Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Shot distance on elk

All of mine have been under 125-yards and a long shot would be 250-yards. Other areas of the state I could see maybe longer.

Here we go, now Mikey is going to want to throw on his dress shoes, borrow the wife’s grocery getter and go on an ass kicking road trip again.

He gets side tracked pretty easy though, he stopped in Amarillo for a Chippendales show and wound up hooking up with one of the roadies and never made it last time.

LMA0 🤣🦫

High teens on elk killed, the closest 11 yards longest 550 yards. We hunt open country most of the time so my average distance has been just under 300 yards.

I have killed 8 elk in my hunting life. Not as many "kills" as some on here. My closest was 65 yds with a 30-06 with a 180gr. Hornady, longest was a lasered 410yds with a 300WM and 180gr Accubond.

I have had many elk rifles over the years, but all of my kills could have been handled with my 30-06 I bought when I was 21yo! But, where's the fun in just one rifle!

Elk Country

I have essentially hunted with one or two other guys my entire lifetime. We were not always the same, but 3 is a pretty good average of hunters in our camp over 6 DECADES . I won't talk about the number of elk, because I tire of being called names from those who have not had my, or our success. Anyway, shortest distance of any elk killed that I can remember was right around 20-40 yards. I probably have 8 or 9 of those myself. As others have mentioned not many are killed at that distance . Two years ago we took a bull at 600+ yards and another close to that. Mine that year was 330, and my best ever with a rangefinder was 540. There are probably a few more at that distance or farther, but not having a rangefinder sometime confuses reality. The last bull I killed was at 420 and a cow with a muzzleloader at 40. I would guess that average distance including me and my group over all of those years is around 300 yards. When your hunting the wide open ridges and canyons, the distance adds up fast. I consider 300 yards is point blank, and that is my primary practicing distance. The vast majority of these elk were taken with magnum rifles.

The country in which we hunt is one of the important things about the rifle we select for taking our elk.[/quote]

As a native Texan I got to bowhunt elk in Colorado when I was a young man (1980-81), but unfortunately belong to the "missed an elk" club. Fast Forward, 11 yrs later. Had a back operation, worn out knees, and finally moved here to elk country (Utah). If I wanted to hunt elk, I had to "pick my hunt and terrain" as I am just not physically a bull anymore, ha. I have only killed 4 cows in about the last 25yrs. My average is roughly 171yds ( 135, 200,250,100) ( 30-06, 375 H&H, 338WM, 300WM) Only the one I took at 250yds I don't "think" I could have killed with my old iron sighted 30-30, but look at the fun I had/have!! I love the hunt, messing with rifles, but I have always known my own abilities. The ONLY time I ever saw a bull was ONLY when I had a cow tag, ha. But I don't care, I love it all. Now, age and more surgeries has me even more limited, physically, but I'm still "17" inside! ha Life is short, do what you like to do, but you better hurry!

Been practicing the last couple of days. Distance 433 yards with two separate rifles. Prone position on the ground with two of my hunting rifles. The first 300 WM group 9 inches just outside the bull,, one called flyer. Second group was 7 inches inside the bull at 12. The the third group 3.7 " at 10 o'clock. Kimber light weight second group 280 AI, 2.75 inches at 5 o"clock. An adjustment or two will get it in closer to center. The Kimber is new to me with two elk, one at 420 the other at 310 or so. With the 300 WM, 40 plus, I will get better as the summer goes on with more range time. I only have a window of a couple of hours each day, and one or two days of manageable wind conditions out of every 10 days. It takes 6 min each way, to get to the target on my 4 wheeler, so the available time gets eaten up fast.

500 yard cow, .264 Winchester, 147 ELD-M, scope on 20X

The stuff my dreams are made of!! ha

Longest at ~ 325 yds. I knocked him down with my '06, don't remember what bullet (C&C)
Most have been at 200, mas o menos. Usually 165 gr. Sierra GK's.
Don't remember any close kills.

Of course most guys will get as close as they can if the opportunity presents itself, but to dictate what power scope, which bullet, and which rifle is sufficient is nonsense and shows your lack of experience. Every hunt is different and you have to be capable of what comes up or go home empty handed. I prefer to be prepared.

If you hunt West coast jungles like Judman does mostly, you will be mostly shooting at point blank range and usually quickly. If you're hunting the wide open spaces like John Burns you will be doing a lot of walking where elk can see you from a long ways off so you better be good at long range shooting and even then you will probably need to be able to sneak pretty good just to get to what most would consider long range... or you could hunt across canyons like we do most years or across farmer's winter wheat fields. The longest shots I've had were 600 yards (well 599 according to the LRF) across a canyon, 450 yards across a canyon, and 515 yards across a farmer's winter wheat field . But of the 16-20 elk I've killed, most have been in the 150-250 range. Even the long shots I've made with a 3-9 or 2.5 - 10 scope and didn't have any trouble placing my shot, but I would have preferred a bit more if I had the chance at the moment. I now carry a 4.5 x 14 on my present elk rifle.

The trick is to know when not to shoot. Even at short range there are times when the shot is bad- moving elk, brush in the way, a bad place to recover an elk, can't get a steady shot for one reason or another, etc... lots of reasons. But that all comes with experience and patience, which takes a few hunts to get there... I've probably passed up more short to medium range shots than some for these reasons...

Bob

NAILED it...

Over 25 elk so far, farthest was 327 yards.

Every Elk ever taken in America was shot either under or over 100yds.

Except the ones Shrapnel killed with his pickup.

That sounds like a typical day chasing elk, black bear, or blacktail deer a Pacific Northwest tree farm. A typical sporting rifle with a typical 3-9 scope handles quickly enough for the close shots and can still reach out for the long ones. I don't have enough experience with true long-range rigs to know how they handle in the brush, but I'd bet that they'd work if the hunter puts in the reps to get it right. Use any cartridge you like, but know the range at which your bullet is going too slow to expand and stay within that.

The key is to train for both types of shots. Too few hunters actually practice and almost none of them actually train. There's a BIG difference.


Okie John

This is the reason that hunters should be prepared for close shots as well as longer shots. This includes choice of scopes and proper bullet selection. Limiting yourself with skills, cartridges, scopes and bullets expecting only close shots or only long shots seriously limits your elk hunting if you are a responsible hunter! memtb

I have found that weaver style bases and Burris rings the scope would rock loose while in the saddle scabbard

I now use quick detach rings and a rifle/carbine that sports iron sights. When I am mule back the scopes not attached to the firearm.

This thread got me thinking if one needed a close range and a long range scope two different scopes could be taken.

I personally haven’t any plans on shooting over 400 yards so I haven’t set up two scopes. But maybe this year I will.

On a side note iron sights seem more usable than a scope in wet heavy snowfall.

A few years ago I had built a long range rig in 7 Rem mag, 6.5 x 20 Mark 4 Leupold with turrets, 168 grn Nosler LRAB with H1000. Shoots great, and I regularly practice on steel to 800 yds. That said, my longest shot on an elk was a bull at 412 yds.

Ive taken around 10-15 head of elk with that rifle, in Wyoming and Idaho, mostly between 250-375 yds.

The balance of the rest of the elk Ive taken (another 30-40 hunting 2 states) were all under 350 yds or so. Closest was a small 6x6 at 70 ish yds.

My hunting has gone full circle. The "long range rig" hasn't been used on game in a couple years. I'm kinda over it at this point. The last 2 bulls I killed were using a 45-70 Sharps with blackpowder and a paperpatch bullet, and a .348 Winchester. I drew a muzzleloader tag locally this year so will be using that, at least here in Idaho.

Regards,
Manny