Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Shot distance on elk

It's my opinion that 90% of elk are harvested at under 300 yards.
95%+ at under 400 yards.

A .308, 30-06 or .270 with a 4X scope is more than enough.
A cup & core bullet of reasonable weight will do the job.

If you want a 20X scope on a .300 magnum, that's fine but you don't need it.

I have 5 elk under my belt, all taken at under 100 yards.

So how many of you actually take elk at 500+ yards, and what percentage of you elk were at longer distance.

I’ve shot a couple dozen elk and the longest was 350 yds by the laser. I have a 12x scope on my rifle but it’s for my weak eyes, not the distance. I just need a few more X’s to see the animal clearly

I have shot just over 50 elk. Probably 15 of those were over 300 yards. Probably 4 over 500. Maybe a few more. Use a 4x if you like I usually have a 3-9 or 4-12. Almost always turned as high as it will go. I just love it when some one with limited experience tells me just what caliber, scope, and bullet I need because it worked for him on a couple elk.

I am on the back side of 50 elk tagged. I have been hunting them 55+years. A lot of years I could get two elk tags here in Colorado. One year, three. Less than 6 were over 250 yards. Most were less than 100yards. Many less than 50 yards. Center fire rifle and 50 cal muzzle loader. .308, 30-06, 44 mag carbine, 30-30. About five years with a7 mag. I found out it just burned more powder. It didn't kill any better. My .06 now has a 2.5-8 X as it was a gift. Other than that it has 1X, 4x, 2-7X, and 3-9X's usually set at 4X.

In my experience, the younger hunters today, lack the woodscraft, or hunting ability to stalk elk close and rely on distance shooting instead

I have personally taken 25 elk and have been in on the taking of at least 100 others. I grew up in elk country in CO and our family hunted them hard. The closest shot I have had at an elk was 3 paces and that was a cow taken with a muzzleloader. I came around a blown down tree and she was coming around it from the other side. The longest shot I have taken at one was about 575 yards at a good 5 pt bull across a sagebrush flat and he was the only bull I saw that season. I killed both of those elk. I'm guessing the other 23 elk I have taken have been anywhere from 70 yards to about 350. I've had the chance to take longer shots but try to work into a closer range. My old 7mm Mag is sighted in to be dead on at 250 yards so anything out to 350 all I have to do is hold on the upper chest. My rifle wears on old Leupold 3x9 and I have never found that scope lacking.

I’m a baby compared to some. 8 elk in last 12 years of hunting elk.
Still using the trusty 30/06 originally with 180 tsx and 2.5-10 monarch BDC.
Now 168 ttsx. With 3.5-10 vx3 CDS.
40-400 yards.
The 300 win mag sits in the safe. And I bring 270 win with 3-9 CDS 130 ttsx as a back up

I’m a midwesterner and didn’t start after elk until relatively late in life. I’ve taken 13 or so with two being cows. I’m not a guy who tries to intentionally take elk at long range, and took none if 500 yards is your threshold. But most, about 8 or 9 ors so, were past 400 yds, the longest at a walked off 475. These were mostly pre-LRF, or without time to do so, and the last couple were close enough to not have to range them.

So I’ve a small cluster between 400 and 500.

Edit: I’ve used a 45/70, 45 Colt, 30/06, and the last was taken with a 284 Win. But all those between 400 and 500 were with a 340 Wby. As a boomer I hate to use a millennials’ term, but it was “awesome”!
🙂

Farthest for me has been 400 yards with a 300 win mag pushing a 200 grain accubonds. Bullet clipped bottom of heart and elk fell where it stood.

Others have been at 250 yards or less with same rifle and load.

In about 46 elk tagged, 1 over 400yds., 2 others over 300, and the rest less than 250, most of them less than 150.
Hunt!

I have shot 8 bulls and 1 cow, 2 at around 150, 6 between 250-350 and one at 415.
For me anything over 350-400 yards is a long shot.

16 bulls and one cow. 48 yards was my closest shot, 351 my longest. Most of my shots were in the 275-325 range.

I'd agree with everything you've said, and it can also be applied to most all NA big game.

All except the 4X part, there is zero reason to handicap yourself, if even only slightly, with a 4X optic when so many great and affordable variables are available.

I have shot 16 cows and 5 bulls - from the 6.5CM to a pre'64 .338WM. The .338 does have an immediate effect but I no longer can handle that. My average is 185 yards, the longest 390 and the closest 55 yards.
Scopes have been 2.5-8x36 and 3.5-10x40's. The bottom line is a quality bullet in the right place.

I have killed more elk beyond 800yds than you have in total.

Do what you want and shoot what you want but skip bloviating about what any one else "needs".

Thanks.

I got a hand full of elk... and a lot more unfilled tags than elk....

I got one bull with a 30-06 at 526 yards... shot twice... the holes were 8 inches apart....

I also got two different bulls with a 300wsm at 16yards and one at 12 yards... go figure.

Ya got to kill'em where they are at... no way around it.

I have been an elk hunter since I was a young boy. I am a geezer now.

My one and only shot over 400 yards was at about 420, with a 270 Short Mag.
ALL the rest were closer, with most being a LOT closer.
If I counted all my elk at 300+, I can do it on my fingers and come up with 4 spare fingers. That's going back 56 years too and from 5 different states.

Many many dozens were at 150 and closer, with a large number being under 60 yards.
My closest was at about 8 feet.

From 40 yards to 750 yards, with 4x to 15x, with 270 win, 284 win, 308 win, 300 wsm, 8x57, 338-06 35 remington, 358 win what difference does it make.

Know your and your equipment's capabilities and limitations and hunt accordingly.

Never killed a elk, they sound very intimidating. I’m thinking high bc bullets and turrets for the win!! Hopefully I “draw a elk tag” someday!! I’m all ears on habits and tactics!!

The thing that has me mystified about 800 plus yard shooting.

Is finding the animal after the fact!

Unless there is snow, I struggle finding some at even 200!

Angus,

You stated "the thing that has me mystified about 800 plus yard shooting. Is finding the animal after the fact!"

Couple of ways;

1) Long shots are often two person efforts so 1 person stays back and marks the spot where the animal was standing and then directs the other person to that spot then comes over to help look.

2) Trigonometry. If you are at X/Y lat/lon for the shot which you would have marked with your GPS and you determine the bearing (compass heading) to the animal you can calculate its GPS coordinates for where it was standing by using the bearing and distance.

Obviously, these just get you to the starting point of the tracking.