Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Shot distance on elk

Depends a lot on where you hunt. Where I hunt in north Idaho its usually heavy timber and thick. I have taken over a dozen elk and I don't think any of them were over a hundred yards.

I'm at the other end, in southern, ID where it's often wide open and you can see for miles. Even at that, my longest shot on a couple dozen I've shot was 350 yds. There's always a way to get closer.

Tired subject at best.

It’s your story, tell it like you want to…

And what you hunt with. It's been my experience that very few bowhunters or muzzleloaders take 300 yard shots.

John Janovy junior told me in a lecture.

There are stupid questions




One u already know the answer too.

I have killed 16 elk, 14 bulls and 2 cows, most killed with a 300 Weatherby with a 3.5-10 Leupold shooting 180 Nosler Partitions. My longest shot was 512 yards (300 BEE) and my shortest was 150 it ards with a 6.5 GAP 4S.

My go to rig now is a Gunwerks RevX in 7mm RM shooting 168 Bergers and a 5-25 Nightforce ATACR. I wish I could get shots at elk closer, they all seem to be 400 yards plus.

I've never had an elk get up after being knocked down with any of the cartridges I've used to kill them (300 and 7mm BEE, 270 WSM and 6.5 GAP 4S). I shoot a lot and regularly practice from 300 to 1000 yards. My shot distance limit is 500 yards and I prefer them much closer.

Who is John Janovy?

Was that a stupid question?

John Janovy would have been the lecturers father.


Yep

It’s called “stump the instructor” or “stump the speaker”.

Not to be confused with


Stump Broke 🤠

Even if the Elk falls right there, it will be tough to find if your alone.

What is your point?

My longest was 450 on a spike in OR, shortest was a cow in the Timber at maybe 15 steps outside Sheridan. I practice my butt off to be proficient at as long a distance as I can shoot all summer, which is usually around 800. Our group has a mess of elk around the 250-275 with a few as far as 675 yards.

Everything has worked great from a 270 up to a 338 Win Mag.

Just poking fun at this thread! Elk hunting and cartridge/rifle discussion that never ends.

For Big Mike Werner

243 Win


Lol

🦫


PS

SLM, say’s you’re still a ball bag

😳

Is he related to Jon Bon Jovi?

I propose Mule Deer said it best when ….


And I paraphrase:

I came to realize no cartridge was gonna change my life

I'm in it for the tasty dinner. Cow elk, or a spike at most. I use whatever cartridge I'm currently not bored with. I've used from .257 Roberts to .400 Jeffery.

Now my brother is a different story. He's a head hunter. What's on his Wall Of Dead is never good enough. Pretty sure his scope has a built in tape measure.

On his next hunt they run him through a LR shooting course, then using that rifle they head into the hills.

Different folks, different strokes.

I totally agree with center shot

The hardest part of ( trophy) elk hunting is drawing a tag.

Effort ,and Hard work , experience help also.

I would suggest that's there's a difference with someone who lives in elk country and can hunt often and choose their shots based on conditions and recovery effort and "the rest of us" who may travel at great expense of time and money for a once in a lifetime hunt and wanting to be in a position to take any reasonable shot that they are qualified to make a high percentage of the time. I still believe in hunting v shooting and prefer to get as close as possible to any game I'm hunting but in the case of out of state elk, I'd want a rifle scope combo capable for me to have the power necessary for a clean kill out to 400 yards. My likely choice would be 308 or 30-06 with 180s or 7mm with 160s.