Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 25-06 vs big Bull @ 400 yards

Soup innards, likely shrapnel exits. Busted both shoulders or at least entry dependent on angle. Entire gut cavity filled up. No heartbeat 20 seconds after shot.

I would let one rip.
Thats a 25-06 doing what it was intended to do, and so is the well trained shooter, Very well done both of you!!

I was too a little hesitant on a 25-06 and elk. It is not the caliber I would choose for a full time wapiti whopper, but in open country, long range where one can be absolute on shot placement....zero flies on the 25-06 with bullets intended for big game.

Seen it done first hand by my wife with looked to be less light than the video. We shot 100 partitions killing elk with a single bullet but have moved up to the 110 accubond because of availability at the time.

Well done again to the both of you!!

Looks like it all worked out as intended, and a great experience for the young hunter.

Lots of practice paid off.

Buriss Veracity 3-15x50, Dialed 4.5 MOA from his 100 yard zero.

I'm letting him walk. Even if it works, as it apparently did, there are way too many things that can go wrong leading to crippling and losing an animal with the specific conditions you list. Kid seemingly did everything right but he still only had a 50/50 chance of good results. I'll offer my heartfelt congratulations but at the same time, I would not have pulled the trigger .. MY ethics.

Tom

50/50 chance of good results you say? Interesting.

Congratulations awesome bull!

Great video! Great bull !! Congrats to the young man on a really good shot at 400 yds. Everyone has their opinion on whether to shoot or not. The results speak.
Thanks for sharing!

i rewatched the video the young man made an excellent shot , i am sure he knew his rifle well. i see no reason not to take the shot this young man did very well and we should all congrats him . so here is another congrats ! nice shot i would have shot too. Pete53

400 is a poke on shooting sticks, especially if you've been hiking and have any kind of heavy breathing. If the scope on said rifle was at least 14 power or so it would make things easier. I'd like to say I'd shoot him in the chest. Part of me would want to shoot behind the shoulder and grab a lung and some liver. That 115 vld is a nasty bullet. Killed alot of stuff with it. But if you smack that shoulder bone or scapula, things could get hairy. Chest is definitely the shot there, he slipped it over the shoulder and terminated the respiratory system of that bull. He took out the central nervous system and blood supply to the heart and lungs with that one. I'd say the shot made was about as perfect as it could be. Dam good shot.

Great shot and great bull. Congrats.

I've helped find deer shot behind the shoulder even though the animal was quartering on. It's not a shot for me.

After the hit that elk moved pretty well for having his central nervous system taken out.

If you can shoot an animal behind the shoulder and pop lungs, why would you try anything else? Those lungs will bleed more than any other organ except the heart which is a 1/10 of the size. A quarter to on an elk is a totally different animal than a deer. Body mass and bones are way more dense.

With the quartering presentation shown I don't care for the tracking job such a behind the shoulder shot will likely entail. I would want to make the shot the shooter actually made, and if I didn't think I could I'd have to pass.

I'll track em. Don't matter to me. It's called hunting, not getting.
Ethics are a good quality to have. Terrible losing an animal because you made a poor decision. However, you have a rifle that is plenty capable of a 400 yard shot. Get the opportunity, which in this case is a good one, take it.

That shot presentation and rifle/load combination wouldn't give me an instant of hesitation, and I've never shot a Berger of any sort at anything more than paper or steel. In fact, given the stationary critter, low-to-no wind, and great rest, there aren't many bottle-neck cases from the 223 on up that I WOULND'T use to make that shot.

Congratulations to the shooter and his "guide". I hope your taxidermist doesn't get after you for all those sand-burs. (grin)

I watched the video again, looks like there's an exit wound just behind the off-side rib-cage.

I noticed that spot too.

Anybody that shoots a critter BEHIND the shoulder on a quartering to angle needs a lesson in anatomy and shot placement.

I've been over it many times with my nephews. Don't think about where on the surface you want to hit the animal. Think about what you want the projectile to go through and let that determine the desired point of impact.

What did the bullet hit?

That animal is barely quartered. Bullet would exit last rib. Dead elk.
Also that 25-06 running 3150 is would eat that elk up. I'd tuck it directly behind the crease and let that berger imulsify that elk. Or on a quarter to, that shoulder bone below the scapula is forward of the actual shoulder. Heck, just drill him right behind the point of the shoulder if you don't wanna chest him.