I've only killed four elk but all reacted differently. The first one was a big cow shot while trotting broadside at 60 yards with a 210 gr Barnes X BT from a 338 WM. She bronco kicked then ran as hard as she could for about 75 yards to make it to a nice deep ditch to die in.
Heart shot on that one.
The next was a small cow shot at 100 yds through the heart with a 150 gr Core lokt 30-06. She took maybe two steps then fell down and thrashed around a bit.
Next was a 5 pt bull shot at 320 yds with a 225 gr Accubond from a 338 RUM. Slightly quartering away shot went through the lungs then shattered the off side shoulder. His front half hit the dirt at the shot then he just stood back up and slowly turned towards me. My Colorado friend said "hit him again!" so I did, through the neck into the chest which dropped him for good. The elk was in heavy oak brush.
The last one was the most dramatic. A bull calf (dang it, thought it was a cow) broadside at a lasered 589 yards with a 200 gr Accubond out of a 300 RUM. No way to get closer and still have a shot due to heavy oak brush. I had verified drops out to 600 yards. Drilled it high shoulder, through the base of both scapulas and the spine. I lost the sight picture in recoil but my partner said his head just jerked back and he dropped straight down.
I would definitely put myself in the camp of shoot until they fall. Had I not practiced that, I would have lost one of the nicest whitetail bucks I have killed. It was after sunset in the woods and I held right on the back of the shoulder at 100 yds with a steady rest. The shot broke perfectly and the deer took off running angling towards me. He stopped at 50 yards so I shot him again, dropping him with a heart shot. Guess what, only one hole in him. The next morning I went over to where the deer had been standing and looked back to where I shot from and there was a webwork of little branches that I hadn't seen through the scope. It would have been a long night of futile searching for a deer that I "knew" was dead had I not fired the second shot.
