Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting looking for good .308 bullet for elk

Alamosa �
I�m guessing you didn�t read my post closely enough. Nowhere and in no way did I suggest baltz526 wasn�t �shooting at long enough range�. That concept doesn�t even begin to compute.

The only mentions of range in my post were with specific regard to cartridge capability, to agree that �elk hunting is not all about long shots� and to state that all but three of my elk since 2000 have been taken under 300 yards. (In fact, all but those three have been taken under 300 yards since I started in 1982.)

What I took issue with was that a .30-06 is a �fine 200yrd� elk rifle but starts �lacking energy beyond that�. baltz526 contends a .300WM is good to �500yrds and a bit beyond� but ignores the fact that a .30-06 can provide the same energy at 360 yards that his vaunted .300WM load does at 500. Wouldn�t that make a .30-06 at least an adequate 360 yard cartridge by his own yardstick?

I also pointed out that at 500 yards a .30-06 can deliver the same energy as many .30-30 loads do at the muzzle. Does anyone seriously suggest a .30-30 is inadequate for elk at muzzle contact distances? Certainly not I.

baltz526 describes one possible scenario and flatly states �That is Elk hunting. Not some fantasy written in a hunting rag.� While I have no idea what his hunts are like, no one I know has climbed 7000� up a ridge to hunt and if he is referring to 7000� above sea level, hell � you might be going downhill to get to that altitude. As to the weather, I can only think of maybe 3 years since 1982 when the weather was particularly nasty. Often we wish temps would drop to sub-freezing to keep the ground from thawing and turning into mud. Many years the ground has been completely dry with crunchy leaves and we found ourselves hoping for snow to quiet things down. We�ve learned to dress in layers because clear skies, bright sun and normal exertion can leave you sweating. It isn�t at all uncommon for us to �find the perfect aspen tree�, drop our packs, then lean back and take a snooze while basking in the warm sunlight. baltz526� description of an elk hunt may be based on an actual experience, as are many articles written in �hunting rags�, or it may be � and I suspect is - a composite which would make it a �fantasy�. In any case many hunters experience vastly different weather conditions than what he describes, including those who write about it in hunting rags. That isn�t elk hunting �fantasy�, it�s a fact.

A few examples, starting with 2003:


2005:


2006, hunting buddy�s elk. Mine is down on hillside in background.


2007, elk down on left:


2009:


2010, son-in-laws elk is down on far peak (382 yards or close thereto):


2011, with mud�:
[img]http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/IMG_13584.JPG[/img]

2012:
[img]http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/IMG_057511.JPG[/img]

2013, more mud under the snow, freezing temps would have been welcome:
[img]http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/20131107_085507.jpg[/img]