Something you don't see every day

[Walksalot]

Picture says it all. From my trail camera

https://i.imgur.com/lDD3zYG.jpg

[Walksalot]

From my trail camera

[Norwestalta]

Healed gunshot wound?

[whitespringer]

Head shots... Not good. How that didn't that not lead to a major life threatening infection? Tough animals

[Chrispryn]

Wow, that's incredible. Tough animals

[Arctic Lake]

Head shots... Not good. How that didn't that not lead to a major life threatening infection? Tough animals
Geeezzz My thoughts exactly !
Arctic Lake

[steel_ram]

See that every day in the city. Just not on elk.

[Rieber]

Clear sinus passage - this will help the motor take in more oxygen but what an incredible picture. I can't believe the animal could withstand such an injury. That's a picture to send to the CORE program instructors as example of possible headshot outcomes.

[Bugle M In]

Wow, that's an incredible picture you got there.
I have lost count on how many bullets I have pulled out of elk while butchering.

Neck Shots seem to be high on the list for many hunters!!????
Then came bullets in the Rump and last but not least, a few in the Legs!

But that picture is a first for me.
Yes, tough animals if you have never hunted them before.
Only thing tougher is Goat, imo.

[BRvalley]

great pic, thanks for sharing

moose we got in 2014 had survived a head shot too, tough animals

[Sharpish]

That's why headshots are for assholes. Think of the pain that animal endured for months, possibly years. I've seen deer running around with their lower jaw shot off too.

BOILER ROOM PEOPLE!

[Dash]

Holy crap! That's an incredible picture. I totally agree with Rieber!

[mpotzold]

Wow -never seen or heard of such a wound!
The sense of smell must be gone as the air is now sucked in from the hole by the lungs.
No doubt a huge disadvantage for the elk!

[wideopenthrottle]

we got a huge mule buck up by gang one year ( I think the shooter might even be on this site but not sure of his handle)... It had survived being shot in the chest from head on.....the previous shot had entered the chest cavity from the front just right of his neck missing all vital blood vessels, traveled along the ribcage between the ribs and lungs and then exited just after the last rib missing all vital organs...he was still chasing does when buddy shot him..he had a 1-2inch wound channel of infection where the bullet had traveled through

[cameron0518]

Amazing pic. Thanks for sharing

[marcus44]

That's crazy, cool picture though.
A good reminder for better shot selection

[HankBC]

Wow! Crazy to see something like that. Interested in what the thought process was behind that shot.. Thanks for sharing

[bearvalley]

I’ve thought about this before posting.
In this new age of attacks on hunting from every angle that picture.....even though “interesting to many” is nothing more than fuel for the anti hunting entity.
With the drama that’s been created by hunters posing with dead lions, giraffes...etc, I can hear the howls of the huggers when they look at that elk with a hole in its face.
What’s next....pictures of gunshot deer.....dragging their entrails.
We need to clean up our image and educate the public as to what’s right about hunting.....not show what goes wrong.

[bearvalley]

That's why headshots are for assholes. Think of the pain that animal endured for months, possibly years. I've seen deer running around with their lower jaw shot off too.

BOILER ROOM PEOPLE!

I agree with you 100%.

[BRvalley]

I’ve thought about this before posting.
In this new age of attacks on hunting from every angle that picture.....even though “interesting to many” is nothing more than fuel for the anti hunting entity.
With the drama that’s been created by hunters posing with dead lions, giraffes...etc, I can hear the howls of the huggers when they look at that elk with a hole in its face.
What’s next....pictures of gunshot deer.....dragging their entrails.
We need to clean up our image and educate the public as to what’s right about hunting.....not show what goes wrong.

agreed, but there are a lot of hunters who defend head shots as ethical, "just because you can't make that shot...blah blah"

so perhaps that picture will help educate some hunters too

[358mag]

Is there a LEH for cow elk in that region ? or is that the result of a missed headlight shot from a ............. or .. ?

[wideopenthrottle]

I think we are looking at the exit hole if I see it correctly...to me it looks like significant amount of sinus still intact....not much more "discomfort" than a nose piercing perhaps but it sure looks brutal

[Walksalot]

I’ve thought about this before posting.
In this new age of attacks on hunting from every angle that picture.....even though “interesting to many” is nothing more than fuel for the anti hunting entity.
With the drama that’s been created by hunters posing with dead lions, giraffes...etc, I can hear the howls of the huggers when they look at that elk with a hole in its face.
What’s next....pictures of gunshot deer.....dragging their entrails.
We need to clean up our image and educate the public as to what’s right about hunting.....not show what goes wrong.

I could have posted it on many other sites but I chose only this one. If this makes one person rethink ones hunting strategy or shot placement then I think it is a worth while post.

[wideopenthrottle]

I could have posted it on many other sites but I chose only this one. If this makes one person rethink ones hunting strategy or shot placement then I think it is a worth while post.

without an outdoorsman pointing it out as a bullet wound, many would just think it was the elks eye....or perhaps damage from an elk antler tyne

[albravo2]

I could have posted it on many other sites but I chose only this one. If this makes one person rethink ones hunting strategy or shot placement then I think it is a worth while post.

My two cents is that your post is fair and thought provoking. I'm not going to criticize the shooter because I have no idea of the circumstances under which the shot was taken. Shots get missed sometimes. Bet that elk is glad that one did.

[Downtown]

That is why Headshots are an absolute NO NO for any Ethical Hunter.

Cheers

[twoSevenO]

That is why Headshots are an absolute NO NO for any Ethical Hunter.

Cheers

x2 ... big NO NO in my book, as well.

[rocksteady]

You are assuming that it was an intentional head shot on that animal.. maybe it was collateral damage from someone shooting, not very accurately, at a different animal.. lets not jump to conclusions people..

[rocksteady]

Ps.. i love head shots when its close range with a good rest

[Foxton Gundogs]

Good post BValley, image is becoming everything. It only takes a minor flinch by the shooter or the animal while the trigger is being squeezed for things to go south in a hurry. We once shot an emaciated old Buck with it's bottom jaw blown apart. Slow death by starvation is not pretty. I agree with the statement Boiler Room People much less chance of a terrible OOOPS

[bearvalley]

Good post BValley, image is becoming everything. It only takes a minor flinch by the shooter or the animal while the trigger is being squeezed for things to go south in a hurry. We once shot an emaciated old Buck with it's bottom jaw blown apart. Slow death by starvation is not pretty. I agree with the statement Boiler Room People much less chance of a terrible OOOPS

Thanks Jim....you know how I feel about the promotion of head shots.
Theres too much room for error....and I’ve seen what happens to expert paper punchers when they’re throwing lead at a live target.
If it had been shot a few inches lower that elk would have ran off missing a jaw to become maggot food.
Head shots are not worth the risk.

[rageous]

Food for thought. If you a numbers person there’s more animals wounded from “boiler room” shots than head shots.

Biggest thing is be as proficient as possible with your weapon of choice.

[Sharpish]

Food for thought. If you a numbers person there’s more animals wounded from “boiler room” shots than head shots.

Biggest thing is be as proficient as possible with your weapon of choice.

Only because statistically more shots are taken at the boiler room. If head shots were the norm we would see a lot more wounded animals. The boiler shot is beachball sized on an elk and the head shot is grapefruit sized. A boiler shot that's 12" or more off will destroy either the spine, liver, Break shoulders for an anchoring shot, or hit the edge of the lungs or the heart.

Not it to mention the chest isn't attached to a muscular neck that is always swinging around and moving.

[Wild one]

Way too much info missing to judge what happened to this elk. Could of been a poacher, hunter, FN, or just a plain old idiot. We don’t even know if it was an intentional target

Shot selection aside hunters need to stick within their honest skill level and not push their luck. It’s not just a matter of picking a chest or head shot being right or wrong. Angles, conditions, range, and what is the animal doing. Could get into all kinds of shot ethnics issues

As for posting pics like this yes they can be beneficial for education but unfortunately once they are on the internet they also become tools against hunting. Personally I have mixed opinion on posting these kinds of pics so personally won’t. I am not going to blame anyone for posting pics like this for the purpose of education to improve hunter awareness either

[Norwestalta]

Any and every shot has the potential to go sideways. I chased a bear out of the oats a few years back. It climbed a nearby tree before I shot it. When I went to skin it i found it was missing a front leg. The hair had grown over the shoulder like nothing ever happened to it. After talking to a neighbor he had said that another neighbor shot it a couple years before. I've also skinned a elk to find a 7mm bullet just inside the hide on the shoulder.

[Treed]

It’s amazing how tough animals are. I shot a three legged whitetail with my bow. He was doing fine... until the double lung arrow. His leg had about an inch of bone sticking out of a nicely calloused wound. We owe it to them to take the most ethical shot we can. I’d hate to take a low percentage shot that ends with an animal suffering. For a few people, in certain circumstances a head shot may be ethical. For me, I stick to the boiler room.

[ActionJackson017]

I saw this pic before leaving a few hours ago to take my kid to hockey, and thought about it too while I was at the rink. I'm 100% with BearValley on this one that the optics do not play well in favor for those trying to promote ethical hunting. And I'm not throwing shade at the OP either, it's an amazing thought-provoking pic from his trail cam.. not like he can control what happened to that animal.

Keep it to the boiler room boys, and be confident in your shot placement before squeezing.

[HarryToolips]

^^^^I agree, I have been successful with head shots but I practice shooting on a regular basis, and am confident in my ability...that is an incredible pic OP...

[Liveforthehunt]

I saw this pic before leaving a few hours ago to take my kid to hockey, and thought about it too while I was at the rink. I'm 100% with BearValley on this one that the optics do not play well in favor for those trying to promote ethical hunting. And I'm not throwing shade at the OP either, it's an amazing thought-provoking pic from his trail cam.. not like he can control what happened to that animal.

Keep it to the boiler room boys, and be confident in your shot placement before squeezing.

Bear valley..... Irish creek road ? If we are talking the same area there is a high possibility you re correct

[Liptugger]

exactly a teaching pic

[Redthies]

Most guys on here are as ethical as it gets. Nobody wants an animal to suffer at all. The idea is to put food on the family table. Post a few pics of feed lots as there is a lot more suffering going on there than in the woods. My wife is a big proponent of bow hunting, and asks me why I don’t do it. “Because I’m more adept with a rifle, and that makes it better for the animal” is what I tell her. No matter what your tool, go for the cleanest shot possible...

[Piperdown]

Is their a cow season in the area where the picture was taken

[Walksalot]

Is their a cow season in the area where the picture was taken
No there is not.

[caddisguy]

I shot a bear in the head by accident once. Same reason it happened is the same reason I wouldn't do it intentionally. Animals move their heads around a lot and it happens quickly. I had a perfect broadside double lung lined up. As I squeezed the trigger, he swung his head around my direction. Luckily through the eye and out the back of the skull vs something non fatal like jaw or snout.

I did intentionally take a neck shot once, but only because it bed down and after a half hour of laying prone waiting with it in my cross hairs I was 100% confident and there was zero risk of it moving around. Or maybe I'm not a saint after all? :)

[Wild one]

No there is not.

So poacher or FN is most likely

[Walksalot]

Most guys on here are as ethical as it gets. Nobody wants an animal to suffer at all. The idea is to put food on the family table. Post a few pics of feed lots as there is a lot more suffering going on there than in the woods. My wife is a big proponent of bow hunting, and asks me why I don’t do it. “Because I’m more adept with a rifle, and that makes it better for the animal” is what I tell her. No matter what your tool, go for the cleanest shot possible...

Any hunting scenario gone sideways is a mess. Lets face it, killing an animal is nasty business no matter how you cut the cheese.

[Foxton Gundogs]

Any hunting scenario gone sideways is a mess. Lets face it, killing an animal is nasty business no matter how you cut the cheese.
most definitely but there is no sense playing "Russian Roulette" wit 5 loaded chambers. Why take the chance.

[rocksteady]

So poacher or FN is most likely

Or incidental damage by a stray bullet when a hunter is taking a legal shot at the bull of his dreams

[Wild one]

Or incidental damage by a stray bullet when a hunter is taking a legal shot at the bull of his dreams

True could have been someone not paying attention to what is behind their target.

[HighCountryBC]

Is there a LEH for cow elk in that region ? or is that the result of a missed headlight shot from a ............. or .. ?

Think we both know the answer to that one...

[Walksalot]

I am wondering if that will eventually heal over and seal right up.

[358mag]

Think we both know the answer to that one...
Yuppers its not rocket science in that Region - Zone .

[358mag]

I am wondering if that will eventually heal over and seal right up.
Its been 3 years shes had that nasty hole dont think its going to heal over .

[scott h]

Wow, that's an incredible picture you got there.
I have lost count on how many bullets I have pulled out of elk while butchering.

Neck Shots seem to be high on the list for many hunters!!????
Then came bullets in the Rump and last but not least, a few in the Legs!

.

A huge percentage of those wounded animals are the results of taking shots at running animals.....a lot of slow painful deaths

[wiggy]

A huge percentage of those wounded animals are the results of taking shots at running animals.....a lot of slow painful deaths
Long range shooting is just as unethical
I quoted shooting a moose behind the ear a few years ago and was lamb blasted on the site
I wouldn’t have pulled the trigger if I was fully confident on the shot. Good rest. 100 yards Moose was standing on the side of big water Dropped it cold
So much can happen so quickly. The possibilities are very varied on the what if’s
Wind alone can reek havick. As all seasoned hunters know. Shit happens.
Ive found a few animals that were hit through the guts over the years. Just as bad a death as any
Seen guys drill legs necks backs, on game that was standing still
i believe in practice. Know what your yardage is. Know what you can actually do
The only animal I’ve ever lost was a coyote at 100 paces and it still bugs me 40 years later
Speculation is all this is