Oregon Bowhunter Gored, Killed by Charging Elk He Shot the Previous Day

An Oregon man who was bowhunting elk in Tillamook County died after a bull he had shot the previous night charged and impaled him in the neck.

According to Oregon State Police, Mark David, 66, was on an archery elk hunt on private property over the weekend when he shot at and hit a bull elk, wounding it. But David had no luck tracking down the animal before nightfall, so he backed out and decided to come back the next day.

The following morning, David and the property owner went out to try and find the elk.

Sometime around 9:15 a.m., the two men located the elk – which was still alive – and David tried to get another shot on him. It’s important to be on high alert any time you are recovering potentially wounded game, as it is impossible to predict what a wounded animal will do in this type of situation.

State police said the elk charged David and gored him in the neck with its antlers. The property owner apparently tried to resuscitate David, but his injuries were too severe.

The elk was later found and killed, and the meat was donated to the Tillamook County jail.

OutdoorHub Editor: Keenan Crow

Keenan Crow is an outdoor writer who graduated from Central Michigan University with a degree in journalism and creative writing. He has been writing for OutdoorHub for nearly five years, but anybody he is close with will tell you he has been telling hunting stories for far longer. He uses his experiences outdoors to write about things he loves - bow hunting, fishing, upland hunting, shed hunting, turkey hunting, waterfowl hunting, dog training, shotguns, ATVs and the outdoor lifestyle he lives in his home state of Michigan. Outside of hunting/fishing, he also loves to cook - especially with wild game - play golf and go on hikes with his yellow lab, Stella.