Missed a slam dunk in the 3rd quarter... and it cost the game.

Well my CO 1st rifle hunt is over. My buddy had a cow tag and I had a bull tag.

We put in lots of effort... out all day. 8-10+ miles per day. Up in place at first light and not hiking out until after last light each day. We saw elk up close 3/5 days. We bumped some cows in the Aspen the first day walking but my buddy did not get a shot. The second day we watched some cows in the distance on a mountain top, but nothing close. The third day we had a cow come in at last light, but didn't feel good about a frontal shot and being last light were not absolutely positive it wasn't a spike, especially being by itself.

The morning of day 4 I was in at first light and about 8:30 heard a rumble one draw over... elk moving across the scree slope. I ran a couple hundred yards, spotted about 12 cows and one big bull. I saw his big brow tines and rack behind his head, but never counted his size... all I know was he was big in body and rack. I set my gun against a tree and squeezed off a shot. His back arched and initially I thought I spined him. He got his feet under him and moved straight away uphill with no shot presenting. Near the top of the hill he turned broadside, I put the cross hairs behind his front quarter and fired a shot.

I heard a crash in the brush and didn't see any more movement on top of the hill. I went back to where I was sitting to grab my pack and let my buddy know on the walkie talkie. I was beyond pumped!! So stoked.

I walked back up the hill and... no bull. I looked for blood and found 5 drops of bright red blood about 5-10 yards apart each. I searched figuring he couldn't be far, but didn't find him.

My heart sank. We gridded out the area searching with no luck. We found some tracks to follow. All in all we spent many hours searching for him. I was (and still am) so bummed.

I asked my buddy if I should continue to hunt... he thought I should. So I did, but with no more luck. We worked really hard the last and final day. Hiking way up in draws where we had previously heard some bugles hoping to bump an animal with the wind in our face. No luck.

I have replayed the encounter with that bull over and over in my mind. I had knocked my rifle over at one point in the hunt but not too hard and I would be shocked if the Talley rings budged my Leupold VX-6. This was my first encounter with a bull in 4 years of hunting. I can say I was completely amped at the time. I totally let all my practice go out the window in a moment of excitement. I don't remember taking the safety off my rifle. At the time I felt like a 200 yard shot was a slam dunk. I didn't control my breathing, squeeze until it surprised me... etc. I just put the cross hairs on vitals and let it fly. I will be back to the range to check my rifle soon... but I am 99.9% sure I pulled my shots with all the adrenaline pumping.

Not only that, but as I woke up this morning I felt like I should have looked harder and further and in other directions. Deep down, I know we put everything we had into finding him and we had no chance...

It is a sinking and disheartening feeling to know I have invested 4 years working to learn the craft that is elk hunting.... and in my moment I blew it. I am so bummed to know I wounded that beautiful beast of an animal and left him to likely wander off and pass from his injuries in a way that is not swift. I left the mountains this year glad that what I have learned here has seemed to work, but mostly overwhelmingly bummed that I didn't seal the deal and that I left an animal out there to suffer.

All I can do is learn from this and not repeat it. Slow myself down in the moment, go through the basics before I take another shot.

Rough year!!

You have my respect for sharing your story. I don't know too many hunters who haven't lost an animal at some point or another. It always sucks, but if you're confident that you did all you could do....well that's all you can do. Don't get discouraged, when you are successful(and you will be!) the trials and tribulations that you have gone through will make it all the sweeter.

I understand that pit in your stomach losing an animal. It is not what we set out to do, nor want to do. I can say most of us if not all of us on this forum have the most respect for these magnificent creatures we pursue in the wilds of America. I have lost a few animals and it makes me sick to my stomach. I make sure to learn from my missteps and add to my future hunts not to do again. To error is human. Thanks for sharing don’t beat yourself up to hard. Good luck in the future.

My best friend since we were 14 came out this year for 1st last weekend. Long story short, he had a brief, very steep angle shot on Monday, and we found 2 spots of bright blood the size of a dime, the one where the bull was standing had what I was pretty sure was tallow in it. The second spot was small and 20 yards away. We were on hands and knees and feet for 5+ hours, plus several hours the next day and never found another drop or indication of a wounded bull. We dissected that scenario dozens of times after Monday. He didn’t account for the angle, should have let the bull clear further into the opening, didn’t half-exhale and squeeze. Didn’t hear me whisper ‘2 more steps’. It was still a clear shot, but more could have been accounted for. I think he creased the bulls back with the angle and the slightly shorter distance than he zeroed at.


I told him the same as both Jeremy and MJE have mentioned - it has happened to close to 100% of the elk hunters I know - and it sucks. Really sucks. I don’t want to pretend you won’t think about it for the rest of your life (and I told my buddy he will, too). But not only did you make the effort to recover, by replaying the scenario and analyzing it and learning from it, you’re learning the lessons, internalizing them, and thus making it less likely to happen again. It is, sadly, part of hunting. Keep using the lessons and press on.

I don’t think the suck factor should be avoided in situations like yours. It should be a bummer to wound an animal and not find it. As others have said though, it will happen if you hunt enough. Get back at em next year.

Ive lost a few deer over the years and I still think about each one at times. Keep up the hard work and it will pay off.

Happens to all of us don't worry about it keep hunting and keep your head up