Ringman, several years back, I helped a high-fence property owner thin out his doe population to bring his buck-doe ratio in line. Four of us killed 53 does in a day and a half. I shot a .22-250 with Nosler 50 gr Bullets at nearly 3900 fps, and this load was the Hammer of Thor on the does, all of which were taken with broadside chest shots.
Now, one might surmise that the these little pills would be the cat's meow for shooting deer. They probably would, providing the hunter was a cool and accurate shooter and one who would decline any shot except one with a perfect broadside presentation. However, if I were trophy hunting for the buck of a lifetime or even for a spike for the freezer, I would choose a heavier bullet in a stouter caliber than the .22-250 in 50 gr.
I stand by my opinion that the .25-06, great cartridge that it is, is a marginal round for elk. If you will re-read my post, I recognize that the hunter is a lady, light of stature, who owns a rifle in the quarter-inch bore. I think she should GO RIGHT AHEAD and shoot her elk with her .25-06. BUT (BUT!!), she should shoot a premium bullet and wait for the animal to present a perfect broadside shot. This would ensure that her 120 gr bullet would double-lung the beast and bring it to bag.
Fortunately for the rest of us, there are more powerful options than the .25-06. These heavier rounds will suffice even when the elk gives us a less than perfect presentation. I think that every ethical and responsible hunter should tailor his weapon to the animal he seeks and plan accordingly.
My current .25-06 is a wonderfully accurate outfit based on a Remington 700 action with a custom Douglas stainless barrel mounted and trued by Steve Lampheare. With it, I shot a near-book, 17" antelope in New Mexico and a desert bighorn ram in Nevada. The pronghorn fell with a Nosler 100 Solid Base and the sheep with a 120 Nosler Partition. I've also taken a few deer with this rifle, mainly with 117-120 gr bullets. I think that the .25-06 may be the perfect deer/antelope/sheep cartridge.
I've shot all the various sub-species of caribou in North America as well, but none with the .25-06. Since caribou are not particularly tenacious of life, I wouldn't hesitate to use the .25-06 on one of these too. BUT, a 300-lb caribou would probably be the heaviest animal I would hunt with a .25-06, and they're a good bit smaller than an elk.
Guys who shoot elk with a .25-06 would also not hesitate to hunt quail and dove with a .410. That's fine, and such a choice is for the experts only, IMO, just like your choice in an elk rifle. I'm guessing that you are an experienced and selective elk hunter and that you are cool and precise in your aim. Otherwise, you would have probably been on many fruitless and frustrating spoors.
