Know-How: Shooting the Bull

by
posted on August 29, 2016
shooting_the_bull_f.jpg

A bull elk weighs 700 pounds and doesn’t easily surrender its spirit. Mud-caked hide, massive bones, second-to-none cardiovascular efficiency and mountainous terrain make these beasts extremely tough to recover if not hit perfectly. So bowhunters should only attempt ideal shots.

The ideal bow shot and the one that offers the largest margin for error is taken while the elk stands broadside, slightly downhill from the shooter. Aim at the crease formed by the foreleg and chest, 3 inches below centerline. Perfectly executed, the arrow will destroy the aorta and perforate both lungs before exiting low behind the offside shoulder so that blood pumps to the ground. This animal will expire in seconds.

An elk’s lung area is roughly 12 inches wide by 12 inches high when broadside. An elk’s humerus (foreleg bone) does not run vertically from chest to backbone, but rather at an angle toward the neck before angling back and up to meet the scapula. This structure forms a pocket—protected only by ribs and the triceps muscle—that exposes the heart and lungs to arrows. Just don’t hit too high.

But what if the bull doesn’t turn broadside? Quartering shots are acceptable if the angle isn’t too extreme, as a one-lunged elk is often a lost elk.

“If I can’t envision a double-lung pass-through, I won’t take the shot,” says Oklahoman Bill Bolin, who’s taken 30-plus elk with his bow.

Yet elk often come in looking for the caller and present a head-on shot. This angle immediately reduces the vital zone to the size of a grapefruit. It’s not ideal, but it can be done.

“If the elk is downhill and facing me with his head up, I’ll aim at the base of the neck,” explains Bolin. “But it’s got to be close, so I know I can hit heart.”

Latest

Hardware CVA Cascade XT Lead
Hardware CVA Cascade XT Lead

Hardware: CVA Cascade XT

The new XT (X-Treme) is CVA’s precision-oriented rifle in the company’s popular Cascade rifle series, and boasts several features that make it an ideal multipurpose hunting rifle. 

Recipe: Antelope Kofta Kebab

Contributor Brad Fenson finds a good game replacement for lamb with his antelope kofta kebabs.

Taylor’s & Company Introduces 1875 Outlaw Revolver in 9mm

Taylor’s & Company has partnered with Uberti to create the 1875 Outlaw 9mm Revolver.

New for 2023: Primary Arms Optics SLx and GLx

Primary Arms Optics has released its inaugural pairs of binoculars: the SLx 10x42mm and GLx 10x42mm binoculars.

First Look: XS Sights Ghost Ring Sights for Henry Big Boy Carbines

XS Sights is offering its Ghost Ring sight sets for Henry Big Boy Carbine lever-action rifles chambered in .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum.

New for 2023: GPO Spectra 4.5-27x50i SFP

The German Precision Optics (GPO) Spectra 4.5-27x50i SFP is built for those who hunt game in environments where shooting at extended ranges is often required.

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.