I completed my first elk hunt in Unit 12 Colorado, 3rd Rifle Season early last month. I was with experienced hunters that knew the land well. On the 4th day of the hunt, after the area cleared out of the weekend hunters, my friends put me on a small group of about a dozen elk. We were on foot. I glassed two bulls among the cows about about 600 plus yards. I had only a bull elk tag.

After a quick chat and figuring out the wind, my friend decided our best bet was not to stalk due to the fading light. He elected to circle the group on foot and let them wind him on purpose in an attempt to move them closer to me (nice hunting partner!) The elk were close to a private land boundary and we were afraid they were headed for that boundary line.

It was late in the day and light was fading fast. I stayed in the shadows on the edge of a high meadow. I could not believe how quickly he moved into position. I was glassing back and forth between the bulls and my buddy. I lost sight of my partner for about 10 minutes, and for a brief moment I thought I was seeing another hunter in blaze orange in the area of this group of elk but it was my partner who had covered very ground fast!

The plan worked, well partially. The elk herd basically split, most moving toward the private boundary to the west of me and a few moving towards me. I saw one of the bulls heading down hill towards me. I lost sight of the elk as they moved behind a small rise in the ground. I moved about 50 yards to my right where I thought the elk might emerge. I went to one knee and opened wide the scope. I couldn't see the opening on my knee where I thought they had the best change of being seen; nor could I rest on an old fence post that basically fell apart when I tried to rest my rifle on it. Before I could look for a 3rd option to help steady my shot, the elk emerged very close to where I had hoped. I had a 4 by 4 in my sight as it moved left to right behind some small trees. He looked big in my rifle scope as I estimated the shot at 275 yards. He made it to an opening in the trees still on the move, for about a 25 yard break in the tree line. I DID NOT SHOOT,and it was extremely hard to resist pulling the trigger!!! Here's why: 1.The light was very low, 2. the elk was on the move, and, 3. I was free-hand standing position. On the other hand; I had the bull in my sights with cross-hairs on him broadside..but the scope was bounding a bit.

Did I do the right thing?

I went to the same spot the next day and put the range finder on it. It was 240 years.

This is haunting me...I need to get some sleep!



I have two dreams about the encounter. Once I shot and the elk feel in his track as I shoot him in the neck. The second dream (nightmare) I shot and found a blood trail, but couldn't find the elk.

To make it worse, sitting in the Hayden airport hearing other hunters talk, it was painfully obviously most of those hunters would have pulled to trigger.

What would be worse would be to have taken the shot and it was a bad hit and to lose the elk. think about that.
The best thing is to go with your gut instinct, and I think you did that at the time.

240 years is a long shot!

Seriously, sounds like you had a great hunt. No tag punched, but you were in the mountains and in the elk. And that bull will be bigger next year when you put your scope on him.

That's still a long shot for me. My goal is to always get as close as possible.
It sounds like your biggest problem was hold the crosshairs steady? Do you use a sling to hold your shots steady. It's the only way I shoot, and it really helps.

Otherwise, you should have had some sticks. In your situation. I wouldn't have shot either.

You made the right choice.

I once passed a straight away shot on a 300" bull near Meeker because I did not trust my bullets (only factory ones my gun would shoot) shooting him up the Cheerio hole.

Now a days I would have premium bullets rolled by me and would take the shot....
That was 8yrs ago.

Sounds like you made the right choice.

If you're not comfortable taking the shot then by all means don't!

Offhand shooting is almost a lost art these days. A little practice will let you know in the future if you should pull the trigger.

A good rule of thumb that I use, is to never take a shot at a big game animal that I haven't made in practice.

Your buddy may still be looking for that elk had you took that shot. It is easy for those who weren't there to beat their chests and thunder on about how great a shot they are and what great hunters they are. You did the right thing. You passed the shot because you know that a 240 yard off hand shot at a moving animal is a very low percentage shot for 99% of the population. Elk can eat poor placed shots all day and make it to the next county without batting an eye. I know that and I'm no elk hunter simply because a whitetail or black bear will do the same. Had you taken that shot you would more likely than not be telling us a more sorrow tale of how you are disgusted with yourself for taking a foolish shot and how you are no longer welcome to hunt where you did. Good on you for passing on that shot and doing the RIGHT thing.

If at all possible take a knee, or shoot from sitting postion. Taking a knee with a quick sling might have worked for you. I agree with just about everyone else who commented. One of the things about being a good and responsible shot/hunter is knowing the shot you can make, and the ones you can't. Most of all being strong enough to walk away when you can't. You did good.

The shots I've made, I forget before I get home. Misses. Misses have kept me awake for 40 years, and I'm not talking the female kind. I can still see the ones I've missed, the easy its already in the game bag/trunk/freezer kind of shot, when I was a teen.

240 yards offhand equals a miss. You made the right choice, IMHO.

I'm going to play Devil's Advocate here... What was stopping you from dropping into a kneeling position?

Had the same experience last week when I passed on an archery shot on a huge Muley, I mean a monster, walking at 40 yds thru tall sage. Drew back and not 100 per cent comfortable on the shot so passed. a 40 yd shot on paper with a bow for me is a chip shot. However he was moving thru 4-5 ft sage. Too much chance for bad shot

You did the right thing

Bet next time you pack shooting sticks......

I moved out west 6 years ago. Most of my hunting with rifle and shotgun had been limited to 100 yds in big woods type shots. I quickly learned first season out here chasing elk and deer to be prepared for 200 plus yd off hand shots or learn to use sticks, bi pods, hunting packs, trees for support.

I changed my shooting practice to mimic this and much more successful.

Good on you for passing. Can come out next year more prepared and experienced.

I can tell you if you had taken the shot and screwed it up,you remember those bad ones long past the good ones you make.
I pass up on two-three of those type of shots every year. If it isn't right, I don't shoot

You done good although it hurts sometimes doing the right thing...Two years ago I ran across the biggest Bull I have ever had within shooting distance for what I was carrying and I had to pass carrying a 45-70 with 420 grain cast which would have punched through both shoulders and bone and the next two elk next to him and probably still exited.

I was wishing for a different caliber and Berger or Sierra's that day!!!

Owe well....

Jayco

You always miss 100% of the shots you never take! I would have shot, you had him in the crosshairs! Learn from this, get a pair of Stoney Point shooting sticks! Good Luck.

I'd like to see how you shoot offhand at 240 yards.

Or more likely a wound. An elk's a big target and it's hard to not hit something, fatal or not.

I don't think the shot was in the crosshairs, or he would have taken the shot. When the crosshairs is waving all over the elk. It's not in the crosshairs.

You would have shot anyway, and hoped for the best?

There are very few competitive shooters that can reliably make 275 offhand shots at moving targets (or stationary ones for that matter. On the internet, esp. here at 24hr, there are lots of guys that easily "make that shot".

You did the right thing. No question about it.

watched my nephew , first year hunter , pass a shot on a walking whitetail. I asked him why he didnt shoot and he said he had a branch in the way , I told him he did the right thing that was a whitetail , an elk can go a long way with two good lungs and three legs...you did the right thing , 240 yards unsupported is irresponsible.

You made the right choice, if you had tried the shot hit and lost the elk then you would have remember it for years. Trust me I know personally. You always remember the really bad decisions.
Remember your decision as the right one. !!!

I passed on three last minute of daylight long shots at bulls this past season and have no regrets what so ever. They are too regal of an animal to do a sloppy job on.

in my opinion you did the right thing, but thats also why I have a sling and a 27" bi-pod on my primary elk rifle because I practice a great deal from sitting positions because I learned theres frequently no tree handy to steady your rifle when you need one, I let the largest elk I saw in years pass under similar conditions, because I was just not 100% sure I could place the shot precisely...part of why hunting elk draws you back, the challenge , the country your in,and things you see are additive

Personally, I am not prepared for a 240yd offhand shot. There was a time I think it might have been viable, but not now. Limited ability to shoot offhand on a regular basis. Many ranges don't even allow it now! Marksmanship is a dying art (I don't consider shooting off a bench true marksmanship). In your case you did the right thing. However, what will you do between now and next year to prepare yourself to make that shot, and others? Your situation almost exactly describes the situation that led me to start this thread: http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/5886860/1

I will have some form of support (sticks) in the future. I don't want to have them, but I know I'll be a better shot with them.

You did the right thing.Considering the circumstances you had no other choice.

YES, and you should be proud of yourself. 275 yards is WAY too far for all but the most elite shooters. Add to that a moving target at dusk; not even close to a setting for an ethical shot.

Elk are very tough animals, and can go a long way even fatally wounded. Had you shot I think the odds are very high that you would feel much worse right now, with a wounded elk that you never found. You are the kind of person I look for in a hunting partner.

Absolutely, get some sleep.

I'll join the chorus to say you did the right thing. No question. For most hunters, 275 yards is still a long shot even if they have plenty of light and a non-moving target. Anyone who has hunted much, especially for elk, can tell you that most of the talk you hear from hunters about shooting elk off-hand at 400 yards is just that, talk. Or extreme luck.

The one bit of advice I would offer to you besides shooting sticks is when a plan like you and your buddy initiated is about to commence, do your best to get to a position that you like right away and then get ready, either in a good shooting position, rest set up, or shooting sticks deployed. That means gun up, scope covers off, scope magnification adjusted, and a round in the chamber. It's amazing how fast things can happen and if you're not ready, you'll miss the opportunity. I've seen more shot opportunities on elk missed because people think they have lots of time and don't realize how fast an elk can cover ground. Be ready since those few shot opportunities that we get pass in mere seconds and you don't usually get them back, at least not on public land elk. That being said, even if you're ready and the shot doesn't look good, don't pull the trigger. Make sure all is right before you let one go.

Best of luck to you in your future elk hunts.

You did the right thing. I too passed a shot or two this year. I have had a lot of close encounters as a bow hunter that never happened I have gone over them a million times in my mind but I guess the best news is I will never forget them they are engraved for all time. You can't go back but you can take the experience to improve the next time. Doesn't mean you won't still be kicking the ground when ever you think it about but at least you have that experience its so much better than the worst case of loosing a elk.

A 240-275 yard off hand shot at a moving elk is not an "opportunity"....it's an "encounter",and the OP did the right thing in passing on the shot.

The story is not clear on the issue of whether he could have gotten into a good sitting position,with or without shooting sticks; and if that elk had stopped,a shot from the sit with a shooting sling is certainly very do-able provided there was some practice from the position,and the shooter is used to it.

Unfortunately,many have forgotten that the thing they use to carry a rifle is also an excellent and very solid aid to tight holding in the field....or more likely they never learned.

Offhand shot at 275 is a low percentage shot for most people. No meat without the shot and probably the same with one.

You did the right thing...

There is a reason they call those kinds of shots a "Hail Mary" (in football and hunting) and they are better left to the internet experts. A lot of things have to come together to make shots like that and luck is not something to take a chance on when it comes to wounding a game animal.

Just for variation, I practice shooting field type shots like that on gallon jug size targets. With practice one develops an understanding of how to do it and what his limitations are. It helps you be prepared in the field.

The blood trail thing would be a real possibility. That really would haunt anyone with a conscience. You did the right thing.
If you haven't practiced that shot until you have it down it would have been wrong to try it.

I believe many of those armchair quarterbacks would indeed have pulled the trigger but 240 is a long offhand shot. Too much of that goes on. Good on you for setting the bar a little higher.

I will add also that you did the right thing. If you still doubt that, go to your "range" and try that 240+ yard shot offhand on a 9 inch paper plate.
As someone above said, I think Bob did, did you have or consider another shooting position? Your sling? A tree trunk nearby? Your backpack? Shooting sticks or a walking stick? I shot a cow elk at 235 a few years ago in a seated position. I had practiced it and I had a buddy spotting with his binocular.
Off hand is the last position I want to be in. Always look for or carry something you can rely on to assist a steady aim.

I'll add that about 7 years ago my buddy and I stalked into a heard of about 40 elk. Mostly cows, calves and a couple of spikes. We were 10 feet apart and he had the first encounter at about 75 yards. I sat down in the snow, got into my sling and tried to pick out a cow in the milling herd. Never could get one without risk of a pass through using a 180gr Partition in a 300WSM. I notched my tag the next day on a sneak into another herd in a foot of snow at 335 yards.

Anyway, congrats on making the right choice.

Have to agree with those that say you did the right thing. You ended up with a pleasant memory, very different that what you might have had if you wounded the elk and lost it in the diminishing light.

Sleep well.

I don't care if you had made that exact same shot 1000's of time before on game. If your gut says "I don't like it" and you don't take the shot, you will always have this guys utmost respect. Well done sir!

You did very well! That was not a "gimmee" even though it may appear that way--the bull was on the move, light was fading, etc. And, without a rest and at 240 yds, a small wiggle/flinch translates into a missed or much worse injured animal that moves two drainages over in the dark.

Congratulations on a tough, but proper decision. NOT taking the shot is never the worst choice.

The decision to pass on a shot when conditions are not right shows experience. You made the right decision.