Lost bull elk - Montana HD 410

[GearJunky]

I know it’s a long shot, but figured it can’t hurt. I had a bull walk right to me, I drew and as he approached he presented a frontal shot. I estimated him at 30, but now I believe it was closer to 20 yards. I was sitting on an exposed hill side glassing, so as the bull rounded the hill he kept getting closer. The hillside likely also impacts exactly how my arrow traveled through him, we were roughly the same elevation.

Arrow entered his chest slightly higher than mid mass, the arrow passed through his chest and exited his “driver side”. I believe the exit wound was just below spine height (as he ran away, I thought the exit was higher than I would have wanted). I found my arrow and it was covered in red bubbles but never found any blood trail. After the shot the elk ran non stop for 1000 plus yards and never showed any signs of weakness.

410 is open country, so I searched every spot I think a wounded animal would go and never turned up anything after two days of looking. Bull was shot Monday 9/21.

If you turn up a dead 6x6, it would be great to find closure. Bull was shot away from the river, out in the hills in the BMA.

 

[Dakotakid]

Anyway to get a dog on it?
Probably not now, given date.

 

[Salmonchaser]

Dang, hope you find answers. You’ve narrowed it down to the BMA, not like 410 is unknown super secret for elk. Do you have coordinates?

 

[elkduds]

Archery hunters collaborate to feed coyotes, wolves, bears and crows:

AI Overview

Archery hunters wound an estimated 60% of elk shot at, with a significant portion of those animals going unrecovered. [1]

Wounding and Recovery Statistics

• • Wounding rate: General discussions and consensus on platforms like Reddit estimate that archery hunters fatally or non-fatally wound roughly 60% of the elk they release arrows at, which factors in difficult angles, animal movement, and judgement errors. [1]
  • Recovery rates: Unlike rifle hunting—which generally features higher recovery rates—archery recovery is lower due to narrower wounding margins and tracking difficulties. [1]
  • Mixed opinions: On forums like ArcheryTalk, hunters debate these high estimates, with many experienced bowhunters reporting personal loss rates far lower than the aggregate statistical averages, suggesting that stat estimates often conflate clean misses with actual wounding hits. [1]

 

[TheTone]

Archery hunters collaborate to feed coyotes, wolves, bears and crows:

AI Overview

Archery hunters wound an estimated 60% of elk shot at, with a significant portion of those animals going unrecovered. [1]

Wounding and Recovery Statistics

• • Wounding rate: General discussions and consensus on platforms like Reddit estimate that archery hunters fatally or non-fatally wound roughly 60% of the elk they release arrows at, which factors in difficult angles, animal movement, and judgement errors. [1]
  • Recovery rates: Unlike rifle hunting—which generally features higher recovery rates—archery recovery is lower due to narrower wounding margins and tracking difficulties. [1]
  • Mixed opinions: On forums like ArcheryTalk, hunters debate these high estimates, with many experienced bowhunters reporting personal loss rates far lower than the aggregate statistical averages, suggesting that stat estimates often conflate clean misses with actual wounding hits. [1]

Weird I just saw a bull on another site that was killed quickly with an arrow and had two rifle bullets in it. I have found far more wasted rifle elk than archery.

 

[Benfromalbuquerque]

@elkduds

 

[DFS]

Here we go!!

 

[elkduds]

@elkduds
View attachment 418254

WTF is the expectation when the, "Gee whiz golly wow, I wounded an elk I can't find, with my bow," threads start 'hitting?' Rifle hunters wound and lose too many. Archers wound and lose way too many. I just spent most of the last month w a bow hunting HT guy who passed on dozens of iffy shots and ate his OIL tag rather than risk wounding/losing a good bull. That's the kind of archery hunter I respect and admire, a rare breed.

 

[Jnasa]

WTF is the expectation when the, "Gee whiz golly wow, I wounded an elk I can't find, with my bow," threads start 'hitting?' Rifle hunters wound and lose too many. Archers wound and lose way too many.

Maybe just leave it be? I don't see the point in attacking one another. Plenty of anti hunters out there doing it already.

 

[elkduds]

Maybe just leave it be? I don't see the point in attacking one another. Plenty of anti hunters out there doing it already.

We call out every other kind of slob hunter. I'm not giving a pass to behavior that is largely driven by poor judgement rather than ignorance; wounding and wasting wildlife. We should be the first ones enforcing our ethic to hunt lethally or not at all. Whether or not the antis agree, we decide whether or not to do what is right, and whether to tolerate slobbery.

 

[INMT]

Stop the f’in Hatfield and McCoy infighting ffs.

Redirect the rage. There are plenty of public comment periods still open that affect us as a whole. If you’ve already commented federally, then contact your local reps. Or vice versa.

Quit the nitpicking on a public forum and strive to make a difference.

Just a few…

Open Public Comment Periods

• • U.S. Forest Service Roadless Rule Repeal: The Department of Agriculture and Forest Service extended the public comment period for its proposal to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule (which protects nearly 45 million acres of national forests). Comments are open through October 6, 2026. You can submit feedback via the US Forest Service Roadless Areas page. [1, 2]
  • Forest Service Travel Management Rule Revision: Proposed rewrites regarding motorized vehicle access, route designations, and unrecognized roads on forest lands are accepting public input through October 6, 2026. [1, 2]
  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Clan Alpine Horse Gather: The BLM Stillwater Field Office is accepting 30-day public reviews and comments on a Determination of NEPA Adequacy (DNA) for the 2026 gather through October 25, 2026. Details are hosted on the BLM Public Input & Actions portal.[1]

 

[Southern Elk]

WTF is the expectation when the, "Gee whiz golly wow, I wounded an elk I can't find, with my bow," threads start 'hitting?' Rifle hunters wound and lose too many. Archers wound and lose way too many. I just spent most of the last month w a bow hunting HT guy who passed on dozens of iffy shots and ate his OIL tag rather than risk wounding/losing a good bull. That's the kind of archery hunter I respect and admire, a rare breed.

Come on man. That’s not called for. Shit happens.

 

[elkduds]

Stop the f’in Hatfield and McCoy infighting ffs.

Redirect the rage. There are plenty of public comment periods still open that affect us as a whole. If you’ve already commented federally, then contact your local reps. Or vice versa.

Quit the nitpicking on a public forum and strive to make a difference.

Just a few…

Open Public Comment Periods

• • U.S. Forest Service Roadless Rule Repeal: The Department of Agriculture and Forest Service extended the public comment period for its proposal to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule (which protects nearly 45 million acres of national forests). Comments are open through October 6, 2026. You can submit feedback via the US Forest Service Roadless Areas page. [1, 2]
  • Forest Service Travel Management Rule Revision: Proposed rewrites regarding motorized vehicle access, route designations, and unrecognized roads on forest lands are accepting public input through October 6, 2026. [1, 2]
  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Clan Alpine Horse Gather: The BLM Stillwater Field Office is accepting 30-day public reviews and comments on a Determination of NEPA Adequacy (DNA) for the 2026 gather through October 25, 2026. Details are hosted on the BLM Public Input & Actions portal.[1]

I've posted plenty about the first 2, and will continue. It isn't either/or.

 

[Dave N]

I've posted plenty about the first 2, and will continue. It isn't either/or.

We get it. You don't like bow hunters. With all of your nasty comments about them it just might be time to not like you! It's time to stop labeling an entire group for things that a few have done.

 

[Irishman]

The people that take bad shots with their bow, are probably the same people that go out a month later and take bad shots with their rifles.