I've been on hundreds on blood trails and know that when an animal starts to travel far distances that your odds in recovery go down significantly....especially on a shot from the shoulder forward.
500 yards in, the blood still easy to follow at a walking pace, started zig zagging and wandering aimlessly in different directions. The bull was actively bleeding, in large amounts and not slowing down....which I have never seen in my hunting career. 800 yards and still going. The elk crosses a fence line and into a pasture. 150 yards into the pasture the blood picks up even more. Finally a bed,,, followed by another bed and another. Constant blood from one to the next. I round a clump of hazel brush and there he lies!
I turn to Jason and put my arms up to the heavens as he wraps his around me. More emotional than I ever remember being on a hunt I give thanks. This bull was truly a gift,,,,majestic, magnificent, and perfect.