I shot a cow elk end to end in the sage at 185 yards with a 45-70 Marlin 1895 equipped with Ashley Outdoors (now XS) sights. 400 grain flat point Speer with a velocity of 1750 fps 15 feet from the muzzle. One step and dove off a 50' very steep slope. Was using a cartridge older than the 30-30 at that range a mistake?

I'll wait to hear the expert opinion of folks who've never seen a live elk.

"Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right."
Henry Ford

If it's tourist season, why can't we shoot them?