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I thought I posted this, but it's lost.
In my one and only elk hunt, I shot a cull elk cow. She was old and weighed over 400lbs according to the landowner. I was using a 30-06, 165gn Partitions 2850fps.I took a slightly quartering double-lung shot. The distance was around 100yds and she was unaware of me. At the shot she immediately began that shuttling run. She showed no physical sign of being hit. By the time I got over thinking I had missed. At 60yds she began to wobble. At 75yds she was down and obviously dead. Is this reaction, or lack thereof common? Thanks captdavid


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Pretty common for a double lung shot.As long as the heart is still pumping blood to the brain, they can continue to move.

I believe Mule Deer expressed it this way several years ago. An animal takes about ten seconds to die and everyone uses those ten seconds differently


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This is very typical in my experience. I have shot 20 elk or so, and been present when more than twice that many were shot. It didn't seem to matter much what they were hit with, from 7mm-08 to .375H&H, the "ten seconds to die" rule is pretty accurate for a double lung shot. DO NOT expect an elk to fall over at the shot. it might happen, for some odd reason some of the quickest kills I've seen have been with little bullets from .270's and 7mm's, but you can't count on seeing a reaction or getting instant results on any thing but a shot to the spine, brain, or both shoulders.
The advice I'd give you is instead of wondering if you'd missed, shoot again! Far too many elk are hit and lost by hunters who "admire the shot" and fail to reload and shoot again. I've shot quite a few elk unessesarily a second or third time. But it sure as heck beats a long frustrating tracking job.

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Almost every elk I've shot run 50-100 yards after the lung shot, not offering a 2nd shot. Two elk I shot showed almost no reaction to being hit. One was shot with a 338 Federal at 80 yards and the other a 35 whelen on a cow at 110 yards. Both were shot again with extreme reaction, both going straight down. Keep shooting if you can.


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Congrats on your elk!

Not surprised at the reaction to your shot, and I have read that moose are even more "reaction proof" if you will.

Elk is some GREAT meat though!

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I have had very few opportunities for a 2nd shot as I mostly hunt timber. The two I remember were because of a poorly placed shot of mine.Those two took a second shot,but only after longer than necessary tracking job. Neither gave me the opportunity of quick follow up shot right after the 1st one


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Pretty common with lung hits. The time it takes before they fall over seems like an eternity though.

I actually went to using a .338 Win Mag on elk in the hope that it would make them show some reaction at the shot. I think it does, but not much. They still go 60 to maybe 150 yards before they keel over.

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Your description is a pretty common reaction of elk that have been duoble lunged. And it doesn't really matter if you shoot them with a 6mm NPT or a 338 NPT..

This fall I watched a cow immediately fold up when shot through both lungs and an exit with a 270 cal 150 NPT, while the cow I shot a couple days prior with a 150 NPT ran 40 yds after being shot twice through the lungs.

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Quite often, at the shot the blood pressure plummets and they go into shock. When that happens, they'll just stand there doing nothing for a short time, then just fall over.


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Yeah, I've seen that one several times as well. They "lock up" and just stand there, unless something else happens to possibly stir them up. My biggest bull was quartering away at around 250 years when a 180-grain .30-06 bullet went through both lungs. It just stood there as some other elk on the hillside came running by, whereupon it walked slowly a little ways, trying to follow them. Then it stopped and when I shot a second time, dropped. Most of the time, however, they just stand there until they fall over, or are shot again.

Have seen a number of caribou and moose do the same thing.


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There's a lot on the web about the affect of shock on people. It's not much different in animals.
This is a list of common symptoms. Of course most of these can't be detected in a wounded elk but some can. If you've shot many animals, you will likely recognize some of them.


Some of the typical signs and symptoms of shock usually include at least two or more of the following:

Confusion or lack of alertness
Loss of consciousness
A sudden and ongoing rapid heartbeat
Sweating
Pale skin
A weak pulse
Rapid breathing
Decreased or no urine output
Cool hands and feet
Any of these alone is unlikely to be a sign or symptom of shock.


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John,

"around 250 years" ???

Talk about waiting a long time for a bullet to arrive!!

But what the hey! It makes things more exciting here.

Steve


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My experience matches most. The bull I shot this year was at about 275 yards. After the first shot he just walked up to the top of the hill and looked back. Shot again and he just walked on over the hill. By the time I got up there he was dead as a doornail. 2 shots about 3" apart, half way up behind the shoulder. I was shooting a 30-06 w/ 180gr Hornady BTSP's. He probably went 50 yards from where I first shot. Shooting elk with a rifle is similar to shooting them with a bow, they are killed by the damage the bullet or arrow does much more than shock like when shooting a deer. I'm sure you could drop them in their tracks if you shoot them in the shoulder but that is a terrible waste of meat.


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My experience is that a surprising number of elk do not react to being hit with a bullet in any way visible to me.

There are exceptions such as one whose neck I broke while it was on a dead run and it did a folding skid like an airplane whose landing gear failed as it hit the runway. Far more elk IME show no reaction or react with a slight start as if surprised or bee stung, and then carried on normally. A large bull hit diagonally through the point of his near shoulder with bullet ranging toward offside hip gave zero reaction other than to look around carefully. He did not take a step but folded when my second shot took him behind the ear.

A large bull at 13 yards hit through both lungs while walking broadside to me through timber, paused for a beat and then kept walking for another 30 feet. He fell a split second before I shot again.

A bull on the run at point blank range and hit in his shoulder with a light bullet that did not penetrate more than four inches, ran a few more steps, then stopped, whereupon I hit him again through the lungs. He took two more steps and folded.

IME moose tend to brace themselves to keep standing when hit by a bullet. Elk tend to show little or no reaction and then some of them use their remaining seconds of life to leave the country.

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Other then neck, head, or spine shot elk it is hard to tell from reaction if your shot was on target, slightly off or a clean miss. I'm in the if they are standing I am shooting club. Better to lose 5 lbs of meat the a whole elk.

This year a large cow took 2 high in the lungs at about 280 yards then circled back for a 3rd at 75!before she quit . Last year first shot was perfect at 550 yards she took a step and turned to face me at the second shot she did a backflip down the hill and lodged in a scrubby tree. A lung shot cow at 11 yards ran almost 80 yards before dropping they just don't react like deer.

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If one does not break any supporting bones or hit the central nervous system, there's often no evidence of a hit. Shakes one a bit, but if one has confidence in his abilities and arms, there's typically no reason to worry. Fifty or sixty yards of walking/running, and they typically go down.

I frequently hunt with a Ruger #1 or just chamber a single round. By the time I chamber another and get back on target, they usually tip over.

If some significant range (like 200 + yds)is involved, however, one will typically hear the hit. Closer, and the noise is smothered by the report or its echoes.

I've put two rounds into one bull, and when the skinning started, it turned out there was no need. Both through and through the lungs.

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Years ago, I shot a 4x4 bull 4 times from about 200 yds. He just stood there and eventually laid down and died. I could cover all 4 holes with my hand. The lungs were obliterated, a chest full of jello, and the far shoulder was broken. He acted like nothing had happened.


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First two bulls I took dropped and never moved again. Both hit in the neck inside of 50 yards. This year's bull took one through the rear of the shoulders at 137 yards and dropped in his tracks. He then got up and took another one through his right ham and ended up inside of his left shoulder. Final shot was in the back of his head/neck at about 2 feet.
Tough animals and as shown in earlier posts, sometimes they just don't show much reaction.
I learned early that if they're still standing or still looking like they're alive, keep shooting.


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Captdavid, dozens of elk hit with bullets from the .30-30 and .250 Savage to the .340 Wby and .375 have warned me off generalizations about shot reaction. I'm careful with my shots, call them as best I can and immediately try to hit the elk again, no matter how deadly I thought the first bullet. An elk that drops instantly concerns me, because often it is spine-shot. I stay put, ready to fire again. If the shot didn't smash the spinal cord, the elk may recover its feet, at which point you must fire right away or face low odds of recovery. Just my thoughts... WvZ

Originally Posted by captdavid
I thought I posted this, but it's lost.
In my one and only elk hunt, I shot a cull elk cow. She was old and weighed over 400lbs according to the landowner. I was using a 30-06, 165gn Partitions 2850fps.I took a slightly quartering double-lung shot. The distance was around 100yds and she was unaware of me. At the shot she immediately began that shuttling run. She showed no physical sign of being hit. By the time I got over thinking I had missed. At 60yds she began to wobble. At 75yds she was down and obviously dead. Is this reaction, or lack thereof common? Thanks captdavid

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Buddy of mine killed an absolute monster bull on a big ranch with a guy videotaping. It is a great example of how much punishment they can absorb without stopping. At about 400 he underestimated the wind with his 300 magnum and hit it in the neck solidly but missed the spine. It ran a ways then stopped and took one right behind the front shoulder and drops. A short while later the bull stands up and starts to move away and takes 3 more in the chest at various angles before he stopped.

At least 4 fatal wounds but a riled up bull elk is not easy to put on the ground quickly - easy to see everything on a video replay - harder in the field at a distance in real time with adrenaline, recoil and muzzle blast to deal with while you assess your results.

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Every so often a story gets going about someone having an animal go down, get back up, shoot it again and ending up with 2 or more dead animals. I've never known of a VERIFIED case of it happening but it still pays to make sure you're always shooting at the same animal.


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Last year, while hunting with my son on a RFW property here in Colorado, a hunter did just that- shot at a cow elk, thought he had missed, shot at another cow, and ended up with two dead ones and a mess to sort out with the local DOW officer.

My own experience with elk reactions, after shooting a couple dozen or so with various weapons, calibers, etc. is that the usual reaction after the shot is little or no reaction at all- animal just stands there and falls down after a few seconds, or walks slowly away before collapsing.

The few instantaneous DRT's have occurred while using good ol' cup and core bullets out of a 7mm Rem. Mag., of Sierra and Speer persuasion. The most delayed reactions have occurred with 50 cal. muzzleloader, and with 200 gr. Swift A-Frames out of my .300 Wby. I no longer use those bullets for elk, choosing instead to go with 165 gr. Barnes TTSXes, with much quicker results. The Swifts were bought to use in Africa, and used on several elk as a 'warm-up' for Africa- IMO, way too tough a bullet to use on elk-sized game here in the US.


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I have a friend who got lost and spent the night in the woods. When he woke up he stood up to take a leak. When he did a bull stood up about fifty yards away. He dropped it with one .30-06 cup and core through the front of the chest. It got up and presented the same angle as before so he shot again. With the second shot about a dozen got up and ran off.

To his chagrin he discovered he killed two. A four by five and a five by five. He found a near by camp and after a few minutes found out the guy was delighted to tag one. He took my friend's around the mountain to his camp. He was so distraught he never hunted again.


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A local friend, who's now gone to the Happy Hunting Grounds, once hiked up his favorite elk mountain and found a 5-point bull standing on little rise in a sagebrush park above him. He shot at it, and the bull turned and disappeared over the rise. He hiked up to the rise, and saw the bull standing maybe 50 yards away, so he shot again and dropped it. He found the first bull dead in the sage while walking toward the second one.

A friend tagged the second bull, and both were packed off the mountain without incident.


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Last bull I shot went 4 steps and down. No other indication of a hit.

Not uncommon for the only indication of a hit to be the sound of the bullet impact.


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I like to describe it as the difference between elk and whitetail reactions like the difference between a black lab and a house cat getting sprayed with a garden hose.


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All the kills I have made that fell at the shot were hits with spine shots, neck shots and a handful I killed with raking shots from a 375H&H with 300 grain bullets.

With most shots however you will see elk stagger or run a short distance. If the bullet holds together and you hit them forward of the diaphragm it's not likely for elk to go more then about 30 yards.

All the long runs I have seen in my 42 years of hunting and guiding hunts for them were from clients who hit them in the wrong place, or hit them with a bullet that broke up and didn't penetrate well, or both.

I my experience, you are better off with a 257 Roberts with a partition or Barnes X bullet then you are with a 3oo Weatherby shooting a Burger or Sierra.

A poor bullet in the right place is still better then a good bullet in the wrong place though.

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John. Unfortunatly i did almost the same thing in Montana 4 seasons ago. I was slowly working my way off the point of a ridge when I spotted two bulls moving through the green timber about 200yds away. the second bull seemed to be the bigger one and I fired a shot as he moved between the tree's & lost him for a few seconds and then spotted him looking at me and quickly shot him again. Jumped and went out of sight. when I got over there I found him dead about 20 yards from where I shot him. I was sure I had hit him so I back trailed him about 75 yards only to find another dead elk! Both nice 6X6's. Tagged the bigger one field dressed them both. Called a warden and he accompanied me to the kill site & ended up fining me the minimum fine (135.00) and confiscated the head and antlers. Said he had so much meat that he couldn't take anymore. Gave me a tag for the meat. Both elk were shot with a 7mag and 175 NP.

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Luckily you ran into a sensible game warden!

A friend ran into another one many years ago, after he'd shot a spike mule deer by mistake, thinking it was a doe. The antlers were about 6" long, above the 4" limit for an "antlerless" tag, so he turned himself in. The warden fined him minimally and confiscated the deer. Back then, however, they could auction off confiscated game animals in the field, and "sold" the deer back to my friend for $10!


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Originally Posted by Rock Chuck
Every so often a story gets going about someone having an animal go down, get back up, shoot it again and ending up with 2 or more dead animals. I've never known of a VERIFIED case of it happening but it still pays to make sure you're always shooting at the same animal.


I'm sure that's happened to many people. My elk hunting partner's old partner was known for doing this. There's also the story of the guy that shoots a bull and the one behind it falls down too. eek. Moral of the story, know your target and what's behind it...


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Originally Posted by Pharmseller
You want to see an animal drop right now? Shoot him in the ear hole.

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