Arrow found in Elk

tailchaser · 11-06-2002, 12:02 PM

I'm with big willie on this one. We were skinning out a bull my buddy killed this year during the bow season at the butchers and right out of the rump something went plink on the ground. A .30 cal bullet fell out of the ham onto the ground and we both looked at each other dumbfounded from the look we got from the butcher. Thankfully there was a grease ball from scar tissue there to justify it wasn't us.

So on this one don't blame it on the method, blame the hunter. It's also unwise to assume the guy was trying to shoot that bull texas heart style also. I've seen many shots go where they weren't supposed to with both bows and rifles so I woulnd't blame those damn archery hunters for trying to hit it there. I'm an avid bowhunter and hate to see the sport blamed for a few bad apples. I also agree with big willie that half of our bowhunters are irritated rifle hunters that don't take the time it needs to become proficient. This leads to a bad name, plus the people squaking are from the same pool as the problem.

Yes it's unfortunate to find both bullets and arrows in animals, but it does happen and shows how tough these animals are to live through it.

tc

Killertraylor · 11-06-2002, 12:19 PM

I had no intention of turning this into a flame thread about archery hunting. I've killed both deer and elk with rifle and bow and know there are unresponsible hunters out there carrying both. A properly placed arrow is just as lethal as a well placed rifle shot. I was just amazed that this animal was recovering so nicely from such a horribly misplaced shot.

kodiakfisher · 11-06-2002, 12:35 PM

So I have a good one for you all that happened to my hunting partner.

He had a 200yd center chest shot at a spike, strong quarter towards him, he was laying down and had a good rest anyways to make the story short he shot that elk and it died 35-50yds later. The strange part was the bullet went through the chest hit the heart and one lung the bullet continued into the leg bone and deflected and ended up between the hide and muscle on the far side back leg towards the front of the leg (as the elk is facing back left leg since the right front leg was closest for the shot).

I understand your point that you killed the elk and it had a stray bullet that wasn't yours.

Kodiakfisher

roadsend · 11-06-2002, 12:44 PM

Three years ago the buck I shot had an bullet surrounded by healed scar tissue deep in the ham. It was a .22 caliber long rifle rim fire. Archers do not have a premium on irresponsibility.
I have known several good rifle and archery hunters who have lost animals after searching for them sometimes until after dawn the next day.

Big Willie · 11-06-2002, 01:02 PM

Killertraylor...I didn't think you had an intention of making a flaming thread. I think it was a good post...your party got an elk with a broadhead in a non-lethal area of said elk, which is not good. I just wanted to make the point that it goes both ways, that's all. :tongue:
And yes, these animals are extremely tough. As hunters we owe it to them to be responsible. The 'hunter' who shot that elk in the nose is not a hunter in my book.

Gary

Gus Orviston · 11-06-2002, 01:15 PM

Yep, I have seen arrows get grissle around them in the ham of an elk.

Also my brother had some elk meat a few years back, and after a few steaks, hamburger, somebody found a BB shot. After examining the meat closure BBs were found through the meat. Somebody had shot this elk with a shot gun.

As a result my sister in law got pretty sick and had a few BBs lodged inside... not a fun thing at all!

Good this isn't a flamer post because I have seen it on both sides. It is really a disappointment you can't regulate such greediness /stupidity (sp).

Cohodependent · 11-06-2002, 02:23 PM

Two years ago my brother in-law shot a really nice 5x5 bull over in Central Oregon. When we gutted the animal we found an entire arrow buried in the animal. There was so much infection that by the time we got done cutting all of the spoiled meat out the hanging weight was less than 200 pounds. It looked like the hunter attempted a but shot.

OneLastCast · 11-06-2002, 04:43 PM

About ten years ago I shot a buck in the Chesnimnus unit. Hung it in the basement. When cutting it up I found a broadhead in the back straps. There was no hole in the hide so I figured it was from the year before. The area around the broadhead was like grey jello but I don't think it bothered the deer as much as the lead poisoning.

The thing was the broadhead was in perfect line with a shot behind the shoulder. Just about 6 inches to high. Looked to me like bad luck.

Nothing against archers....I used to hunt that way....it is just like was said, rifle or bow, we have got losers in every crowd.

OneLastCast

Tilla · 11-06-2002, 04:55 PM

Now, I'm not condoning anything here, but the deadest Elk I ever packed half of out was a 15 yd right exactly up the heart of Texas. And I mean exactly.

TheRogue · 11-06-2002, 05:19 PM

Tough animals!!!!

bigshark · 11-06-2002, 05:45 PM

I took a small buck some years ago that had a stick about 10 inches long in its chest cavity. The stick was inside a capsule of white skin type matter. I was told this is not uncommon although the lenght of the stick was. When small they fall and attempt to jump over things and misjudge their ability as all youngsters seem to do.

crabbait · 11-06-2002, 07:32 PM

Just because the arrow was in the nose does not mean that the archer was trying to make a head shot. One time years ago I took a 40yd shot at a broadside elk. As soon as I released the string the elk turned away from me, then looked back past it's butt in my direction. The arrow hit the elk at the base of the neck and the elk piled up in about thirty yards. Lucky.

My dad put an arrow right through the boiler room on a nice 5 pt bull one time. When we were skinning it, we found a satellite broadhead imbeded in its shoulder blade. The broadhead was encased in calcium with no sign of infection. The blades were incredibly thin stainless steel. Hard to tell how long it would have taken to disolve the blades like that.

One more: While on a hunting trip with a well known guide out of Sheridan, Wyoming, we had the opportunity to visit the man's home. Above his fireplace he had a bull elk that scored around 390. He took an arrow and screwed it into the broadhead that had the threaded insert protruding from about 4" up the inside base of the right horn. It seems that the year before, one of his hunters got an opportunity at this bull and made the mistake of looking at the rack when at full draw, less than 20yds from the animal. His arrow hit right where he was looking. At the end of the season, the guide shot the bull while hunting the last few days with his crew. He did not know it was the same bull and did not notice the imbeded broadhead with just the insert sticking out until they were tying the rack and cape to a packhorse.

Thanks for understanding that even good hunters can make bad shots with either a rifle or a bow.

Wak · 11-06-2002, 07:41 PM

A buddy of mine has killed 3 bulls within a 1/4 mile of each other all with arrows in them. The last one we didn't notice until he cut the horns off. You could see the tip of a broadhead on the inside of the skull just below and dead center of the horns. It was broke off on the outside and covered from the thick hair that surrounds the base of the rack. All bulls appeared healthy.

Killertraylor · 11-06-2002, 11:25 PM

While examining one of the Bull elk we killed last weekend on the coast, one of the members of our party noticed that the elk had a sore about the size of a dime on it's nose, about 1/2 way between the tip of the nose and the eyes. It was covered in some green pus and at first, we thought it was just a sparring injury. Upon further examination, it was the shaft end of a broken off arrow and with a sawzall we were able to remove about a 5 inch piece of graphite arrow with a clean 125 grain thunderhead 3 blade broadhead. The broadhead had gone all the way through the nose and was just underneath the skin on the opposite side of the nose. It went right through both sinus passages, but other than the sore on the "shaft side" there appeared to be no infection or other abnormality. It was firmly lodged in the bone and had to be pryed out. I'm sure it made it much more difficult for the elk to breathe through his nose. Because the broadhead looked brand new, I'm guessing it happenned during this year's archery season. It did not penetrate the roof of the mouth so I'm sure the elk continued to eat just fine as it otherwise was healthy and mature. Anyone else found broadheads inside of animals you've shot? This one must have really hurt!

[ 11-06-2002, 12:27 PM: Message edited by: Killertraylor ]

Elkrig · 11-06-2002, 11:35 PM

My buddy killed an bull this 1st season and it had a arrow buried in it's ham. About 8 inches long with broadhead. It had scar tissue built all around it so it looks like last years. The bull had to rub it on a tree to break arrow off. He thinks they tried to shoot arrow up the behind and just missed. (what kind of archer would try this shot?) Pretty amazing had to of hurt for awhile.

Big Willie · 11-06-2002, 11:50 PM

Well, being a bowhunter this ticks me off, it makes us as a group look bad. Granted, I have found bullets in elk that have healed over as well...from a bad shot. Please don't let this turn into a bowhunters wound animals thread. My bull from a couple years ago dropped within 20 yards from a double lung shot at 18 yards. Every hunter, bow or rifle, needs to take the responsibility of making a good clean shot.
I might get flamed for this, but I don't support the idea of 'well I didn't draw my tag so I think I'll go bowhunting this year'...I hear that alot. Archers in general start practicing in the spring or shoot all winter and take it seriously. I deer hunt with a rifle but when I go into the field with my bow I know what my limitations are because I practice...many don't, hence finding broadheads in hind quarters or worse.
Gary

Flying Roast Beef · 11-07-2002, 03:39 AM

I did find a broadhead in a mulie I killed in eastern Oregon once. In the base of the neck fully encased in gristle. I'm sure it was there at least one year.

Norm · 11-07-2002, 09:18 AM

I read a report done on wound loss ratio's. It was based on a hunting ranch in Africa that allowed both bow and rifle hunts. since it was a year around operation, they have pretty good data since the guides were always in the bush in the same area. I think the numbers were around 80% of archery wounded and lost animals survived, and about 30% of the rifle wounded and lost animals survied. I guess broadheads make a cleaner wound and are more likley to heal than a bullet wound. I'd guess the percentage of wounded and lossed is higher with archers.

chummer · 11-07-2002, 10:23 AM

Over the last 14years while living in hermiston, I would take deer and elk that i shot to Eastern Oregon Mobile Slaughter to hang in the cooler. Each year they had a tray for all the broadheads they found in carcesses they were butchering. Every year they would find 5 - 10 broadheads! This is 1 small meat cutter in eastern Oregon. I'd hate to think about how many broadheads are found in game thats processed on the west side. It did make me think about taking extra caution when field dressing animals.

MountainLion84 · 11-08-2002, 08:37 PM

My son killed a forken horn buck in chesnimus this year, and there was a broad-head lodged right under his spine. It kind of looked like it could be from the year before, but he wouldn't have been a legal buck then. The one my dad got, had been hit with three buckshot pellets, that had barely broke the skin.