Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Are premium bullets needed for elk?

Actually I have indeed intentionally shot the heaviest bull I've ever killed (well north of 700lbs) with a Texas heart shot. The well beat up Partition ended up just short of the sternum. He traveled about 60yds and was dead by the time I worked my way down the side of the canyon. With a 150g NPT from a 270. Shooting them between the hammies doesn't ruin much meat a'tall and ruins a LOT less meat than shooting them in the shoulder. I grew up where wasting meat with a shoulder shot was a sin. If I have a 360 B&C bull going dead away from me I'll take the shot--my elk loads are up to the task.

There is also the scenario where a wounded critter is still on his feet--regardless if he's mortally wounded and the shooter nor the critter doesn't know it--or if it wasn't a good shot, and the animal is going dead away. Under those circumstances it is more ethical to take the Portuguese Brain Shot rather than wait and the likelihood of not having that perfect opportunity of another broadside shot. For me there is nothing worse than losing a wounded critter.

Also, when heavily quartering away, a shot even a few inches too far back can encounter the stomach, and as mentioned before an elk stomach full of feed can stop a bullet--I've seen it happen several times. My then 17 year old son did just that, the bullet actually skinned the very front of the hind quarter, entering well back of the last rib, through a portion of the stomach, and ended up against the off side shoulder. The 100g NPT out of a 243 traversed through the front half.

I have seen killed and killed a LOT more elk at angles than I have with perfect broadside shots. Elk have a tendency not to cooperate in that fashion.

Moderate expansion, deep penetration, and make sure the bullet traverses the front half, that's the "trick".