Steadman, I am somewhat of an expert on blood trails that look great and then dry up, so I sure know what it is like. Had that happen on a black bear a couple of weeks ago with a high shot. It all comes down to putting the arrow in the right place. You are not alone man!

RayMO

That was a very good read and I wouldn't worry to much about that elk.  They can take a licking and keep on ticking. Joseph

It was a great story with great pics despite the disappointing ending.  Even the best of hunters end up with similar conclusions from time to time.   :confused:   It sounds like you did all you could to recover the animal.  

"Picking a spot" at the moment of truth is a weakness of mine    as it is for many hunters.  If anyone has a foolproof remedy, please share it with all of us.

If anyone has a remedy I too would love to hear. I even go so far as when watching hunting videos, to try and pick a spot on the animal the whole time. Thanks so much for all the great comments, as you know on other sites I would have been blasted, but this site is different and I can't express my thanks enough to the folks who do such a great job here. Thanks again to all.

Many of us; me included--have been there, that's part of bowhunting. Great story and my compliments to you in not glossing over the details for the sake of some extra editing.
Great story and pics. Congrats on a good hunt.

Great story Ryan,glad to see you are doing well.
    You know every one of us who has been Bowhunting for many years has had a similar experience. As far as a cure, not sure I want one, when I don't get the heart pounding and sweaty palms being that close to an animal of that magnitude they better be throwing dirt in my face.

          Take care, Pat