Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting have you ever shot and got zero indication of a hit?

I'm convinced that sometimes a 1st shot will throw an animal into shock. After that they can absorb tremendous punishment before they bleed out. I once shot one 4 times in the lungs but it just stood there. The lungs were jello and the far shoulder was broken. I wasn't sure I'd even hit it but it finally just flopped over.

Several times actually. I put FIVE 168 TTSXs into the boiler room of a bull last year and he finally bedded down like he was taking a nap after the fifth shot. Never reacted otherwise.

Range was longish (470 yards), but the one bullet I recovered was beautiful.

Elk are tough.

If you can put a halter on a wild bull you're my new hero...

Dads uncle owned 20,000 acres of hill country farm and bush in Taranaki. Dads cousin started running guided hunts for pigs, goats and wild cattle back in the 80's and we got invited to visit and hunt with him.
We spent a week there and got six boars ranging from 150 pounds to over 200, a few good goats and two BIG bulls. He kept the trophys and we got as much meat as we wanted.

He got locked up a couple of years later when he saw someone stealing livestock and fired a warning shot over them, they claimed he tried to shoot them but we all know if he had tried to hit them they'd be feeding pigs in a gully. He's lost his business and can no longer own a firearm.

frequently
As an earlier post said, bones or nerverous system hits, you get a reaction. Lungs sometime, heart they flinch and run, but many times no reactio at all.
Here are some observations after 50 years that help me.
If the rest of the elk run and yours is standing its hurt.
If it walks away as if unhit its hurt.
Twitch with full out run, heart.
Full out run from standing stop, miss or heart.
If you are very confident in your shot, it may be hit!
Your elk is out of sight and the rest of them are standing, looking, waiting for it.
"never assume that you missed"

I have had a number of bulls show no indication of a hit whatever.

The most memorable was a 6-point in heavy snow, just visible through the falling snow at about 275 yds. I shot from a rest, and, as is my policy, shot again when he never moved a muscle, and again, and again...five shots. I completely emptied that old Springfield and was fumbling in the pouch for more when the bull simply tipped over.

Every shot was a kill shot.

As I dressed him, I discovered all five entered the lungs just above the heart in a pattern about the size of a paper plate.

My first and only bull elk did this. We were doing a 2.5 mile drive south down what we call railroad canyon. Huge horseshoe ridge with the legs of the shoe facing south. It has an decommissioned railroad grade that goes up the middle which helps with the pack out! Anyways, another guy and me jumped on some fresh tracks on the way up. The tracks quickly disappeared in some rock scabs and due to the fact that the snow was only 1� in places. We caught the truck on the way back and decided to scurry up the middle of the horseshoe and see what they might push down the ridges. After a time we decided that our guys were getting close so we would just do a U-turn and head back down to the road. I went first and my buddy went 100 yards further for a bigger turn.
I started down off of a rock scab into the dark timber which had very little debris on the ground so I was sneaking along rather well. I made it about 30 yards and heard a weird sound. Sort of a grunt/bark to my right. I instantly got the gun ready and waited. I figured it was a raven since they make some wacked out noises where we hunt and they had been all week. I took about 4 more sloooowww steps in soft dirt and heard what sounded like a boot hitting a log and it sounded close! I had multiple shooting lanes and zero trees out to 20 yards. I got in a quick kneeling position, safety off (finger off the trigger) and got ready. I waited about 3 minutes that seemed like 5 hours and suddenly the wind changed and the smell of elk (sort of like wet hay) wafted over me. Then I saw him run out from the right at a trot. Having either sex tags I noticed the horns but I didn�t really care how big they were. Not seeing any others behind him I shifted my rifle to the best shooting lane. He stops in that lane with his head behind a tree! I aimed my Enfeild 7mm Rem Mag right behind the shoulder and sent a 168 grain Nosler his way. Nothing. He didn�t even flinch. I had racked another round in before and aimed again, this time not quite as steady and went for the anchor shot right on the shoulder joint figuring I would see more of a reaction. Nothing. He starts to take a step forward and I stand muttering �WTF(rench) are these robotic elk!� He ran forward about 10 yards and caught my movement as I shifted for a better shooting lane. He doubled back and started to run down the hill out of sight. Now it sounded like he went running ALL the way down the hill. I reload in a flash while jumping over logs at a dead run and grab the radio and start to call my buddy saying �I think I hit him but he just crashed down the�� I just see his head rise up and he runs into 2 25-35 foot dead trees, bounces off them, goes out of sight, 2 trees fall over, I see the same rising of his head over the next little crest and this time he goes down HARD. He had hit the ground twice, blood everywhere and then fell on a 25 degree slope, head down with only one small pine that was 4� across to tie him off to. Walking up from behind it looked like a small 3 point. He turned out to be a good sized 6 point, no 300+ monster but big by my standards.
The autopsy later revealed the first shot was dead on; it slipped between the ribs on both sides and aerated his lungs. It barely clipped the rib on the other side taking off a toothpick size splinter. The second shot was forward and up on the shoulder which punched a big hole in the trapezes muscle where the neck meets the top of the shoulder (I might have the muscle name wrong). He was a big s.o.b. and almost killed me packing him out in 3 trips. (only one helper).

you aren't acquainted with Kawi, are you?

In answer to the original question.... yes.

So true!


270

Yup...unless you or your spotter see where the bullet hits...like on a 600 yard shot at an antelope in 30mph wind, when I saw dust kick up in front of the critter...no need to pace that one off.

The bull I shot last year at 35yds with a Mler, just turned his head and looked at me after the shot. I was totally in shock that I'd just missed him. He just stood there watching me reload, so we sort of figured he was hit as they usually blow out over the very least of movement. Just as I shoved the bullet home and capped it, he staggered and stepped behind some brush where he crashed down the mountain a short piece.

Shot a nice 6x6 in '06 that just stood there after the shot at 325yds. I racked another in and smacked him in the shoulder, which caused him to fold. The first punched through the lungs.

Bull elk are tough sobs. I believe in pouring the lead to them til their down.

I've killed almost three dozen elk and maybe half of them just stood there showing no indication that they were already dead. They just didn't know it yet. A hole through both lungs often results in that effect. It takes a few minutes for them to lay down and give up. Make sure that you follow up every shot even if you think you missed.

KC

The last elk that I killed took three 180 grain hits from a .30-06 all within a 3 inch circle, he ran about 20 yards and stood there with his head down for 10 minutes before he expired.

I use a .340 now.

Back in 1983 I was up in the Absoraka Wilderness with outfitter Larry Gaustad. Was using my 6 lb 7 oz 30-06 with 180 Nosler PP Partitions running 2700 fps. Had an large bodied bull (4 qtrs went 500 lbs @ the butcher), broadside, at 100 yds. Due to curvature of the hill, I had to shoot standing. First hit went shoulder to shoulder, bullet stopping just under the hide. Second and 3rd hits were through and through lung shots. Due to the severe upward recoil of the .522", pencil thin, muzzle, I was not seeing the hits nor the bulls reaction; which was zip. He finally started to walk away and, in a panic, I hit him a 4th time, raking the bullet up from the left flank, through his vitals, stopping just under the right brisket hide. His legs FINALLY went all rubbery, and I could finally see the puff of dust come off his flank. He only made it about 10 more yds. Even though we had stalked the last 200 yds, I was now practically hyperventilating as I asked the guide if I should keep shooting? He just cracked a big grin and said

"Naw, he was dead on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th shot. It's just that neither of you knew it!"

Alan

that reminds me so much of my first bull I shot with my 338 BAR.
I carefully shot from a sitting position with a sling from about 350 yards, all the cow elk instantly dashed off then milled around looking back at the bull,from about 70 yards away, the bull just stood stunned, with his legs splayed out a bit, after about 10-15 seconds the lead cow decided to split the area and the other cows followed.
I was just about to fire a second shot as the bull tipped over, during the whole process, between the first shot and the bull dropping probably lasted 40 second, and during that time my friend kept insisting I shoot again, but I could see the blood running out of a well placed bullet hole, and the cover was rather sparse so I figured I.d belt him if he looked like he was going to move , but I had the distinct impression he was dead on his feet and just had not realized it fully, the 250 hornady bullet had punched both lungs and exited, at that range I doubt it fully expended, it zipped thru doing fatal damage but not producing the shock a faster expending design bullet like a 200 grain .338 speer may have

yep. shot a cow a couple days ago with my newest 270 win and 150gr partitions. broadside at maybe 100 yards. she took 5-6 steps and just stood in place. tipped over after 30 seconds or so.

This has been my experience also with monos. They act like FMJs.

Yup, they can drop like a rock, or look at you like.... whats your problem bro.....

The sign that tells you it is a hit, is the lack of movement. They are in shock and will just stand there or move slowly while if there are any other elk around they will jump at the sound and move frantic not knowing wich way to go..

Thats my experience