Good advice thus far.
Like Mountain10mm said, shoot from field positions at 100, get a baseline, then add range. I’ll add four things:
1. Mimic the effects of altitude. Right now you’re less than 400‘ above sea level. Idaho is far higher and the thin air at altitude affects your heart rate and breathing. Add a 50-yard wind sprint, then flop down behind your rifle and try to get good hits. This won’t acclimate you to altitude but it can show how a pounding heart and screaming lungs affect your performance.
2. Shoot paper. What looks like “close miss” at 300 in the spotting scope can be something entirely different on paper. Misses teach more than hits and measuring them precisely is a huge opportunity to learn how you and your rifle perform in the real world. It’s humbling, though…
3. Practice offhand at 50-100 yards. You may see a good bull a lot closer than you’re expecting.
4. Dry fire is a big help in all of this.
All of this said, the vital zone of an elk is a lot bigger than the vital zone of a deer.
Okie John
