Bowhunting isn't easy, and getting close enough to make a shot on a big buck or bull is usually only half the battle. It's up to the hunter to make a clean shot that will lead to a vital hit, a good blood trail, and a fast recovery of the animal. A quick follow-up shot might be required, too. Sometimes, if you're lucky, an animal may go down within sight of your stand. However, it's extremely rare for the shot on an animal to be longer than the recovery itself.
Well, bowhunter Shawn Luchtel recently got to experience a hunt in which that happened. He was in New Mexico when a beautiful 5x5 bull walked into the setup where he and his cameraman were sitting. Luchtel is presented with a 13-yard broadside shot and decides to take it.
In this video, it's not what happens during the shot that's interesting, but what happens after. The large bull is perfectly hit, and only goes about 10 yards. That's when the huge animal falls over and starts rolling down the hill straight towards the hunters! Amazingly, the animal finally stops and dies only eight steps from where they are standing. You must see this one to believe it.
It's exciting enough to get a shot at a large bull like this with archery gear from the ground. It's entirely another to have the bull almost land in your lap after the fact! We're sure these guys' hearts were beating a mile a minute after that one. In the end, they were lucky those trees were in the way to stop the bull's momentum down the hillside. Having an animal that weighs 500+ pounds fall on you would undoubtably result in some serious injuries. Hey, at least it was an easy tracking job!
"I've been on a few incredible elk hunts in my life, but nothing compares to this one," Luchtel wrote on Instagram.
He'll get no arguments from us in that regard. In fact, there's probably little chance he'll ever have a recovery this short ever again! Congratulations to Shawn on an excellent bull and an even more exciting hunt!
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Instagram For original videos, check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
READ MORE: CHARGING MOOSE FALLS AT HUNTER'S FEET AFTER FINAL, POINT-BLANK SHOT
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