Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Weird question - What rifle if you need that elk to drop in his tracks

I'm doing an elk hunt this year here in Colorado. I've spent my life hunting elk on public land. Used 30-06, 270 wsm and even 30-30 to kill elk.

This year I've got the opportunity to hunt a small patch of private land near Aspen. When I say small, I mean small - less than 200 acres. I'm confident enough about shot placement, but depending on where they are they could run 50-75 yards and cross a property line. I need something that will more likely drop an elk in his tracks.

I'm guessing most shots will be 250 yards or less. I'm thinking about 444 Marlin with 265 gr, Lever Revolution. Thoughts?

The one you shoot best with! For that situation I'm voting 06 with 180's. That has worked great me on elk and deer out to 466 yards so at the shorter distances it will be even better. I use nosler ballistic tips but factory scirroco's will give similar results are are plenty accurate. Just my 2 cents. Good luck. My as hunt starts tomorrow and I think I broke my arm yesterday SK this will be fun.

I'd go with something that had partition in its name. if you don't want them to run, I'd try a high shoulder shot...or just stick with heart/lungs. Good luck!

Sorry about your arm. Shooting sticks might be your friend.

The possibility of deer running off some of the property we have permission to hunt or even running far enough for another hunter to shoot and claim are very real here in WV. So far for the last 35+ yrs I've found a shot that disrupts the central nervous system puts them down the quickest. The high shoulder shot mentioned earlier is my favorite if I need that reaction. Chambering so far to me hasn't seemed to matter. I like the heavy for caliber bullets,talking cup and core,in chamberings under .308 caliber. Any ones above that,for example the 270gr Speer in my 9.3x62,and the bullet choice so far hasn't seemed to matter. Since I do my own processing and don't like to waste meat so I'd rather the bullet not be too destructive.

Of course you're talking elk and even though they're anatomically alike to deer the results I get and that you need will need some input from those with experience hunting them.

Id say take out his wheels (shoulders) or his nervous system

I'll also be hunting mule deer on this trip on the same property and believe me, those will GO DOWN with a 180-grain 30-06 just behind the shoulder.

I lung-shot a bull elk with a 30-06 and had him go 1/4 mile or more before he dropped. I'm just looking for some real life experience on moderate distance shots on elk and knock-down power.

Caliber and cartridge doesn't matter, as long as it has adequate penetration.

A shot to the central nervous system is what's needed.

I think that's what I'm looking for - high shoulder/spinal penetration that will break them down. I hadn't thought of it like that.

So now it's come down to which bullet in your .30-06.

VLD into the high shoulder area would do the trick.

55 TSX, 22-250 in the ear..

Always the contrarian

I think what you and PG said is where I'd put my money--shot placement.

Break him down with a Barnes TTSX through the shoulders. We are doing the same here with deer beside a huge swamp. If they make it into that they are lost. We have yet to recover a bullet or lose a deer.

This is what you want. You can see the cartridge isn't the biggest concern you have, or the bullet, or the distance, it's the placement.

Mine would be a 100 ttsx from my 257 @ 3510 fps.

I've shot 5 with the 444 and Barnes 225 XPBs. One went 20 yards and laid down, the other 4 stood at the site of impact for 30 seconds or so, then got wobbly and fell over. All were broadside double lung shots except the one that went 20 yards. That one was a quartering to shot with the bullet breaking the front leg joint, taking out the top of the heart, and clipping both lungs; only one I recovered the bullet from, too.

This is your best bet, by far.

06 with 180 TTSX in the neck. The bull in the avatar says so. I think he took a nap before he hit the ground

They don't go anywhere with their heads blown clean off. I'd use a 44 magnum. The most powerful handgun in the world.......



Or, maybe a frickin 12 gauge. Napoleon Dynamite can't be wrong.....

Do you feel lucky today?

Well punk, do ya?!!

Ha Ha. You're right Don, I'm going about this the wrong way.

Screw the rifle, use a Partition.

I elk hunted a 600 ac peice of ground one time, made the mistake of using Ballistic Tip.....

Casey may be close to the truth,as I know it.....No doubt Rosco is, too, but I have never tried to head-shoot an elk.

Thinking back, I can't recall a bull elk (never shot a cow) that took a step after a quartering-on hit into the ball joint of the leg/shoulder with a Nosler Partition,where the bullet then completely penetrated the rest of the chest cavity. Ditto for Bitterroots that gave similar results.

For that matter, I can't recall any animal that I have hit that way that went anywhere but "down" on the spot.That includes pretty close range, out to about 500 yards,about as far as I have killed a bull elk.

The last 6x6 I killed took a 160 Partition from a 7 RM broadside into the shoulder and collapsed on the spot.Another shot by a companion(big herd bull) took a 160 Partition through the shoulders broad side at close to 500 yards and was cut down, on the spot, mid bugle.Another at 300 yards caught a 165 from a 30/06 through the heart (no bone) and stood around for a second hit into the shoulder, quartering on, which immediately dropped him.

Of course both the Partition and the BBC have the muscle (construction) to dig deep after a hit into heavy bone and will make it into the vitals with bullet to spare and continue chopping up vitals on the way;and both will do this up close and at distance.

Since they are entering the vitals expanded from hitting that bone,(and especially the Bitterroot which shows greater frontal area than the Partition) they are also going to do a lot of damage as they enter the chest cavity. You get the dual effect of immobilizing from a hit to heavy bone,and destruction of vitals will kill before they get to their feet, if they can. Combination of rapid expansion on heavy bone and rapid expansion in vitals to make a mess. Depending on impact velocity, the BBC seems to make a bigger mess due to big frontal area.

OTOH, a bull hit with a 200 gr Partition from a 300 Weatherby,with a quartering away shot, was angled from the last ribs onside into the off side shoulder...the bullet made it alright,broke the off side leg,but that elk traveled a little ways and was gimping on three legs when I got a broadside finisher, which dropped him. Maybe the bullet was not as fully expanded through the vitals since it hit mostly soft stuff on the way.

This is cutting it all pretty fine but when it comes to bull elk and dropping them where they stand, I like a combination of breaking bone, and if possible,vitals with the same shot. I also like a bullet that will reliably break up that bone and still penetrate into the vitals on the way through.

Soft tissue hits all bets may be off....they may run, may drop, may stagger around and collapse.....who knows? I have never seen a bullet fully capable of 100% DRT's with heart lung hits....One thing for sure is that if you hit them around the edges,elk can be pretty tough.

The head/spine is too small a target (even on an elk) to rely on hitting. Even if you are an expert marksman, a small/last minute move by the elk (especially the head) ruins the POI. I have dropped more than one deer in a their tracks with a neck shot, only to have them get up and run off, never to be found.

I think a good, heart/lung shot which includes through at least one shoulder is your best bet. However, wherever the first bullet goes, get another shell in the chamber and be ready to shoot again until he goes down for good. And when he is down, look at him through the scope for several minutes ready to shoot if he attempts to rise.

by far the best advice. high shoulder shot will do what you're set out to do. as far as a rifle, that's up to you. they are elk, not tanks

This should be required reading for anyone contemplating hunting an elk. Elk, especially the big boys, are notorious for needing a finishing shot. Everywhere I've hunted elk, there are always stories about folks letting one get away while high-fiving themselves for a nice shot. After that first shot is not the time to congratulate yourself! Watched my buddy shoot one 7 times once, but that may have been because of his bullet choice.

Shoot high and through both front shoulders. 30-06 will work but a 300 win or 300 wby would do better. No front legs or a broken back and the elk will not run. You could destroy a big chunk of meat on the front shoulders with a high shoulder shot, fyi.

In my experience on elk-sized game, I like the .338 with 210 TTSX. Shooting high shoulder will work with a lot less gun, .270, 7x57, etc

high shoulder with 300 WBY 180 Partition dropped him right there

Yes! High shoulders (the front ones) with 405 grain 45-70 slug going at about 1,300 fps.

Dual lung shot is always the best

Not a lot of data, but a 338 Fed shooting the 185 TTSX or 160 TTSX puts them down within sight. Chest shot or lung shot. Hope to have a data point with a 210 Partition shortly.

Fixed it for you (Elmer Kieth load, 53 gr, 3031)

MM

Aspen, huh?
Stopping the elk at the fence is only half the problem. Ya still have to deal with the grey haired trustafarian neoprogressives running across the field in their Danscos and Capris screaming "murderer!". A follow up plan may be in order.

Ive dropped lots of elk with a 340 wby loaded with 250 hornadys and 375 H&H loaded with 270 grain hornady bullets , even a 270 win, loaded with 150 grain speers works well,and does the job, but a 405 grain remington from my 450 marlin loaded over 50 grains of IMR 3031 is what Id grab in the stated conditions, and Id take the time to place the shot well.
WHY? well Im 100% confident in that rifles ability to dump elk on their nose with one good hit, and while my 340wby and 375 h&h are a close second,and have a well proven track record ,I like lever actions


don,t get hung up on velocity just get the most accurate load, and place the shot where it will do the most damage,

but theres zero reason to think that 30/06 loaded with a decent 180 grain soft point won,t do the job just as well if you shoot well

[color:#FF0000][/color]

Well my arm wasn't broken but badly sprained. I do like sticks and my dad brought his primos trigger adjust sticks that worked very well. I'm gonna stick with my ballistic tips for the 06 because my experience has been as good as it gets. That being said I killed a 332" bull Saturday with my 300 RUM using the factory rem 180 Sciroccos and worked pretty well too. I didn't manage good placement but takeing out a front leg and then a rear hip stopped him cold. I made the mistake of simply not shooting this combination enough prior to my hunt as I ran out of time. I would have taken my 06 but when I went to shoot it the scope failed and there wasn't enough time to replace it. Check my as unit 10 post for pics.

I have mine loaded up to around 1750 fps with 55 grains of H4895. It's extremely accurate and kills on both ends. After I get this 100 rd lot shot up, I'm downloading a bit. I've decided there is little need to hot rod a 400+ grain slug.

Lots of good advice given already. The Nosler Partition has never let me down.

I have a bunch of them I have taken out of elk and everyone of them text book mushroom.

Good luck and good shooting.

I have had very few elk drop in their tracks, but I shot a cow last night with a 168 gr Berger, high shoulder shot, and she did not take a step.

I have dropped a number of bulls at the shot and with one exception they were all what I call 'hump' shots. I broke the back or lower neck with a Barnes X bullet or a big regular bullet from my 300 WBY. I have blown 200 grain bullets through spike bulls at 100 yds and had them run 30-40 yds. If you have to drop them, you must disrupt the central nervous system, anything else is not a sure thing. I shot a bull last week with my 458 Lott and it knocked him completely off his feet with a bullet trough the flank and exiting the hip joint. Did not kill him immediately and he crawled a ways.

I do think high velocity helps with the shock to the system. Elk are pretty dang tough though.

Much as I like my .45-70, even it isn't a sure bet. Plugged a 6x6 bull at 213 yards using a 350g North Fork started at 2183fps. The bullet obliterated section of the front leg and a near rib, blew through a far rib and came to rest under the hide. The bullet and/or bone fragments did a lot of damage to the heart. The bull stood there for quite a while while I debated whether to take a second shot or not. It finally fell just as I was getting ready to drop the hammer a second time.

The day before I had taken a mulie buck at 197 yards, same load on a quartering away shot. The bullet hit behind the last rib and exited ahead of the far front leg - pretty much perfect placement in my estimation. The buck still managed to make a fairly tight circle and go another few yards. The vitals were more than adequately destroyed but no CNS or structural damage. Not that the buck could have gone any further, but not down in its tracks, either.

Barnes. TTSX. Fast. Put in a good place. My moose never moved.... wasn't even following the suggestion of fast either....1200 pounds collapsing like a sheet pulled out from under him is impressive.

Forget looking for that. Nothing you could shoulder and shoot could actually knock an elk down.

Causing one to fall down is one thing, knocking one down is another.

Ya. I was kind of picturing why this might be a concern ... like a bleeding, mortally wounded elk staggering into Oprah's children's benefit picnic or similar event. Don't want to even guess the headline, maybe inset the news story w/ a pic of Erik.

Seems like 2 ways to go. The Southern deer hunter thing, sometimes called busting the tripod, or out here more often referred to as the high shoulder shot. The idea being if you break any of the bone that merges in the withers area you stop locomotion. Your original idea of the big thumping .444 levergun is probably good for that.

Or go the other route - high velocity, Nosler partition, deliver a shock to the vitals that stuns him. An elks life is between his shoulders, use your hi-power whatever to get the bullet there.

Hope to see a pic of your success (but on this forum, not in the news).

I have dropped a bull on the spot with a neck shot at 60 yards to avoid hitting the animal behind his chest. I've dropped one with a heart shot and I've finished elk with head shots.

But for the most part they cover a little ground even shot through the heart and lungs. I had a large cow shot through both lungs at 11 yards run about 75 yards before she tipped over and a bull with a 180 grain ttsx through both lungs and a broken off side shoulder walk 60 yards downhill before a finisher broke his spine.

I haven't tried the high shoulder shot but tend to agree with others that the boiler room works but unless you stop the CNS they aren't always going to drop in their tracks.

Thanks for all the responses. I'm going to take three rifles until I actually see how the blinds are set up and the actual shot distances. 300 Weatherby Mag with 180gr Accubond, 444 Marlin lever 325gr Lever Revolution with peep sights and my m70 30-06 with 180gr Fusion as a backup rifle.

Hoping for a lot of snow over the next two weeks to drive them down. :-)

Have dropped quite a few elk in their tracks... Mostly high shoulder shots.. Of course lung shots they run but not far..

Killed about 6 elk where they stood with 150gr SST out of a 7mm Rem Mag. Flattened southern white tail so fast I thought they ran off. I have since switched to Swift Scirroco due to their weight retention.

I would think that your original idea of using the .444 would be a good one. A buddy of mine hunts with one and it tends to put things down pretty darn quick.

50 bmg. Everything won't drop there, but most of it.

I cannot decide if I like a 7mm magnum with 160 Nosler Partitions, or my 35 Whelen with 250 gr. SPEER. I got a last minute invitation to hunt.
whelennut

"I got a last minute invitation to hunt,with my 35 Whelen used with 250 gr. SPEER bullets."

whelennut this should help,
there I corrected the sentence structure to make it easier to understand!

Much better!

X3, not much better out there...

I'm convinced by the weight retention and uniform mushroom of the Barnes TSX. I still really like Hornady SST and swift Scirroco for DRT deer and elk.

This doe antelope made it 10-15 yards before falling over. Even though I heard a solid "whump" at the hit and range was under 100 yards, the way she took off made me wonder if I had somehow missed. Bullet was a 150g BT from a .30-06.



Drop an elk in its tracks every time? An 88mm might be enough.

Direct fire w/ a 105 howitzer. Shoot the back half away and the front half can't get away

I'm kind of surprised about all the creative shot placement posts. Neck, central nervous system, shoulder............. I'm certainly no expert but I have never had an elk run after being shot through the lungs. All have been shot with my 30-06 180 grain Nosler Partition, all under 120 yard shots.

200 acres is a small area to hunt elk. Hopefully, there is something to draw them there.

Good luck!

This shot breaks lots of stuff.