him out....then in the blink of an aye he jumps up and takes off like a SOB...I am stunned.....he is so close I can't get him in the scope....he disappears between the trees with the rest of the herd. I follow....see them for a while...then it is the smell and tracks. Buddy shows up and we search the area for few hours. I went back to the
spot where he piled up and found no sign of blood....there was no blood anywhere......I gave up.....

Man that's tough, as others have said you probably hit an antler and KO'd him. that was that elks lucky day.

After 30 years of hunting, I can tell you that sometimes you just have to roll with the punches in this game - better luck next time.

[sawmill]

Man everybody is sure kind to you here.
You are a dumb ass.First,you tried to shoot him between the eyes.
Second,you stood 7 feet away and checked his breathing by eye.
Third,you phoned a buddy and chatted the "logistics"

Here~s a tip,if his eyes are closed then he ain`t dead.
ALWAYS touch the eyeball with a rifle barrel,if it twitches,shoot him in the head.
And don`t post on the interweb how dumb you are.

[nuadixion]

Man everybody is sure kind to you here.
You are a dumb ass.First,you tried to shoot him between the eyes.
Second,you stood 7 feet away and checked his breathing by eye.
Third,you phoned a buddy and chatted the "logistics"

Here~s a tip,if his eyes are closed then he ain`t dead.
ALWAYS touch the eyeball with a rifle barrel,if it twitches,shoot him in the head.
And don`t post on the interweb how dumb you are.

LOL
you are right.....I f....up somewhere along the line of events. But it is very easy to criticize after the fact. It was my last chance in this hunt....i do not like to shoot in the head, but that is all i had ....so it was either the head all nothing.
Also his head was wrapped up under his body and all I could see was upper part of his right antler....I was just about to go and check on his face.....and that is when things could go terribly wrong . .....at least I am all well (besides mental scar) to tell the story and someone can learn something from it.

[Ranger95]

LOL
you are right.....I f....up somewhere along the line of events. But it is very easy to criticize after the fact. It was my last chance in this hunt....i do not like to shoot in the head, but that is all i had ....so it was either the head all nothing.
Also his head was wrapped up under his body and all I could see was upper part of his right antler....I was just about to go and check on his face.....and that is when things could go terribly wrong . .....at least I am all well (besides mental scar) to tell the story and someone can learn something from it.


Head shots are frowned upon by many - laugh at them! Only people who don't know how to shoot are scared of head shots!

My hunting partner and myself were involved in large scale culling (venison market off shore) some years ago - 300 head (head shots) a night, under trying conditions - was not out of the ordinary!

If you know your rifle, understand its trajectory and practise - this type of shooting becomes intinstinctive

OK - now I'll sit back and watch the unraveling for my own amusement!

[Husky7mm]

You should return and do large circles, elk have extremely think hide on their head and neck, they often don't bleed much. Follow the tracks for as long as you can. My friend neck shot a bull this year with a 338 and the bull ran off and wandered around the bush for a few hours half ******ed until my friend figured out the tracks and finished him off.

[panhead]

A bud of mine once saw a set of moose antlers sticking up above some tall grass so walked over to have a look. There was a bull moose fast asleep. He put a slug into his head out of his not so trusty .303 jungle carbine and the moose woke up and took off as my bud's gun jammed. Never saw him again. Shite happens ...

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

‘Kick at the darkness ’til it bleeds daylight.’

[BearStump]

Man everybody is sure kind to you here.
You are a dumb ass.First,you tried to shoot him between the eyes.
Second,you stood 7 feet away and checked his breathing by eye.
Third,you phoned a buddy and chatted the "logistics"

Here~s a tip,if his eyes are closed then he ain`t dead.
ALWAYS touch the eyeball with a rifle barrel,if it twitches,shoot him in the head.
And don`t post on the interweb how dumb you are.

WOW! who's the dumbass sawmill??
Its no wonder people choose not to post here. And a large portion of the hunting community that I know wont because of asshats like you.
A 60 yd headshot is not a difficult shot if thats all you've got.

[Rob Chipman]

Always good to share your mistakes.
Wisdom comes from experience.
Experience comes from bad decisions.
We're all becoming wiser, and we do it faster by sharing bad decisions that other people can learn form.
Good on ya.

[Firstblood]

Jeez Sawmill Who Sh*t in your coffee this morning. you should reconsider posting on the internet too as you contributed nothing but ridicule. many things could have happened to change the circumstances and he specifically said its head was under its body so read carefully. It seems that it has happened to a few people before, bad luck id say but you live you learn.

heres a funny one i always remember.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hh0w1ofYTAo

[nuadixion]

You should return and do large circles, elk have extremely think hide on their head and neck, they often don't bleed much. Follow the tracks for as long as you can. My friend neck shot a bull this year with a 338 and the bull ran off and wandered around the bush for a few hours half ******ed until my friend figured out the tracks and finished him off.
We wandered around the area for good few hours.....followed all tracks....
After he had fallen the whole herd waited for him and was watching me until he got up and run....then they went at full speed uphill. Wounded animal has difficult time going uphill. We went up after the herd but also sidetracked every time we could and checked ravines and any other possible routes he could have taken. We came to conclusion that the herd went all together......then I wished him good and prosperous life :)

[srupp]

Man everybody is sure kind to you here.
You are a dumb ass.First,you tried to shoot him between the eyes.
Second,you stood 7 feet away and checked his breathing by eye.
Third,you phoned a buddy and chatted the "logistics"

Here~s a tip,if his eyes are closed then he ain`t dead.
ALWAYS touch the eyeball with a rifle barrel,if it twitches,shoot him in the head.
And don`t post on the interweb how dumb you are.
Hmmm then call me cranky also...everything Sawmill said is true and I echo his feelings..
Only shot is head shot...so you didnt have a shot...tough luck PASS....dont take head shots..period.
Bet the eyes were closed....check for signs of life...no sufferring...eyes are open...check for flinch.., lack of respirations...be sure...you did not...hmmm contacting your friend was not on the list you were going down.
There are new hunters here set an example..no head shots..ensure the animal is dead..
We all make mistakes...ie leaving trigger lock on lol we all are human...re.examine what you did...and you will know why you dont have an animal, it was sufferring and most likely will die and be wasted..
And when someone steps forward to help you by offerring the better way they shouldnt be pissed on.
Im in Sawmills camp...and he is not wrong on his statements.
Steven

[f350ps]

I'd suggest that Sawmill and Srupp take a reading comprehension class, the eyes are in the head, the head was under the animal! I'm not a fan of head shots but I did shoot an Immy in the ear last year, and I'd have taken the shot that this guy took as well as that's what was presented! K

[Mikey Rafiki]

There are no vitals between the antlers. Below several inches there are but straight on you need a well constructed bullet at any range. I've made a couple head shots at less than 50 yards but it's been with 200-220 grain bullets and not straight on the skull.

Some may say head shots are a no go regardless but a 50 yard head shot at a 3" kill zone is the same as a 200 yard shot at a 12" kill zone.

[M.Dean]

I shoot for the head if that's my only way to knock a animal down. I have a Moose rack sitting on a stump just past the pond in my yard, it's 47 and half inch's wide, and there's a 30 Caliber hole just above it's right eye! I made the hole after firing about 150 yards with my 300 Mag at his head, I knew if I waited until I had a broadside shot, I'd be going home with a story, and no meat! He was standing on the other side of a small hill covered in buck brush, all's I could see to start with was one side of the rack sticking through the brush, I waited until he started to move his head a bit so I could see the top part of his neck and his head, dam near 10 minutes or so, and when I fired he disappeared! He was dead in his tracks! And, from the sounds of this guys story, he should have aimed about a inch or too lower and we'd be looking at pictures of his kill! And remember, "Where there's lead, there's hope!!!"

[srupp]

I'd suggest that Sawmill and Srupp take a reading comprehension class, the eyes are in the head, the head was under the animal! I'm not a fan of head shots but I did shoot an Immy in the ear last year, and I'd have taken the shot that this guy took as well as that's what was presented! K

lol Ken I had grade 12......4 years of it..lol just cuz someone did ...even you.... doesn't make it right..IMO.. seen more than a few throats blown out and jaws hanging off...on dead animals never recovered..never going to find a head shot in ethical hunting manuals...hmmmm if your going to do it that's your business..but not to post here as good..

the reason you never see this is you never should do what he did to end up with that result...

There are some tremendous shots ..great shooters here...not a high percentage shot..regardless of the shooter or situation..just have to disagree...I guess its like folks who advocate for .223 in lungs on large grizzly...different oppinions....that's mine..
srupp

[300H&H]

I have heard of this happening to deer.
The bullet hit the antler and knocked him out cold.
A short time later the buck wakes up and runs away.

[landphil]

Sawmill, did you really need to sugar coat things like that? :shock:

Mistakes were made, and hopefully learned from. Hindsight gives a bit of an advantage.

I'm thinking an antler shot too, or his hair now parts in the middle.

[husky30-06]

i shot a whitie last year....... 50yrds head on. down he went and set everything down to field dress, when i turned around.............. he stood up and ran off!!!!!! i stood there not moving, not sure what just happened. lesson learned i always make sure now that they are dispatched

[barehunter]

I had almost the exact same thing happen on an elk hunt a few years back ... he went down hard after being hit and rolled down a bank. We watched him for approx 10 mins there was no movement , by the time we crossed the small ravine and creek to get to him he was gone . No Blood but could follow his track for about 100 yrds and spent 8-10 hrs tracking and searching to no avail . Went back in the next day and spotted him in the same cut (we never got another shot at him) but did find a nice sized piece of antler approx 15 yrds from where he was hit . I am still amazed at how many hunters have had similar experiences with moose deer and elk , I guess you have to take the good with the bad and keep plugging away .

[husky30-06]

i have successfully managed three head shots in the past with both deer and moose, thats why i had no apprehension with a head on shot

[Fozzie]

Happened to my father with a big bodied island 2 point years ago. See's deer, shoots deer, walks up close to deer laying in the salal. Decides to put gun down then sits nearby and lights up a smoke. While sitting there puffing away, deer gets up and runs away except now the deer is a 1 x 2. Blew one antler off which I quess stunned it for a few minutes!

[goatdancer]

A broadside head shot is different than a head on. The wrong angle will result in the experience the OP had. It's part of the learning curve. He sounds like he learned a valuable lesson. That's part of hunting.

[f350ps]

lol Ken I had grade 12......4 years of it..lol just cuz someone did ...even you.... doesn't make it right..IMO.. seen more than a few throats blown out and jaws hanging off...on dead animals never recovered..never going to find a head shot in ethical hunting manuals...hmmmm if your going to do it that's your business..but not to post here as good..

the reason you never see this is you never should do what he did to end up with that result...

There are some tremendous shots ..great shooters here...not a high percentage shot..regardless of the shooter or situation..just have to disagree...I guess its like folks who advocate for .223 in lungs on large grizzly...different oppinions....that's mine..
srupp
Again I will say it, read what I said, not what you think I said!! You and Sawmill were all about checking the eyes and I pointed out that the eyes were on the head that was under the body. Then I said, "I'm not a fan of head shots" but I've done a couple and I'd have done this one also as that's what was presented. If I wasn't comfortable I wouldn't take the shot but I wasn't there so it's a tough call. To belittle somebody over a decision they made when neither of you were there is uncalled for! I've said this more times than I care to remember, "if you haven't made a mistake while hunting you obviously haven't hunted much"! K

[3centsolution]

There are no vitals between the antlers. Below several inches there are but straight on you need a well constructed bullet at any range. I've made a couple head shots at less than 50 yards but it's been with 200-220 grain bullets and not straight on the skull.

Some may say head shots are a no go regardless but a 50 yard head shot at a 3" kill zone is the same as a 200 yard shot at a 12" kill zone.

Several inches below the antlers will put you in nasal cavities at best or just blow the nose off.Sculls aren't that thick, deer & elk have fairly light sculls, moose a little thicker, I've killed many cows (now we're talking thick sculls) with a 22, straight on head shots, very seldom was any kind of follow up needed. LET THE FRAGGING BEGIN

[The Hermit]

A long time ago I shot an Island BT at about fifty yards with a 30.06 pushing 180 gr Partition while he was running... dropped in his tracks. Got up to him, poked him in the eye and nothing. Put my rifle down and got out my knife, grabbed his antlers and yanked his head around to shift him on his back... he kicked and shuddered which kinda freaked me out but I thought for sure it was just a death spazzum. I stuck my knife in his sternum and bloody hell he came to and really started to struggle and get up while I was standing over him knife in hand!!! Holy SHIT I said to know one in particular while I jumped off and went for my rifle. Thankfully he only went about ten yards when I shot him again, dead this time.

As I was now field dressing him I noticed that he was freshly missing a whole fork. So I looked all over for it and found it up about 6 feet in an alder tree! Yep it happens. So what did I learn? I have never taken a shot at a running animal again. I'd been shit house lucky to hit that antler and end up with the deer. And that got me to thinking about head shots too and decided that I wouldn't take anymore head shots either.

Now most of my hunting is done with a bow and shot placement is even more critical and I've passed up so many potential kills that I've lost count... I'd rather let them walk than risk wounding and loosing them. Hell sometimes even with good shot opportunities shit happens that results in a miss or worse a gut shot with long and anxiety ridden tracking jobs and the occasional lost animal. Why risk feeling so terrible as to wreck the hunt?

[3centsolution]

You are absolutely right, risky shots shouldn't be taken however these animals aren't that hard to kill. If you can't hit a 3 inch target at 50-60 yrds you probably need more range time and shouldn't be in the bush with a gun.

[sawmill]

WOW! who's the dumbass sawmill??
Its no wonder people choose not to post here. And a large portion of the hunting community that I know wont because of asshats like you.
A 60 yd headshot is not a difficult shot if thats all you've got.

Standing around texting your buddy when you should be making sure your critter is DEAD is stupid.And if you are one of those people then feel free not to post here.

[sawmill]

And,I am an asshole.
I apoligise to the O.P.
I wish you had that critter in the freezer now.Sorry man,next times the charm.

[nuadixion]

Standing around texting your buddy when you should be making sure your critter is DEAD is stupid.And if you are one of those people then feel free not to post here.
Obviously you have your own picture of how it all evolved. I did not end up with that bull elk and he is now walking around with big headache.....that means I made mistake somewhere on the line. I post this story here share with all and maybe it will prevent some other animal from getting away hurt.
I did not stand there TEXTING as you portray it, but I was talking on uhf radio to my hunting partner; rifle in the other hand, and watching the animal at the same time. When he jumped up I put him on the scope, but through the scope it was all big blur and he run VERY fast......did not have clear shot....waiting for him to fall again or slow down at least....but he never did.

How do you make sure the critter is dead? If I was to get any closer to him at that time (roughly 5 min after the shot) and perhaps touch him - that 1000lb animal could have me laying there in blood......unfortunately those stories are not written here, but rather you here them on the news.

[bcmulie]

Nua, any time you approach a downed animal the first thing you should do is ensure that it's dead. To do that, approach the animal from behind and touch the tip of your rifle barrel to its eye. If the eye is closed or the animal blinks when you touch it, it's not dead and you should shoot it in the back of the neck at the base of the skull. I always cringe when I see a guy on a hunting show poke a dead animal in the rump and then start high-fiving his partners when it doesn't move, assuming it's dead. Tougher when the animals head is under it's body. In that case I would poke it in the rump, wait a minute or two while staying ready to shoot, and then pull the head out and touch the eyeball.

[Gateholio]

If you make a successful brain shot the animal drops.

If you take a head shot and the animal is stumbling around, something went wrong and you better keep shooting.

[nuadixion]

If you make a successful brain shot the animal drops.

If you take a head shot and the animal is stumbling around, something went wrong and you better keep shooting.
You exactly right! That idea was going around in my head.
It was trying to get up....I had it in the scope but no clear shot presented..(trees and low shrubs in the way)....when it packed up, head was wrapped under the body....i watched it for movement standing from behind of the animal.....nothing..... and when it happened it fast and sudden.....so I f......up.

[Husky7mm]

Sometimes it is hard to get the cross hairs on the sweet spot when the animal is that close, I usually just point and shoot like I was shootinag a shotgun at a flying grouse. Gun up ,swing , boom!! I releize that you may not hit the desired spot but at this time you wanna knock that animal down again before it runs off. It got up and you are in a less than desirable situation, its now wounded, get another one in it, doesn't always go perfect. Don't be afaid to shoot again. You may ruin a bit of meat but at lease you will have most of it.

[nuadixion]

Sometimes it is hard to get the cross hairs on the sweet spot when the animal is that close, I usually just point and shoot like I was shooting a shotgun at a flying grouse. Gun up ,swing , boom!! I releize that you may not hit the desired spot but at this you wanna knock that animal down again before it runs off. It got up and you are in a less than desirable situation, it now wounded, get another one in it, doesn't always go perfect. Don't be afaid to shoot again. You may ruin a bit of meat but at lease you will have most of it.
That is it. It comes down to experience and I need more of it.....confused and to much confidence..?...shoot again!

[BearStump]

Standing around texting your buddy when you should be making sure your critter is DEAD is stupid.And if you are one of those people then feel free not to post here.

aaaww muffin. I see you're good at slingin' shit but catching it is a different story eh? When this site becomes your property you go ahead and tell me where I can post, while you chat with the 2 friends you'll have left. Till then you can curl up with your bottle of gold bond, strap on those depends and take it if you're gonna dish it out so freely.