As you work to get inside an elk’s head this fall, ensure you’re also an expert on the rest of their interior. Here are some basic tips from elk hunting and calling legend Corey Jacobsen.
Elk Anatomy
An elk has two body cavities separated by the muscular diaphragm—the thoracic cavity and the abdominal cavity. The thoracic holds the “vitals” (heart, lungs and large arteries that supply blood) while the abdominal holds the “guts.”
Thoracic Cavity
The obvious goal while hunting is to get an arrow or bullet into the “vitals” housed in the thoracic cavity for a quick,
clean kill.
A hit in the center of the lungs or slightly higher will usually result in a quick death. On a broadside elk, aiming for the vertical center of the body and right in the crease behind the front leg will give you a perfect double-lung hit. But this spot will change as the elk shifts position. For example, if the animal is quartering away, you will need to aim a bit back to hit the vitals.
Bowhunters need to remember that the thoracic cavity is protected by the ribs, the front leg bones and the scapula, which shield a large portion of the lungs. Arrows will go through the ribs, but not always the scapula. Having a good idea of where these bones are located is important.
A lung hit is easy to identify by the bright red color and foamy texture of the blood. Your tracking job should be less than 200-300 yards. If you happen to hit the heart, the blood will be very bright red, but not foamy like a lung shot. You shouldn’t need to venture far tracking a bull that’s heart-shot. They should fall quickly.
If you hit just outside the thoracic cavity high or low, you may not inflict much more than a flesh wound. The area above the spinal cord is made up of bones called the spinous processes that extend upward off the vertebrae. There are no vitals in this area. A shot that hits six inches from the top of the elk’s back may knock it down, but may not kill it. A shot below the vitals will often hit the “brisket.” The blood trail will be strong initially, but just as you’re preparing to celebrate, the blood will peter out within the first 200 yards. The blood loss from a brisket wound may not even be fatal.
Abdominal cavity
To the rear of the thoracic lies the abdominal cavity, holding the liver, intestines and stomach. An errant shot that hits here will typically result in death, but it will often take longer. If you suspect an abdominal hit, it’s crucial to back out and give the animal 2-3 hours before blood trailing.
Just behind the diaphragm is the liver. A liver hit will produce minimal yet consistent blood, and the blood will be very dark red. This hit will be fatal, but it will often take 3-4 hours for the elk to die. If you’re patient and don’t push them, a liver-shot elk may bed down and expire in less than 400 yards.
An animal hit anywhere in the stomach or intestines could take hours or even days to perish. The trail is often long and difficult to follow with minimal blood, because tissue and fat surrounding the cavity can seal around the wound. Sometimes you’ll see a little bit of green matter in the first 100 yards or so, and an elk shot in the stomach will often drool a clear liquid farther down the trail, which can be used to track the animal after the blood trail has disappeared. A gut-shot elk will often feel ill and bed down within 400 yards. But when bumped in the first 2-3 hours, it may go as far as three miles.