Originally Posted by Mule Deer
John,

To a certain extent you're absolutely right, but most American deer hunters (and at least 90% of Americans have never hunted any big game except whitetails) have heard all the stories about how elk are incredibly tough, and anything less than a .338-caliber, 250-grain bullet just won't penetrate, much less kill, a big bull.

Elk are the BIGGEST fantasy hunt of many of these deer hunters, and many will be spending several years of saved income to go on the one big elk hunt of their life.
You know exactly what it takes to kill a 600-800 pound animal, because you have done it hundreds if not thousands of times. But they don't--and will have one chance to do it. They don't KNOW, as you do, what will work. So they ask questions, and fantasize, and obsess about whether they have enough gun.




It's been my personal experience that easterners (at least from PA) who go west for their dream elk hunt normally forego their deer rifles (which commonly is a .30-06 around here) and buy some sort of a .300 Magnum, normally the Weatherby version. Why? Because guys obsess over what to take and ask around and someone usually talks them into a .300. I know a guy who got a great deal on a Winchester 70 in .300 Win mag. Why was it sold? To buy a .300 Weatherby mag for an upcoming elk hunt! Elk rifles and cartridges really are that overscrutinized here in the east.