Members Answer:
An animal shot in a vital area with a rifle will react to the fear, shock, trauma and almost instantaneous body-weakening by traveling the route of least resistance as quickly as it can. If there is slope to the terrain, the animal will commonly go downhill.
An elk shot with an arrow may at first feel nothing except a sudden poke or punch. Because death occurs by internal hemorrhaging, with virtually no apparent trauma, the elk may simply continue in the direction it was originally traveling. However, as it weakens from blood loss, the animal will begin following the route of least resistance.
A broken front leg may cause an animal to travel uphill; the powerful hind legs and weight distribution to the rear portion of the body make it easier for the wounded animal to move in this direction. After distancing itself from the immediate danger, it may then begin traveling downhill. An animal with a broken hind leg will generally travel downhill, as the efficiency of those powerful hind legs has been compromised. An animal that has been shot in the liver or guts will, if left alone, soon find a hiding spot in heavy cover and lie down.
An animal that has seen the hunter is likely to choose a route that helps it distance and shield itself. The less badly wounded an animal is, the greater its awareness, energy and options.
- Richard Hayes, Chattaroy, Washington
With shoulder hits an elk will usually dip in the front end on impact and go downhill. A lung shot sometimes looks like a miss because the bullet passes right through and doesn’t spend all its energy on the elk. A lung-shot elk can run any direction. If there are other elk, the wounded one often goes with the herd until it weakens for lack of oxygen. Paunch and liver hits will make an elk hunch up. Again it can go any direction and is able to travel much farther than if shot through the lungs. A heart shot will sometimes make the elk jump or rear up on its hind legs. It won’t go far. Remember, though, there is always the exception to the rule.
- Dennis Tandberg, Harlowton, Montana
In my experience, the answer to the question is “yes.” I have seen an elk go in a combination of directions, and even the equivalent of a circle. I have seen an elk just lie back down in cover a few feet away. In each case there was an explanation for the direction and distance the elk traveled. Watch. Be still. Don’t be in a hurry. Think. Analyze what is going on. Get help.
- John T. Mercer, McMinnville, Oregon
Next Question: (Answers will appear in the Nov-Dec 2007 issue of Bugle and on this website)
If you kill an elk at a waterhole or wallow, will other elk use it again? Would it be a waste of time for someone to set up over the same waterhole the next day?
- Merle Tinker, Hood River, Oregon
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