Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Your last 5 elk kills

A while back I started a thread on everybody's last 5 big game kills and the distances they were taken. I'd like to narrow it down now to you fellas that get to hunt elk regularly. Of you last 5 kills could you please give me the distance of the shot? (any other info like load info, reaction to the shot and so on would be nice too, but my main focus here is on distance) I'm trying to put some 'real world' data together, no better place than the internet to get that huh?

Of the last 5 I've shot only one was over a hundred yards. It was a big bodied 5x5 at 211 yards that took 2 shots from a 300 Rum to put him down.
The other 4 were cows. 3 shot with a 338 win mag. and one with a 300 win mag.

All with a Ruger MarkII 338 Win Mag loaded with Federal factory 225 grain Barnes TSX.

1. 411 yards dropped at shot, but required a finisher. Spine shot.

2. 200 yards nearly dropped at shot. Heart shot

3. 100 yards. Took three shots to anchor the bull as he was headed for some nasty black timber. Lung and neck shots.

4. 125 yards fell at the shot. High shoulder shot

5. 65 yards and fell to a neck shot.

Perry

7STW m70,150 grn Nosler BT, prints 3 under a dime @ 100yds

# 1. 487 yd dbl lung, expired 30sec later. 1 shot

#2. 145 yd dbl lung, expired 30 sec later, 2 shots

#3. 489 yd dbl lung, expired 30 sec later, 1 shot

#4 80 yd last rib raking forward, expired 15 sec, 1 shot

#5 420 yd dbl lung, expired ? ran 20 yds into trees, 1 shot

1. 1031 yards with 300wm, lungs went about 80 yards

2. 40 yards w/ bow lungs, went about 100 yards

3. 30ish not RF yards w/ bow, low single lung went about 500 yards

4. 25 yards w/ bow, heart/lungs went about 20 feet

5. 60 yards w/ bow, lungs went about 150 yards

I've only killed 4 elk in all, but here's my "last 4 kills".

WY 6x6 - .300 Wby - 180 grain X bullet - 200 yards - 2 shots behind the shoulder - took no steps, fell at second shot

ID 5x5 - .300 Wby - 180 grain X bullet - 175 yards - 2 shots, first far back in liver, went into cover, when he came out, dropped at the second shot to the shoulder

AZ 6x6 - .300 Wby - 180 grain AB - 470 yards - 2 shots, first to the lung/liver, hunched up went 60 yards and laid down, closed the distance another 100 yards, second shot behind shoulder rolled him over

WY 6x6 - Bowtech Guardian - 100 grain Silver Flames - 25 yards -first arrow, double lung, ran 50 yards and tipped over

GPS measured 375 yards (IIRC), .264 Win 130 Accubonds, cow elk, good blood trail, but lost her, saw from a mile away still limping with the herd

100 yards estimated, .264 Win 120 TTSX, bull elk, first shot broke near humerus, no reaction, second shot broke offside humerus, no reaction, fell to the third shot which hit front leg a little low. All bullets exited.

75 yards estimated, .264 Win, cow elk, 140 Nosler Partitions, trotting at shot, broadside, stopped when hit, shot two more times, while she spun around and fell. All bullets exited.

125 yards estimated, .264 Win, bull elk, 140 Nosler Partitions, standing at the shot, broke near shoulder, trotted down hill about 30 yards, shot twice more, staggered and died. All bullets exited.

375ish yards GPS measured after the fact. Bull elk, .270 WSM 130 TSX, shot low, broke both "elbows", fell to shot, then submarined into woods and stayed there until I caught up and shot again.

Most recent-
Cow elk, ranged at 300 yards even- .257 Wby, 100 gr. Barnes TSX, hit in lungs, took a couple of steps and piled up.

Red Stag (kind of an elk, I guess)- ranged at 325 yards, .280 Rem., 140 gr. Accubond- went 30 yards or so AIR, piled up.

7x7 bull elk, ranged at 275 yards, .280 Imp., 140 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip, went 40 yards or so, dead.

Cow elk, est. 200 yards, .300 Wby, 200 gr. Swift A-Frame, shot in neck while facing, DRT

Cow elk, est. 200 yards, .300 Wby, 200 gr. Swift A-Frame, went 50 yards or so, dead.

Longest ever was over 400 yards (paced off), closest was 50 yards (called in, shot with muzzleloader).

Longest was 52-yards and he turned as the arrow launched. Died 500-yards. Closest was with an arrow at 18-yards and died in 60-yards.

No experience of killing with a rifle on elk.

Last five:

5X6 bull, 174 yds, 9.3x74R, 250 grain AccuBond, hit through the lungs and the off-side shoulder, stood around for a few seconds then sank down where he stood.

6x6 bull, 191 yds, .300 WSM, 200 grain AccuBond, heart/lung shot quartering toward me, went about 35-40 yds and piled up.

6x6 bull, 144 yds, .375 H&H, 260 grain AccuBond, double lung shot, stood around long enough to take a second shot before rearing up and falling over backwards.

6x6 bull, 177 yds, .375 H&H, 260 grain AccuBond, double lung shot, staggered a few steps backward and collapsed before I could shoot again.

6x6 bull, approx. 140 yds, .300 Wby, 180 grain Scirocco II, double lung shot, collapsed on the spot.

I have never shot at an elk farther away than the 191 yds I reported above. Several were taken at well under 100 yds, including two bulls at about 40 yds each.

1-4, 40-80 yards, .50 caliber muzzleloader; #5 was a five-point bull 30 yards, with an arrow.

Not very good data for your purposes I suppose.

2010 - bull, 150 yards running .35 Whelen 250 Horn RN @ 2500 4 shots
broadside 1st lungs, 2nd diaphragm & liver 3rd lungs, 4th neck. 2 bullets under hide on backside. ran about 50 yds total after 1st hit.

2009 - cow, 46 feet, .30-06 180 Norma Oryx.
1st shot broadside at chest deflected off a branch, hit the ham! 2nd shot in neck. ran 2-3 steps after 1st hit.

2008 - bull, 80 yards, 7x64 Brenneke 177gr. RWS TIG
1 shot broadside through lungs, exited. Ran approx. 40 yd. after hit.

2007 - cow, 110 yards, .35 Whelen Federal 225 Trophy Bonded BC fact. Ld.
1 shot broadside through lungs, exited. ran 75 steps.

2006 - bull from tree stand 26yd. .356 Win 250 gr. FP Winchester fact. Ld.
Facing, hit neck bone & 1 lung. 0 steps.

I will be the odd man out with more bow kills than rifle.

Big cow 15 yards, shot through the heart, tipped over in her tracks (bow kill). Killed with my own 4 blade titanium head.

Medium cow 45 yards, lung shot, ran 50 yards, tipped over (bow kill). Same titanium 4 blade head.

Spike, heart shot 30 yards, tipped over in his tracks (bow kill). Same titanium head.

5x6 medium bull, 45 yards, spine shot, dropped at the shot (bow kill). Same head.

Medium Cow, 12 yards, lung shot, went 30 yards, (bow kill). Same titanium head.

Big 5x5 bull, 100 yards angling away running shot, 7mm mag 162 grain Hornady lung/heart shot. Bull went 130 yards...somehow. Bullet did not exit, NO blood trail, found the bull the next morning. Flinch

6x6 bull, 213 yards lasered, broadside .45-70/350g North Fork, straight down.
Cow, 260 yards lasered, broadside, .300 WM/180g North Fork, 25 yards and down.
Cow, 125 yards lasered afterwards, broadside, .30-06/165g North Fork, straight down but required a finisher.
Cow, ~40 yards, quartering away, .30-06/165g North Fork, straight down, got up, 2nd shot put it straight down again.
Cow, 282 yards lasered, base of neck on broadside, .30-06/150g AccuBond, straight down.

All shot with 180 grain 300 win mag.

6x6 - 606 yards stationary - 2 shots 2 hits - neck then lungs
6x6 - 40 yards stationary - 2 shots 2 hits - both lungs
5x6 - 425 yards stationary - 4 shots 3 hits (missed low first shot , then 3 in the lungs)
Cow - 20 yards full running - 1 shot in lungs - rolled her
4x5 - 125 yards full running - 3 shots 2 hits - lungs, then miss, & last shot spined him

All stationary elks stood there like they were dumbfounded when the first shot popped them.

which 180 grain?

1. 75 yds .300 H&H drt
2. 85 yds. .300 H&H drt
3. 450 yds. .300 H&H 20 yds trailing job
4. 450 yds. .300 Win. drt
5 250 yds. .300 Win..another 20 yard trail

5. 200 yards bull(rifle)
4. 80 yards, bull(rifle)
3. 100 yards, bull(rifle)
2. 27 yards, bull (archery)
1. 25 yards, bull (rifle)
all rifle kills were with 300 win mag.

1. 7X7 bull - 295 yards .308 Win 180 grain - 3 shots, but only needed one. He made it about 5 yards.

2. 6X7 bull - 2 yards - One arrow. Retrieval was about fifty yards.

3. 6X6 bull - 405 yards - .300 Win Mag. 180 grain - 1 shot. He made it about 40 yards.

4. 5X6 bull - 42 yards - One arrow. Bad hit. He made it 1.1 miles on the GPS before expiring.

5. 6X6 bull - 390 yards - .300 Win Mag. 180 grain - 3 shots. Only needed one. He went about 20 yards.

1. 6x6 bull. 30 yards. Hit him in the back of the lungs, lacerated the diaphram, and got some liver. He went 40 yards and laid down.

2. 6x6 bull. 18 yards. Center of lungs. Took an unneeded followup shot at 52 yards that took out the top two chambers of the heart. He dropped within sight after going about 80 yards.

3. 25 yards. Young cow, both lungs. Ran 50 yards and died in about 30 seconds.

4. 5x6 bull. 20 yards. He was walking toward me and he slipped on some loose stuff at the shot. Broke his back. Took a couple other arrows to put his lights out.

5. Young cow. 320 yards. Nosler partition 180 grain through both lungs. Two steps and fell down stone dead.


1 - 4 were all bow kills.