Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting What is it with rifles and bullets here?

I grew up in the hunting magazine era where you needed to move up to at least a 300WM if you wanted any chance of tagging out. The hype was there to sell magazines and new rifles. Twenty five years later, I am a lot wiser. If seems if there is an elk involved - everyone goes overboard. An improvement in bullets has helped the moderate range of cartridges. But as we all know, shooting skills trumps all else.

Boddington was well known for the magnum craze back then, I'm sure.

There is a whole pile of people that don’t obsess with target pics and measuring groups that kill elk every year.

Moral of the story, being a paper tiger doesn’t make one an elk killer.

Rifle or cartridge selection isn’t all that important. When it comes to elk bullet selection is important. Between myself, friends, family, and guiding, I’ve spent enough time chasing wounded elk because of poor bullet selection (not to be confused with poor bullet placement).

When it comes to elk, gimme a Partition or copper bullet…

If a guy can quickly get on target, shoot from odd positions, while using a STOUT hunting bullet, 300 yds has 99% of elk hunting situations covered.

Most people are not prepared to jump shoot elk in the spruce-fir elk jungles, but yet for every elk in the open at 600 yds, there’s a bunch more in the timber.

A Remchester Corelosstip bullet will git 'er done . . .

lol…..

That’s entirely true, but there’s not enough shooting in elk hunting to become a proficient shooter, so some time on the range is necessary.

Elk season is fairly short (and shorter if you don’t live anywhere near elk country), so we need something to talk about and do the rest of the year. Some (very few) on here talk about staying in shape, or scouting for the season, but a lot more people are interested in talking about firearms. Thus, the reason so many threads are about that subject.

The best asset an elk hunter can have is to simply be mentally tough.

I see people every year fully decked out in Kuiu/Sitka gear, with ultra high end rifles/optics, that simply can’t take 0 F weather, let alone spike camp in it. They generally also can’t get to where they need to be at first and last light. They quit after a day or so and go to the bar. I have crossed paths with dozens and dozens of them over the years.

It is what it is….

Yep, for years Craig advised the .30-06 as a minimum for elk, and also generally advised a .300 or .338 magnum. Trouble was he'd never killed an elk with anything smaller than a .30-06, so eventually was forced (as a professional journalist) to try something smaller. He chose the .270 Winchester with 150-grain Nosler Partition handloads, and killed a mature 6-point bull with it on the Whittington Center in New Mexico--with the longest shot he'd made up to that point on a bull elk with any rifle, a little over 400 yards. The went down quicker than any other he'd ever taken with a larger cartridge, with a broadside shot behind the shoulders.

Craig wrote publicaly about some of this, but I also know some of it due to having also (through some luck) hunted the Whittington for elk around 20 years ago--with Mike Ballew, then head of the Whittington, and also the guy who guided Craig. Mike showed me the very spot where Craig shot from, and where the bull was standing across a good-sized canyon.

Words of wisdom.

We are looney?
Obviously we want to help, or inform or share our experiences to others asking for help.

Bullet choice is one of the few things that 100% can be controlled on a hunt. Most want the best bullet for the job, hence all the chat about bullet specifics. I know I want to research my equipment to the best of my ability, so I look for advice here and other places.

Elk tags are like gold in Az, so I lack experience compared to most, so I do research and ask more experienced minds.

My brother has said, People want a hardware solution when it's a software problem.

It's easier to focus on rifles and bullets than it is to get in great shape and have a plan for where to hunt and ability to hike as far as needed to find elk and be able to get the meat back to camp.

I'm not immune to it either, I'm sitting here with a computer rather than working out.

👆👆

Sadly, so true, and in my family.

I have a brother afflicted with Elk Madness and will travel anywhere for chance at the next point increase in trophy size.

But.

Won't practice. Won't get in / stay in Elk hunting shape. Blames failure on equipment, so it's on to the next rifle, the next cartridge, and the next ever more fancy big glass.
He's a big boy and should know better, so when he's showing off his latest sure-fire Elk getter I just nod my head and say something like "that there is a pretty rifle".

100% agree! Adequate size cartridge with a decent bullet in the right place is important. But being fit and mentally tough, or lack thereof, is more important in my opinion. Elk often live in rough country, and getting in a reasonable shooting position competing with others on public land, often requires some "toughness" on the part of the hunter.

I live in the middle of elk country, they reside on my property Spring to Nov-Dec usually. My place is surrounded by public land. Hunting them on my property is far different than public land or a horseback hunt in the Rockies. Ive done both for over 40 years, but these days I will hunt public land only if I get drawn for a premium tag, otherwise, I stay around my place. For those kinds of hunts, you will increase your chances the better prepared you are. I believe being fit is directly related to being mentally tough, if walking miles in rough country doesn't beat you, it is easier to stay mentally ready.

Giving up, heading to the bar or staying in camp, doesn't fill many tags.

Regards,
Manny

I enjoy hunting with a wide variety of rifles, cartridges and bullets. I have my favorites but realize most anything can get the job done.

Been working western hunters since 69. I like a variety of fun cartridges but overall I think I’ve seen more elk and deer brought down with the .270 than any other. My trusty old model 721 is still a pleasure in my hands and drives nails but what’s more important is what it does to lungs.

It’s been a great run and very interesting watching the “caliber evolution”. The .270 and 30.06 were all about elk and deer back when, toss in a .243 for the deer as well.
Next I think came the 7mags and .300’s. For elk alone the .338 became the big deal. On occasion a .375 would show up.

I can say I believe as an average shooters were better at the craft back in the early 70’s. As said above first and foremost hunters back then took more pride in their shooting ability than the finish on their gun. I wonder that a lot of that didn’t come from a lot of those adult hunters came up in a time before me when prowling around in their childhoods with a .22 or something like it got them sharpened up early. Hunters being hunters.
The only ballistics I recall being discussed were casual conversations while hunters loaded up and passed their shell boxes back and forth, brand used was the big point of interest.

It does not matter 1970 or this past fall a .270 thru the lungs has brought down every elk and deer I ever saw hit as such and even a few awfully big moose.

Osky