Years ago, my sister-in-law shot a mid sized bull with her 257 Roberts straight into the chest from about 200 yards. We chased this elk for about 3/4 of a mile and she shot it again. The bull took off again but lay down after a run of about 200 yards. She finished it off in its bed. We all agreed that her 257 was not enough gun for the job. My brother traded it off for a 7mm-08 and since then two elk have been taken with much better performance.

I'm sure that this episode should convince anyone reading this that elk are tough animals and deserve to be taken with minimal suffering. If a hunter can pass on long shots and shoot accurately, elk can be taken with common "deer cartridges." But going after elk with a .224 rifle is more of a stunt than anything else.

Sherwood

FIRE UP THE GRILL - is NOT catch and release!