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I'm pretty sure after 40 years of elk hunting my time in the field has ended. I only had marginal success in all those years but enough to make a few observations for any newer to the sport

1. Spend 6 months getting in shape before your hunt, seriously.
2. Pick out your preferred rifle, and practice at least 2x per month. Get in prone, sitting, and offhand positions for all of your shooting. For some reason the elk never have cooperated when I take my bench out there.
3. Many thousands of elk have been killed with regular bullets, but elk hunting is expensive so done save $10 . Use a premium bullet. I just don't see any excuse to try and save money with a cheaper bullet when so many good ones are available.

Other than that I'm always baffled on forums why we seem to strive to use the lightest underpowered rifles possible on an expensive hunt. I guess a 22/250 or 250 savage will kill an elk, but really? Just a pet peeve of mine I guess. Anyway, best of luck to you all!

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I have at least ten more years elk hunting than you. I don't plan on quitting yet.. I don't do any special to get in shape. Now days, I usually shoot maybe three shots out of the rifle I will use for elk hunting prior to the,seasons..hd 95 percent of the elk I have killed have been with plain Jane c and c bullets.

My sucess rate has averaged better than 90 percent. It isn't all that hard except maybe the packing the elk out.

Last edited by saddlesore; 02/04/19.

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Originally Posted by saddlesore
I have at least ten more years elk hunting than you. I don't plan on quitting yet.. I don't do any special to get in shape. 95 percent of the elk I have killed have been with plain Jane c and c bullets.



Congratulations. I envy you get to keep it up but a serious neck injury will likely end my actual hunting but I hope to at least hold down camp for buddies. We never had access to horses so always walked all over those mountains, hence getting in shape would be preferred but glad you have had luck without it. As for c and c bullets, I've killed two myself but my personal preference if I were paying $$$thousands to hunt in Colorado, I would like to have that peace of mind on angling shots

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The fun stops when you squeeze the trigger. That's when the hard work starts.

I've never had an exercise regimen specific fro elk hunting, although I used to swim 9000 yards a week. Last year I dropped 25 pounds and the hills were a lot easier. This year I plan to drop another 20-25.

Have killed elk in numbers and places where getting them out nearly killed me. Lesson learned.

I have literally waited hours for a broadside shot but, if things go wrong after my first shot, I want a load capable of penetrating to the vitals from whatever angle is presented. My .243 doesn't go elk hunting even though most if not all the elk I've shot would have fallen to it. While I've hunted elk with a .257 Roberts and .44 Mag, I prefer my rifles in .280 Rem, 7mm RM, .30-06 and .338WM. Going minimalist in cartridge selection limits your options. Small cannons aren't needed, though, as elk fall pretty easily to one through the heart/lung area.

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Sorry about your neck injury. Any Injury or illness that prevented me from hunting would absolutely leave me broken inside...

I try and stay in shape,,, my type of work helps, but age has forced a little extra effort through out the year, lifting weights and walking/hiking to slow the clock on me so I can still get it done.

Soreness lingers a lot longer than it used to when I was in my 30’s. Now, I just use my aches and pains as an excuse to get my Hottie Wife to provide rehabilitation care on me...It’s a win...Grin.

Bullets, rifles, and scopes...In 40 years, I’ve had good to great in all categories for accomplishing the goal of bringing home meat. Time has changed a lot, but aside from the hardware, optics and bullets...

I’m happiest about the improvements made over these long years in hunting clothes. Lighter, dryer, warmer, cooler with comfort and flexibility compared to the days of cotton, more cotton and wool. Bring on the worst weather Mother Nature can think of and I’m gonna be GTG, aside from a tree failing on me...That would suck the big one 😎






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Originally Posted by BCHunter666
I'm pretty sure after 40 years of elk hunting my time in the field has ended. I only had marginal success in all those years but enough to make a few observations for any newer to the sport

1. Spend 6 months getting in shape before your hunt, seriously.
2. Pick out your preferred rifle, and practice at least 2x per month. Get in prone, sitting, and offhand positions for all of your shooting. For some reason the elk never have cooperated when I take my bench out there.
3. Many thousands of elk have been killed with regular bullets, but elk hunting is expensive so done save $10 . Use a premium bullet. I just don't see any excuse to try and save money with a cheaper bullet when so many good ones are available.

Other than that I'm always baffled on forums why we seem to strive to use the lightest underpowered rifles possible on an expensive hunt. I guess a 22/250 or 250 savage will kill an elk, but really? Just a pet peeve of mine I guess. Anyway, best of luck to you all!



I get peeves and all, but if you’d have been successful consistently you’d realize what rifle you were carrying didn’t really matter.. funny that what your shooting ends up being 99% of the debate on this site but in the grand scheme of reality it matters the least..ask anyone that kills them every year if they couldn’t get by with just about anything... funny how that works

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I think you might be missing my point. My lack of success has little to do with lack of effort, probably more to do where I've mostly hunted. For those of you bagging an elk on 90% of your hunts in Washington, God bless you but you are in the minority. Most of my hunting was done with a pet 270. I practiced with sierras, then switched to partitions. I'm well aware and not arguing that any gun you choose will kill an elk, my suggestion was only that elk hunting is an expensive proposition so if I were advising someone today I see no reason not to use a premium bullet. Just my personal recommendation, realizing full well the vast majority of elk are taken with regular bullets.

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Fair enough BC. Sorry About your physical ailments.. I suppose that’s what’s going to get all of us at some point!

I also understand area, tough to hunt a critter in an area that there isn’t many to be had.

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Originally Posted by Beaver10
Sorry about your neck injury. Any Injury or illness that prevented me from hunting would absolutely leave me broken inside...

I try and stay in shape,,, my type of work helps, but age has forced a little extra effort through out the year, lifting weights and walking/hiking to slow the clock on me so I can still get it done.

Soreness lingers a lot longer than it used to when I was in my 30’s. Now, I just use my aches and pains as an excuse to get my Hottie Wife to provide rehabilitation care on me...It’s a win...Grin.

Bullets, rifles, and scopes...In 40 years, I’ve had good to great in all categories for accomplishing the goal of bringing home meat. Time has changed a lot, but aside from the hardware, optics and bullets...

I’m happiest about the improvements made over these long years in hunting clothes. Lighter, dryer, warmer, cooler with comfort and flexibility compared to the days of cotton, more cotton and wool. Bring on the worst weather Mother Nature can think of and I’m gonna be GTG, aside from a tree failing on me...That would suck the big one 😎


Most excellent points Beav. At 61 I still hope I have 40 or so years left to elk hunt. Ha. Recovery/soreness is a big thing for me....no way I bounce back after a hard workout like I did when I was 25-30. You just have to find a way to deal with it. Slower metabolism combined with those damned thyroid meds make it difficult to keep the weight down but you just keep chopping wood. Wifey and I hit the gym 4x per week all year long .

Watch out for those falling trees...they can hurt. Not as bad as being struck by lightning though...ask me how I know....hint.


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Once a person starts killing elk with a muzzle loader and a pure lead bullet,or close to it.They will figure out that all this worry about a premium bullet isn't as much of a factor whether they spend thousands on an elk hunt or a few hundred,I see nonresidents that spend a bunch of money every year doing it and have killed more than a few myself with them.

Sorry about the neck injury. Can it be fixed?


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I'm 70 and have been hunting elk for most of it. I got my 1st one at 15 but then there was a long dry spell. I hunted very little when in college.
I'm still going strong but my 2 long time partners might both be finished. They're 73 and 74 now. I might have to find some youngsters to hunt with me.
I figured a long time ago that I was getting too old to be packing meat on my back so 9 years ago I got some llamas. They've been lifesavers and I figure they've added at least 5 years to my hunting time. Several years ago, I figured the llamas were underutilized so I got involved with our church's scout troop and have taken them on 3 back country pack trips.

I've never shot an elk with anything smaller than a 270. I got a bunch with that then I hit the mid-life crisis and went to a Savage 300 WSM. That's a darn good caliber. The rifle wasn't fancy but it was very accurate and reliable. After 5 or 6 elk elk with that one, I realized that I hadn't shot a single one with it that I couldn't have got just as well with a 30-06 that weighed less. So, the last couple years I'm using a 30-06 that weighs a lb less. It's much more pleasant to carry in the mountains, not to mention the reduced recoil.


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Well I'm 79 and thankfully still going strong. Hopefully my health and body holds out for a few more years and a few more elk. I try to go to the gym 4-5 times per week. For the last 10 years or so the 30/06 has been my hunting rifle choice.

Anyway sorry to hear about the neck injury and hopefully you can over-come that.

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The observation I remember most came from an old-timer who hunted an area we were planning to hunt. He'd been pretty successful there so I was picking his brain when he volunteered: "packing elk quarters, now that's man's work."

Which is the reason the hunting gets better the farther you get from motorized access. Not a lot of people are willing to do the work and the elk know where they need to be come hunting season.



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Originally Posted by BCHunter666
I'm pretty sure after 40 years of elk hunting my time in the field has ended. I only had marginal success in all those years but enough to make a few observations for any newer to the sport

1. Spend 6 months getting in shape before your hunt, seriously.
2. Pick out your preferred rifle, and practice at least 2x per month. Get in prone, sitting, and offhand positions for all of your shooting. For some reason the elk never have cooperated when I take my bench out there.
3. Many thousands of elk have been killed with regular bullets, but elk hunting is expensive so done save $10 . Use a premium bullet. I just don't see any excuse to try and save money with a cheaper bullet when so many good ones are available.

Other than that I'm always baffled on forums why we seem to strive to use the lightest under-powered rifles possible on an expensive hunt. I guess a 22/250 or 250 savage will kill an elk, but really? Just a pet peeve of mine I guess. Anyway, best of luck to you all!


good advice! and Id point out being a masochist who doesn,t mind helping the clueless, helps a good deal!
yeah I'm always amazed at the guys who do not blink at spending $1000 or more on licences,
and an additional $2000-$4000 on the hunt,guys that are unwilling to walk more than 1/8th mile from the truck,
and guys who then bring a rifle of marginal power with what is all too typically a cheap flimsy scope
and guys that may have barely taken the effort to sight in the ammo they intend to use.
Id advise a 270 win or larger caliber, but you darn sure need to shoot what you carry very consistently well.
if you can,t consistently put holes in a coke can at 100 yards at least 70% of the time, shooting from a field position, you need more practice,
being in good physical condition and being persistent , going to the effort to check out that extra ridge or canyon,
and hunting all the available time,dawn to dusk every day,
when things are not ideal is the key to success in many cases.
do your homework, research the area, buy and use topo maps,talk to the area biologist,
hunt in a decent area, if theres few elk your chances are far lower, and for darn sure get out and look over the area,
cruising the back roads in a truck or getting up at 8 am, making breakfast, being back at camp, by 2pm is hurting your odds

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Quote
Other than that I'm always baffled on forums why we seem to strive to use the lightest under-powered rifles possible on an expensive hunt. I guess a 22/250 or 250 savage will kill an elk, but really? Just a pet peeve of mine I guess. Anyway, best of luck to you all!
I keep reading what a fine killer the 223 is on deer. I don't have one but when I drew an antelope tag 2 years ago, I thought I'd try my 22-250 just to see how it worked. It worked great. It hollowed out the chest of a buck.
However, The 22-250 weighs more than my 30-06 so what have I gained?


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Originally Posted by BCHunter666
I'm pretty sure after 40 years of elk hunting my time in the field has ended. I only had marginal success in all those years but enough to make a few observations for any newer to the sport


Other than that I'm always baffled on forums why we seem to strive to use the lightest underpowered rifles possible on an expensive hunt. I guess a 22/250 or 250 savage will kill an elk, but really? Just a pet peeve of mine I guess. Anyway, best of luck to you all!


Between myself, family, friends, and guiding, I've witnessed 125-150 elk killed with a centerfire. I'll be darned if I can tell the difference in how quickly they die between my 243's with 100gr NPt's vs my 270's, 30-06's, 7mmRM's, 300WM's etc, etc..................


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Perhaps if you start to utilize poor shot placement you will see more of a difference.


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Originally Posted by tomk
Perhaps if you start to utilize poor shot placement you will see more of a difference.


That's it! I gotta start shooting them in the back half if I'm ever gonna see the difference...... smile


Casey

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30-06 is a good start.

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Originally Posted by BCHunter666
I'm pretty sure after 40 years of elk hunting my time in the field has ended. I only had marginal success in all those years but enough to make a few observations for any newer to the sport

1. Spend 6 months getting in shape before your hunt, seriously.
2. Pick out your preferred rifle, and practice at least 2x per month. Get in prone, sitting, and offhand positions for all of your shooting. For some reason the elk never have cooperated when I take my bench out there.
3. Many thousands of elk have been killed with regular bullets, but elk hunting is expensive so done save $10 . Use a premium bullet. I just don't see any excuse to try and save money with a cheaper bullet when so many good ones are available.

Other than that I'm always baffled on forums why we seem to strive to use the lightest underpowered rifles possible on an expensive hunt. I guess a 22/250 or 250 savage will kill an elk, but really? Just a pet peeve of mine I guess. Anyway, best of luck to you all!


Sorry to hear that your elk hunts may be ending. It’s a chapter of life we all must face. At least many of us had the opportunity! As far as your comments.....very rational statements. If more elk hunters followed those thoughts, we’d have less wounded elk left in the field! memtb


You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel

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Well, I would imagine with hunters becoming better killers as they gain experience, anecdotal results are skewed particularly for "beginner" cartridges.

Casey, you may become one of the few, or maybe only, modern researcher providing empirical evidence of cartridge killing power for just plain bad shooting. Certainly, Hollywood would be interested!


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